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...I just showed her this thread. I feel bad for the guy... in a way... in that I'm sorry it happened. 
. . . . The F800R's chain drive. They say it was chosen so users could inexpensively change the gearing. That may be true for some, but how many actually do that? I think it was a cost cutting mistake that will and has turned away the BMW faithful. It did for me. My last chain drive was prior to my 1976 XS-750D and it was a 1973 TX-500 Yamaha. Chain drive = never again! I really do despise it. 
Rob, I think I gave back my lunch!CycleRob wrote:I think the chain drive killed it for most potential buyers used to BMW's shaft drive that were open to changing to belt drive.
The belt is lighter, zero maintenance, silent, clean and more efficient.
Besides, chain drive has it's drawbacks:
http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242261
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While some folks tinker with sprocket ratios, I'm guessing the rationale behind the F800R chain drive is cost and convention. The sprockets and swingarm are much simpler to manufacture than the F800S/ST's belt drive and elegant single-sided swingarm. And for the vast majority of motorcyclists, chain dirve is "normal". Nobody said it was "best" though.The F800R's chain drive. They say it was chosen so users could inexpensively change the gearing. That may be true for some, but how many actually do that?
I too was sad to hear of the loss of the belt drive. I rode a 800S and it was very, very nice. Could the replacement of the belt drive with the chain have anything to do with the intended use of the bike? I know that many of us use or have used the naked bikes for touring, but it is obvious that BMW wants you to buy the more expensive touring bikes for that. The "urban" bikes are typically used for shorter periods of time and built with flashier looks than the "Tourers" (R vs K bikes). CycleRob says that chain drives cannot be used for cruising at high speed for long periods of time and I defer to his knowledge. Could BMW just be taking the long view of how these smaller beemers will be used? Commutes and around town (in Europe so far)?For a BMW streetbike, a chain drive seems to violate a long standing unspoken policy to make machines that can take on several hours of high speed cruising with clean, quiet, low maintenance reliability. Even the AirHeads were capable of that. I know, I followed one cruising 80+MPH on I-80 thru the state of New Jersey. Chain drive can't do that without worry unless it is enclosed in an oil bath. I had no fear whatsoever of the AirHead's stressed driveline parts impacting me following behind it. Not so if it were a chain drive bike. Especially considering the way the average rider neglects adjusting/lubing their chain FD. Our belt drive is essentially a promising new technology by an age comparison to chain. For me, it is equal to or better than shaft drive.
