A motorcycle related rant...

[arcticXS]

I only ever owned chain drive motorcycles, and the majority have an extremely annoying design "flaw", at least from a cleaning/ maintenance perspective....The ONLY bikes I own, without this annoying flaw is the 1954 Tempo, that has a Villiers 12D engine and my two Ducatis, M600 and ST2.
The XS650, RD350, XT250 etc on the other hand have this flaw.
Maybe I have got some of you interested now?
It is about cleaning/ degreasing the area around the front sprocket. Having to remove the alternator/ ignition cover before attempting to clean the filthiest area on the bike is pretty silly if you ask me. On the Ducatis, I can degrease and pressure wash all day long without worrying about the alternator and ignition.
Now, I never owned many Honda/ Kawasaki/ Suzuki, so I wonder if this is mainly a Yamaha thing?

 

[Raymond]

so I wonder if this is mainly a Yamaha thing?

No, it's pretty general. We bikers are masochists who enjoy sitting out in the cold and rain and getting filthy, so what better than more grief and annoyance when you clean the bike?

In the past, I've owned a number of Murrican bikes and I must say toothed belt drives save a lot of mess.

 

[Its been a long time]

I really wouldn't pressure wash around the front sprocket. That's inviting water ingress to the gearbox through the oil seal behind the sprocket. In the case of the XS650, it's the engine oil, not just gearbox oil.

 

[arcticXS]

In the past, I've owned a number of Murrican bikes and I must say toothed belt drives save a lot of mess.

Now THAT is a good argument for a Buell

 

[John Regular]

Shaft drive?

 

[Its been a long time]

Shaft drive?

Definitely. The Goldwing and the Guzzi I had were both great. Apart from an oil seal change on the Guzzi after maybe 25000 miles, both were trouble free and needed only oil changes.

 

[AUTOMAN]

Why clean it?

 

[jetmechmarty]

I have an XS1100. It’s a shaft drive bike. Once in a while it gets an oil change and a shot of grease. It’s been trouble free for me over more than 100,000 miles. There’s no telling how many chains I’ve replaced on the XS650 in 65,000 miles.

Periodically, I use kerosene to clean the front sprocket area of the XS650. When I’m satisfied, I don’t remove the kerosene. I simply button it up.

 

[ehud42]

I'm feeling your pain - replaced the filter adapter this winter, and ain't no one been under this skirt in many, many years. Nasty. Hope to give it a good rinse once the weather is a few degrees warmer.

 

[360Gradi]

I only ever owned chain drive motorcycles, and the majority have an extremely annoying design "flaw", at least from a cleaning/ maintenance perspective....The ONLY bikes I own, without this annoying flaw is the 1954 Tempo, that has a Villiers 12D engine and my two Ducatis, M600 and ST2.
The XS650, RD350, XT250 etc on the other hand have this flaw.
Maybe I have got some of you interested now?
It is about cleaning/ degreasing the area around the front sprocket. Having to remove the alternator/ ignition cover before attempting to clean the filthiest area on the bike is pretty silly if you ask me. On the Ducatis, I can degrease and pressure wash all day long without worrying about the alternator and ignition.
Now, I never owned many Honda/ Kawasaki/ Suzuki, so I wonder if this is mainly a Yamaha thing?

I am not an engineer, but have owned, and continue to own, chain driven bikes ('76 XS 650 and '71 CB 350). But, I have always thought that it is sound design that drive chains should always meant to be operated in a full enclosure, and for 2 main reasons:

1. Safety; exposed running chains risk getting jammed by objects and come in close contact with body parts, such as arms and legs, etc.

2. Exposed running chains pick up dirt and debris, which gets stuck on the grease and oil that they are lubricated with. This shortens their life and the life of the sprockets they run on.

Therefore, it is not a coincidence that in most industrial applications, chains and sprockets are enclosed, usually in oil tight enclosures. This keeps operators safe and ensures they stay clean and lubricated. Access panels/doors are usually provided to check and adjust their tension.

Under this concept you may find that many, many more economical and utilitarian motorbikes form 3rd world countries, such as Honda CD 125, have, in-fact, fully enclosed chains, due to harsh environments in those countries, such as muddy trails and roads.

In the former Soviet countries, where mud and snow are present throughout the year, bikes were often equipped with chain enclosures. In 1975, I owned a CZ175 that had its chain fully enclosed, with a small round access window to allow adjustment and lube. And I can attest that in the 3 years of wet English weather, that chain stayed lubed and clean, and never needed adjustment. I never needed to access either front or rear sprocket to clean the muck, and the back wheel remained clean, as well.

Why are our bikes' chains not enclosed? Because we, in the Western modern world, are more concerned with appearance rather than substance. A full chain enclosure may make the bike look old-fashioned and un-cool.

 

[Mailman]

I’ve had three shaft drive bikes, an XS750 triple, a BMW R/100 and my Suzuki Boulevard. I love shaft drives, it would always be my preference. Smoot, quiet, no adjustments, no replacements, no mess. Just periodically drain and refill the differential.

 

[Mailman]

Why are our bikes' chains not enclosed? Because we, in the Western modern world, are more concerned with appearance rather than substance. A full chain enclosure may make the bike look old-fashioned and un-cool.

Still a good idea.

 

[Wingedwheel]

Drive belts are smooth and don’t require much maintenance and yes stay cleaner than a chain but the chain has one huge advantage.I would say it’s the easiest of the three to replace. Ever have to change a drive belt on a Harley?

 

[John Regular]

Drive belts are smooth and don’t require much maintenance and yes stay cleaner than a chain but the chain has one huge advantage.I would say it’s the easiest of the three to replace. Ever have to change a drive belt on a Harley?

That may be true but of the 3 types (chain,, shaft and belt) my Sportster was the most difficult to change a tire due to the axles being frozen. Apparently HD uses only the tiniest amount of of axle grease when they are assembled and often seized by the time someone needs to remove a wheel. I could start a whole rant about my experience with 2 stuck axles. The forum guys had some kind of phrase for it like "beat the brakes off" but I don't remember it. Of all the bikes the Vmax was the easiest to service although I hear the neck bearings are a bear (pun not intended) but yeah reinstalling and adjusting the belt on a Harley was no problem.

 

[Raymond]

There's no doubt at all that fully enclosed chains would be better in nearly every way, but MotoGP bikes run open chains so that's what we want. We bikers are a fashion-conscious bunch.

 

[Its been a long time]

There's no doubt at all that fully enclosed chains would be better in nearly every way, but MotoGP bikes run open chains so that's what we want. We bikers are a fashion-conscious bunch.

Ahem sir....... Running an XS650 as my only bike puts me at the extreme end of "definitely unfashionable". I'd say

 

[Raymond]

Ahem sir....... Running an XS650 as my only bike puts me at the extreme end of "definitely unfashionable". I'd say

Not in these parts, Sir!

But, and here I'm guessing, you know what I mean about form before function? We like the look of a freshly-lubed chain round a rear sprocket. The mfrs know that so they only fit enclosure on lowly 'commuter' bikes. An XS650 flat-track special has seriously compromised functionality but is far sexier than a CD125.

Will you forgive an old man's digression? Back when I were a student, wuz having a conversation with mate Dungbeetle about utility vs price in the new m/c market. In them days, a Z1000H, the new fuel injected one, was listed at £1,999. Dungbeetle said to me, 'If I gave you £2,000 and you're only allowed to use it to buy a new motorbike, what would you buy?'

I said, 'I'd take your £2,000 and buy five MZ250 Supa 5s, coz they're about £400 each and I'd never wear em all out . . .'

 

[arcticXS]

There's no doubt at all that fully enclosed chains would be better in nearly every way, but MotoGP bikes run open chains so that's what we want. We bikers are a fashion-conscious bunch.

Yamaha actually tried to offer an enclosed chain on the early 80s TR1 model. That TR1 is in my eyes an attempt to create a gentleman's ride, much like a BMW 900 or 1000 of the late 70s. I definitely wouldn't mind having one.

 

[dps650rider]

I have been running a belt on my xs for many years and many 10's of thousands of miles. I never want to go back to a chain, no more lube everywhere you don't want it, no more constant adjustments and quiet.

 

[Wingedwheel]

I have been running a belt on my xs for many years and many 10's of thousands of miles. I never want to go back to a chain, no more lube everywhere you don't want it, no more constant adjustments and quiet.

So enlighten us to your set-up? Pics?