Our Frank asked....... Apart from the obvious expense - I cant help wondering why Ducati didnt make a gear driven cam train for the belt drive bikes ??? If H0nda could do it with the VFR range, couldnt Ducati - or does the Desmodromics (?) prevent this in someway?
The earlier bevel drive bikes were desmo ( well, most of them anyway... ) and they used a shaft to drive the cams! There is no reason why the cams could not be gear or bevel driven...it's just that they aren't anymore! And of course we'd all have to go and join the DOC Hurrah for belts!!!!! :P:P
Actuallly, gears are more reliable than chains...ever heard the old joke Knock knock... Who's there? Honda camchain tensioner...........
Chains sap less power than gears, I'd imagine belts less so still ( Lower reciprocating mass..... ) Noise levels for belts are also lower than chains or gears.... My Guzzi had a gear driven cam....what a wonderful noise that made
Ah yes andy, I remember my cbr6 - took me ages to work out what that knocking noise was!
Maybe there's some thinking that the belts being external will save a bit of space in the engine (where chains need to be inside the casing for an oil bath), so the engine can be made slightly narrower and save a few more gramms?