 Final drive reduction ratio = 2.

5 to 3:1
Chain drive – obvious choice for motorcycle designers
— More compact
— Easy to arrange on conventional designs
— Well lubricated chains  most efficient power transmission
— Hostile environment  road dirt may deposit on chain and reduce their efficiency
— Chain enclosure with automatic chain oiler mechanism
— Invent of new materials  lighter, stronger and most importantly they reduced the
unsprung weight.
— Types:
 Split roller
 Seamless roller
 Self-lubricated roller
— Over the period of time, the chain length increases  slackness  efficiency
drop, noisy operation.
— Automatic chain tensioning mechanism, swing arm adjustment backward
movement of rear wheel assembly to adjustable length.

Timing belt
— They provide positive drive and used for high power transmission
— Base material: polychloroprene rubber
— Metallic tension chords are inserted to increase the tensile strength
— Nylon coating on the surface prevents the cracking
— Does not require any lubrication
— Life of the belt is comparatively short
— Requires frequent replacement due to wear and tearing of the belt
— However, toothed belt exhibited less effectiveness than new chain drive.
— Harley Davidson, Kawasaki and Dwell motorcycles

Shaft drive
— Robust, clean
— Only routine maintenance required  oil changes at frequent intervals
— Expensive to manufacture
— Increases the unsprung weight
 — Absorbs a lot of power
— BMW R and K models, Honda Goldwing, Honda CX/ GL 500 and 650
— Yamaha XJ and XS models, Kawasaki GT models  pair of bevel gears
Couple of side effects
Harshness in transmission
Inclination of shaft  gives rise to rear end under acceleration
BMW had overcome this effect with ‘Para lever’ suspension which incorporates pivot
points in the swing arm and two UJs in the shaft to counteract the rising effect in the
rear arm.