As we have already established, motorcycles come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and styles but they all have certain things in common. Aside from being two wheeled, obviously, they all use some time of drive system to deliver power to the large rear wheel.

If you have ever looked at motorcycle, you likely noticed that there is a chain that goes from the engine to the back wheel. In fact, most motorcycles use the chain drive system in order to move the bike forward. While the chain isn't seen on every type of bike, it is generally the most favored and will almost always be used on sport bikes and dirt bikes.

The reason for this is because it is the chain drive is cheap and delivers the most power to the rear wheel. This effectively gives your bike more speed and torque while keeping the costs down. The chain drive is not without its pitfalls though, as they are very dirty and hard to maintain. Anyone who has ever even owned just a bicycle knows that chains can get rusty if not taken care of and are filthy no matter what condition they are in. Chain drives require more continual maintenance to ensure that the chain doesn't lock up or slip. Be careful though, a freshly oiled chain is likely to fling nasty stuff everywhere for a little while when riding afterwards.

So then why not use a belt drive? They are cleaner, last longer, require less maintenance, and typically offer a smoother delivery of power to the rear wheel. Well this is very true but for a lot of riders out there they got into riding motorcycles because they want to feel the power and speed of these machines. A belt can offer that, but they are not as "raw" as a chain drive and don't provide that same feeling of torque you get from the grittier chain drives. Also, they are a bit more expensive especially to replace.

There is one more type of drive, the drive shaft, that can be used in motorcycles but it isn't typically used. This system is much like the one found in your car and doesn't provide near the power a chain drive can. They are very expensive as well but require very little maintenance. Usually you will only see these drive shafts on larger touring bikes as they require more control with options like reverse as well as the fact that they go for long distances meaning less worry about maintenance.

Whether you ride a chain, belt, or drive shaft it really is up to you. Some people prefer the trade off of less power for a smoother ride, and some just don't want to mess with fixing a dirty chain constantly. Whatever you choose, make sure it's right for you and that you enjoy the ride.