How much do they weigh??
Quote:
Originally Posted by AliBaba
The weight issue is funny. As always people think that the traditional BMW-stuff is heavy. I compared the weight of swingarm, beveldrive/sprocket, driveshaft/chain on a R80GS and a F650GS Paris Dakar:
R80GS shaft 12,4kg
F650GS 9kg
That’s not to bad is it? …… Well if you need to carry a spare set of sprockets and chain the weight for the chain-bike will be 12.3 kg! Still 100 gram lighter but you need lubricants, a few chainlocks and maybe some tools.
Conclusion: Shaftdrive is not necessarily heavier then chain and sprockets!
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Hi Alibaba,
I just cannot imagine what it is about a couple of sprockets and a chain that adds up to 9 Kg.
Can't say I have ever weighed suchlike though.
I would "imagine", again I don't have weighing scales to hand, that the current crop of BMW shafties are heavier than the earlier models - they just look bigger and, therefore, heavier.
So, is it a useful comparison to take an old bike alongside a current production model (including the next generation of F650GS)?. I quite understand that you are riding one, so you have a personal interest!
I do like the way that BMW are prepared to manufacture bikes with all 3 common(ish) drive systems; shaft, chain and belt. In the next few years, we may see more of the chain drive models appearing, or belts for that matter.
Apart from this, I would just like to remind the original questioner that the chain drive bike can have it's gear ratios changed pretty easily - I don't hear or read of shaft drive owners fiddling with their gear ratios.
That's why the "racers" will always have a whole pile of sprockets and gearboxes for the various circuits - lets see how BMW are going to deal with this when they go racing!!
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Dave
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