The subject of motorcycle drive has been on my mind lately. I'm due to change the chain on my KTM after trying the clean but don't lube approach. And a friend is in the process of modifying an old BMW with a more modern swing arm, so we were talking about shortening his driveshaft. It's a surprisingly wimpy looking thing that looks more like a steering shaft than a drive shaft to me.
Along the way, I was referred to a video of a motorcycle chain during a drag strip run. It's not exactly your street bike, but it is a view I've never seen before and often wondered about.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2wxgez
Since we are on the subject, there is also this video from Kevin Cameron on how motorcycle frames have evolved over the years. It's fun to see him explain things with his hands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id7UZ3iws40
That reminded me of a recent conversation with a fast rider from our club. He said that most people have no idea what the capability of a modern sport bike really is. He picked a road I know which has many tight corners marked at 15 and 20 mph and said that he can average 70 to 80 mph over that mountain. This could be unsupported bragging, but knowing who said it, I suspect it is data based and pretty close to the truth. In that case, I hope I never find out the true capability of a sport bike.
