ducati 1098, lookin desmoRR

[Guest golden goose]

Wow Mom! Look! That Ducati has that new fangled, hi-tech chain drive! You know, the auto industry swore by chain drive. Right up til 1906!!!! Uh. Right, that was a century ago. But we all know chain drive is more efficient than a shaft, right?

 

Right?

 

Even BMW recently proved this when after some exhastive testing on chain drive versus shaft, on their way to producing the K1200S, they proved that chains are indeed more efficient than shafts all the way up to about 600 miles! Now, we all know how far 600 miles is?

 

Right?

 

After that, given the average way owners of hi-tech chain driven bikes maintain those chains, the advantage in efficiency sort of dwindles away. Well maintained chains kept their racer's edge to about 1600 miles. And that is what this is really all about anyway, isn't it? The Ronnie Racer's edge.

 

Right?

 

Because even though we all admonish each other often enough that if we want to race, we should go to the track, we still fool around and do a few corners racing each other anyway. And that tiny edge of efficiency the chain has over the shaft is really important for those miniscule moments in time.

 

Right?

 

Wrong. This is proof of Mercedes apt tagline from late last century: Perception isn't always reality. You are most welcome to keep your chain driven retro-bikes. The computer on my K1200S tells me that it is presently predicting its first ever valve adjustment will be needed at 27000 miles. That's right, first ever. Supposedly the shaft is permanently lubed, but I do change it at 10k mile intervals.

 

As the kid in the Honda commercial says: "Excuse me sir, I just wanna ride!"

[v50man]

If I'm gonna lay out that kinda dough, I think I'd go for the MV Agusta F4 -- and just be done with it.

 

But -- hey -- I'm the same guy who swears by his Buell Firebolt ------ so what do I know?