[Dodger]

Let's get rid of that gear driven final drive on the AN650 and replace it with a belt drive.

It's quieter.

It's maintenance free.

It's cheaper to produce (maybe you could lower the price??).

It's quieter.

 

[roy_ryall]

I would NOT like to see it changed to a belt final drive.

 

[pauljo]

I am happy with the current setup also.

 

[cool_p]

:roll: Please keep the final drive as is.

 

[cool_p]

NO, NO, NOOOO to a belt final. :x

 

[Butch]

Never fix what isn't broken. The present system works fine & there have been no problems so leave it alone!

Butch

 

[lilleyen]

Right.
Don't mess with success!

 

[Robert]

I like the current system much better than any belt or chain drive I've ever had. I would be interested in a shaft system - but I think the gear drive is probably just as good as any shaft system.

 

[ben1364]

I don't know quite what to make of the original poster's assertion that a belt final drive would be maintenance free. From my experience, belts have a service life and are to be replaced at specified intervals.

 

[theswede1935]

Yeah.....keep the present drive system....no belts.

Dave

 

[Brewman]

If all I ever have to do is replace gear lube, then I'll keep the gear drive.
Sooner or later a belt would need replacing.

 

[ATGJDR]

For once I agree with the masses on this one. Talking to a Suzuki Dealer who also sells the Victory line says that a stone thrown into the belt mechanism can damage the belt enough to have to replace it. Gear Oil is a lot easier to deal with. A belt might make the back wheel easier to remove but I don't do that anyway. :dontknow:

 

[spacewrench]

Never fix what isn't broken. The present system works fine & there have been no problems so leave it alone!

Actually, that's not true. I had a catastrophic failure of the final drive on my 2003 650, and when I bought a replacement on eBay, I was bidding against another guy who'd had the same problem. I'd go for a chain or belt final drive in an instant. A chain running in an enclosed oil bath would last forever, and would probably be lighter.

 

[Jim]

Keep the current set-up. If there is a concern, simply change the rear drive oil more frequently.

 

[wingnut1]

I prefer the gears as well. All the scooters I've had before the 650 had belts and they needed replacing, as did the roller kits, quite often in as little as 3000 miles. The 650 gears are well proven by now, and I personally love the turbine-like sound they make.

 

[K8KQD]

It sounds like the gear-drive is a clear winner... If it were ever changed, however, I've had excellent experience with shaft-drive motorcycles and wouldn't mind seeing that offered. I don't expect any problems with the current gear-drive though.

 

[mgreenfield]

...everytime you mesh/unmesh a gearset you lose a little horsepower, same everytime you turn a bearing. I think Suz engineers use of a 5-gear train to reach the rear wheel is very odd, ....possibly a last-resort solution to some design trap they found themselves in, and would like to hear their explanation.

After a long run, feel that box-of-gears for heat. If it's warm/hot, some of your engine ponies never made it to the road.

 

[Blutoy]

Vote belt/chain

 

[Colchicine]

I am open to another setup, but at least when I go on a long trip I don't have to pack any extra gears to replace. Catastrophic failures are rare. Just because I had a catastrophic electrical short doesn't mean that I want Suzuki to eliminate all wires and go with vacuum hoses.

 

[rbparks]

I would vote for shaft drive before a belt or chain, if the rear drive HAD to be replaced.