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
www.KZ1300.com
Riders:
1968 BSA 441 Shooting Star, 1970 BSA 650 Lightning, 1974 W3, 1976 KZ900, 1979 KZ750 Twin, 1979 KZ750 Twin Trike, 1981 KZ1300, 1982 KZ1100 Spectre, 2000 Valkyrie, 2009 Yamaha Roadliner S. 1983 GL 1100
Projects:
1985 ZN1300
