01-12-2017, 08:14 AM
(01-11-2017, 03:12 AM)Rboe_imp Wrote: Motus: I've sat on one, very nice but may be too low for my long legs. One of the guys on the Guzzi forum bought one - loves it last I heard.
Chain drive: Once you hear about the catastrophic shaft drive failures chain does not sound so bad after all. 20K miles, new chain and sprockets - basically a very cheap rear drive complete over haul. I have two chain drive bikes now and they are not nearly the trouble they used to be in 80's. Like a lot of things in life, I think their negatives are based on old information. But hey, it's your money and we have choices.
Victory: Polaris can still bring out an Indian Victory down the line if Indian gives them the profits to experiment a bit. Although I think that motor is dead now. Or maybe they will think the Victory brand is bad juju and will use a different brand. I do think that if Polaris really wanted to keep making motorcycles, bringing out the Indian line was pure genius.
I have two chain drives and one shaft. The shaft is maintenance-free after the initial gear oil change at 500 miles (though I do change it when I change the engine oil anyway because it's so easy -- comes out the same color it goes in). The chains require maintenance every 500. If I go on a trip like I did last summer of almost 3,000 miles, I certainly do not want to stop EVERY DAY (I did 4-500 miles each day) to clean/lube the chain and adjust the position of the axle in the swing arm. Chains are fine for 'round-town bikes. The cost has nothing to do with it -- for me, it's the ride quality and maintenance required. No bike that claims to be for touring can run a chain. Another reason I also didn't buy a Ducati Multistrada. If I wanted to, I could certainly afford the Motus.
I forgot that the Motus doesn't have ABS or traction control... those are also non-starters, especially the TC on a bike with that much low-end torque. I very much wanted to love the bike, but it's missing what I consider key features for the segment it purports to be in.