82 KX 1100 Shafty $600

Not much info, but just wondering about the price.

boise.craigslist.org/mcy/453504032.html

Never rode a shaft drive bike. I hear from people that they love them. No real maintenance like a chain. They do use about 18% of the engines power to drive a shaft compared to a chain.The ad seems to mention that its a "shaft drive" a few times. A shaft cant take the abuse a chain can. You can damage a shaft from to much "throttle". Guys I know that never owned a bike but bought 1 with a shaft swear by it. People that had chains say they would never by a shaft drive bike. If you look around, when kawasaki went to shaft drive in 83+, sales seemed to have really dropped. Observing bikes in front of me that are shaft drive..... I can see how when they really lay in the throttle the bikes tend to want to pull to the left. Your turning horizontal motion to vertical motion, back to horizontal motion at the rear wheel. You can see how the bike kinda wants to "pull to the left". I do notice how shaft drive bikes are much cheaper than chain or say belt drive bikes.

Post edited by: dannyg40, at: 2007/10/19 19:26

Sorry DannyG but I've gotta take issue with much of what you said.

"No real maintenance like a chain."

If you mean you don't have to compensate for chain wear by adjusting the rear axle, I agree , but shaft drives need to have their gear oil changed regularly and you had better not neglect the drive splines which need to be lubed with moly grease just as often. And, of course there's the universal joints on a shaft don't forget them.

True shaft drives are not as efficient at putting power on the ground but I doubt that "You can damage a shaft from to much "throttle"."


"Guys I know that never owned a bike but bought 1 with a shaft swear by it. People that had chains say they would never by a shaft drive bike."
Not sure where that leaves me since I own several of each.

"If you look around, when kawasaki went to shaft drive in 83+, sales seemed to have really dropped." Kawasaki started offering shaft drives in 79 and perhaps even earlier. Since then they've always had a mix of drives including belts.

"Observing bikes in front of me that are shaft drive..... I can see how when they really lay in the throttle the bikes tend to want to pull to the left..." I've ridden many shafts and never experienced and pull, either left or right. I've experienced shaft jacking, where the rear end rises up under heavy acceleration, my 1300 really jacks up. If you see a bike in front of you pulling to the left, I suggest that you get out of harms way because that bike's about to come apart.

"I do notice how shaft drive bikes are much cheaper than chain or say belt drive bikes."

Don't agree with you here either, shaft's are more expensive to manufacture.

I've got an 82 KZ1100 Spectre and while it'll never be a dragster, it doesn't sling any oil either.

KZCSI

Kawasaki's first shaft bike was in '79...
KZ1000ST
I had a KZ1100 for about 50,000 miles before it was totaled.
Lot of hard miles.. wheelies, burnouts, etc. even some 1/4 mile passes :woohoo:
they can take more abuse than most people give them credit for

.

Post edited by: bob_z1, at: 2007/10/19 22:00

dont forget you can put "shaft" on the license plate

:woohoo:

My Volusia is a shafty(albeit attached to a smaller (804cc) engine than a Spectre) and I love it. Never had a problem. I'm not a speed demon by any stretch but it always goes as fast as I need it to.

I love my shaft drive bikes, I love my belt drive bikes, and I deal with chain maintenance cause that is the nature of the beasts.