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Why didn't I do the DJ drive sooner???

10K views 28 replies 21 participants last post by  Psyc0 
#1 · (Edited)
I just bought a nice C90 drive with modified driveshaft from Motiv. (Thanks for all the help & support, Paul!)

Why the f()^& didn't I do this sooner???

BTW, all the speeds I quote in the following impressions are real (GPS) speeds, not the speeds indicated by the C50 speedo.

Seriously, this changes the entire character of the bike!

Yeah, it takes a little more throttle to take off from a dead stop...but with the OEM C50 drive I didn't really have to give it ANY throttle to idle off from a dead stop on flat ground. But I find I am shifting so much less. In-city driving, stoplight to stoplight, 45 mph or less, I'm only using 1st & 2nd gears. 3rd & 4th gears get me up to 65 mph. 5th gear is solely for 65 mph+ overdrive. And when I'm doing the freeway thing, a quick downshift to 4th at any speed 65+ is my equivalent of the automotive passing gear.

I'm planning a few longer cross-country (or, technically, cross-region) trips this summer and this C90 drive is gonna make it all so much more enjoyable for me!

Thank you, thank you, thank you DJ Hillis, and a giant thank you to Motiv, and big thanks to all the other Vol forum members whose glowing recommendations helped me make the decision to pull the trigger on this mod!

FYI, if you are considering this mod, Motiv is THE GUY to help you out. The drive & shaft I received from him were in great shape, his communication is excellent, he promptly responded to all my PM's with excellent answers to my dumb questions, and the tips he provided helped me be confident I was going to install this drive correctly - aka, square to the frame/swingarm.

OK, end of rave, I'm just gonna go ride the heck out of it for the rest of the spring/summer/fall!!!
 
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#3 ·
I must find out more about this mod. I've heard (read) others talk about in vague conversation, but never really grasped what it actually was or any details about what it did.

Guess I'll have to look up Motiv and pick his brain about it.
 
#4 ·
It does change the character of the bike, that's for sure. Unlike other mods you can actually get most of your money back when selling the drive seperately.
 
#5 · (Edited)
The math: C50 drive vs C90 drive

OK - here's the math, using a standard 170-80-15 rear tire:

Riding easy, shifting so the engine drops to 2500 rpm with each gear change:

. . . . . . Speed (mph)
Gear. . C50 drive. . C90 drive

1st. . . 0 - 19. . . 0 - 22
2nd . . 19 - 26 . . 22 - 30
3rd . . 26 - 31 . . 30 - 36
4th . . 31 - 38 . . 36 - 44
5th . . 38 - 91 . . 44 - 105

Riding hard, winding the engine to 6000 rpm in each gear:

. . . . . . Speed (mph)
Gear. . C50 drive. . C90 drive

1st. . . 0 - 30. . . 0 - 35
2nd . . 30 - 46 . . 35 - 53
3rd . . 46 - 61 . . 53 - 70
4th . . 61 - 74 . . 70 - 86
5th . . 74 - 91 . . 86 - 105

Of course I doubt being able to get to 105 mph due to wind resistance, especially since I'm pushing a big windshield and lowers. And there's no way I'd try...I didn't buy this bike to go 100+ mph!
 
#7 ·
OK - here's the math, using a standard 170-80-15 rear tire:
My experience is similar, although I tend to stay in 2nd around town, 25-35 mph speed limit, use 3rd 35-45mph speed limit, and 4th 45-55 mph speed limit. I like the torque in this gear range which gives instant acceleration when needed. Like you I am very happy with this modification.


Riding easy, shifting so the engine drops to 2500 rpm with each gear change:

. . . . . . Speed (mph)
Gear. . C50 drive. . C90 drive

1st. . . 0 - 19. . . 0 - 22
2nd . . 19 - 26 . . 22 - 30
3rd . . 26 - 31 . . 30 - 36
4th . . 31 - 38 . . 36 - 44
5th . . 38 - 91 . . 44 - 105

Riding hard, winding the engine to 6000 rpm in each gear:

. . . . . . Speed (mph)
Gear. . C50 drive. . C90 drive

1st. . . 0 - 30. . . 0 - 35
2nd . . 30 - 46 . . 35 - 53
3rd . . 46 - 61 . . 53 - 70
4th . . 61 - 74 . . 70 - 86
5th . . 74 - 91 . . 86 - 105
 
#12 · (Edited)
This is some pretty great info. I sent Motiv my payment the other day and im just dyin to get my hands on mine. Did you have any issues installing yours?
No serious issues, thanks to the installation photos here on the forum, my copy of the shop manual, and especially the tips Motiv passed along on getting the drive installed square so the axle will pass straight through to the hole in the exhaust side of the swingarm. I had the typical problem getting the drive shaft to engage the u-joint on the transmission. Just gotta keep turning and twisting and jamming it in there until you get it right. I shoved a broom handle in there a few times to try to position the u-joint, but I can't say for sure whether it helped. I test fit the drive three times to check the axle alignment and had to take it apart and trim more material out of the elongated mounting holes three times until it finally aligned just right. It would have been easier if I had just drilled the three holes out to 9/16", but I wanted to remove as little material as possible to maintain a little more strength on that flange.

I'll add my own tip: spend the time to take off the top muffler (if you have the stock exhaust). It makes it much easier to check the alignment of the axle, and also makes it easier to reassemble the rear wheel assembly once you have everything aligned.

Once more, I'll send a giant thank you to Motiv. He responded so quickly to my questions via PM that I never had to wait to proceed with this project.
 
#15 ·
Same with me! The bike feels much more hefty, or stout, or substantial (to try three different adjectives to describe it).

I was seriously considering selling my C50 and buying a V-Star 1300. Now don't get me wrong, the 1300 is certainly a step up from the C50. But that DJ drive fixed the biggest shortcoming I felt the C50 had. I spent a few hundred dollars and saved a few thousand the V-Star trade up would have cost.

Please understand this is my opinion. Some people don't want or need the DJ drive; they are satisfied with the C50's OEM gearing. Other people won't be satisfied with the incremental improvement the DJ drive offers; they want/need more power and perhaps more features than what the C50 has. They will migrate to a C90 or a V-Star 1300 or a HD Road Glide or a Victory or an Indian. I have lusted for all those bikes. But at least for now, the DJ drive mod makes my C50 much better for my needs and makes it unnecessary for me to spend thousands more. For now...:wayhappy:
 
#11 ·
I did my own. I purchased a final drive out of a VS1400 tore it down to be sure it was an god shape. I replaced the seals in it and grease. Next I took my drive shaft from my 2002 VL800 Volusia and undercut the splined end about 3/16 back. Tried to install it but could not get it to go in the joint. Pulled it back out and undercut deeper on the inside spline end, problem was you must cut deep enough that the splines are completely open so the universal joint will slide all the way up to where you meet the spring play. Once I did this I retried and I have loved it since. Only issue I have is a little vibration which possibly comes from not having lined back up perfectly right. Once you drill the three bolt holes out that you bolt the drive to it is hard to get all perfectly correct. Great change in my bike.
 
#13 ·
Okay fine ... you guys drooling all over this mod Lets talk numbers here. How much did you drop start to finish of this project? And is it something a shade tree mechanic could install or is this something I need to take to a bike shop?

Glad you brought it up ... lol
 
#16 ·
Total cost for me was less than $600 for parts. Motiv supplied everything necessary, including grease. I had to furnish some RTV silicon (a couple dollars). You need hand tools, a torque wrench, an electric drill or Dremel tool, and a motorcycle lift of some sort - store bought or improvised. I already had all of these, and a round ("rat tail") file. I bought two Dremel steel-cutting bits (about $9 each) and grease brushes (5 for $2).

You can easily do this yourself in your garage or driveway. Start to finish it took me 6 hours, including clean up. I was slow and deliberate and it took me 3 assemble/disassemble cycles until I removed enough material from the elongated mounting holes to get the axle to be aligned to my satisfaction.

This is definitely shade tree level. Go for it!
 
#14 · (Edited)
I put 15k miles on my bike before swapping the drive. On the test ride after the drive install, I wasn't 1/2 mile from my house when I had the same reaction.....WHY didn't I do this sooner!

HotRodSam, you can purchase a complete ready to drop in unit from a few of the guys on this forum that sell them. Users "Mickey" and "Motiv" are two that I know of that are doing them. Me personally, I came up on a deal on a VS1400 drive, and I sent my driveshaft and spacer to Mickey to modify them to fit and he did EXCELLENT work.

But....after you get all of your pieces.....all that's required labor wise is elongating the mounting holes on the swingarm to fit the drive, which is the most time consuming part of the install. But the only cost incurred is the tools to do it with. I used a rat-tail file and a dremel. Took about an hour.
 
#17 ·
Glad you enjoy the new feel to your c50. There are some threads that provide more details and many reactions to this change. I will forgo repeating my previous lengthy comments on this final drive change.

My total cost: Less than $600 - I didn't purchase a ready to go package from the normal providers here.

Hardest things to do:
1. Finding a local person willing to adjust the driveshaft. I drove to quite a few places and finally found a guy who was willing to work on the driveshaft at his home garage. No one else would touch it. Too small of a job for the companies to fool with, I guess.
2. Getting the axle off the rear wheel. The axle bolt is practically stripped on my c50; it took me about an hour of trial and error to get this bolt off. I know what to do next time and will replace the axle the next time I take it off.
3. Drilling the holes for the new final drive. This took about 30 minutes but I was careful to stretch the holes instead of just reaming them out. I took care to make the change to each hole almost exactly the same. I just squeezed the final drive into position which lined up perfectly with the u-joint.
4. Wiping the smile off my face when riding with the new drive.

Items I had to purchase (some things I needed anyways): driveshaft, labor on driveshaft preparation, final drive, spacer, a few tools, a circlip, a gasket, brushes, moly paste, straps, motorcycle lift.


Time to do the modification was about three hours. I spent about 1 1/2 hours fighting some bolt problems I had.
 
#18 ·
I was a lucky one. I had an original DJ drive, installed by Dan himself! I rode that bike all over kingdom come with that drive in place and loved every minute of it. The ONLY time I regretted it was when we were riding the BRP, 2 up with bags full of luggage. The loss of torque became VERY noticeable climbing some of the mountain passes. Other than that, I was just like everyone else. Why didn't I do it sooner? It cost me about $600 for the drive, modification and miscellaneous parts.
 
#19 ·
Been thinking about one of these drives for a while, everyone is saying its great for over 65 mph, my quandary is " down under " our speed limit is 100 km / h ( 60mph ), I don't do any slab / freeway riding or in heavy traffic, generally just country roads / sunday club cruise, approx.5500 km / year. Bike is 2013 C50T mostly stock, I'm thinking of the bully controller, stealth intakes and cobra pipes, any thoughts?
 
#20 ·
I am in Northern NSW and nearly all my riding is country roads around here, never heavy traffic, and usually two up for about 10,000klms annually. For that reason I cannot justify the gain of the final drive over the loss of the lower gearing when I need it. My driveway is long and very steep and plenty of hills around as well.:wayhappy:

Coops.
 
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#21 ·
Rus Ler - If you don't ride over 65mph, I wouldn't bother with switching out the final drive. You will find yourself driving around in 4th gear at 60mph. 5th gear will be useless to you. You will lose a little muscle from the stops with the changed drive.

Today, I was going 65mph-70mph (actual) in fourth gear and the bike purred along nicely. The bike wasn't shaking or rattling or buzzy.

On the other hand, if you drive in the city a lot and are tired of shifting into fourth gear all the time, you might consider changing the drive. I now drive around town in 3rd gear at 45mph actual. The RPMs are a little higher but the bike runs smooth.
 
#22 ·
I don't have a DJ and the only time I wish I did is when I get on the intestate and hit about 70, which is only about twice a year. If the fastest you ever go is 60, save the dough and spend it on other upgrades.
 
#23 ·
^^^^ +1
I have the drive, Love it, but spend a lot of my time on the slab running from job location to job location. If not going to be at those speeds a lot I would say get a comfy seat and some great tunes, slow down enjoy the ride :)
 
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#24 ·
Definitely, how you spend most of your time determines if you're gonna benefit from the drive switch or not. I used to do most of my riding on rural back roads, 50 to 60 mph. I didn't consider the DJ mod. Then I moved to the semi-big city (Mpls/St. Paul). About 1/3 of my riding is now city/suburb, stoplight to stoplight, under 45 mph. At those speeds the DJ mod gets me away from the stoplights and through the corners before I need to upshift, and it also takes away a lot of shifting because I only use the first 3 gears instead of 4. And in order to get to the rural backroads on weekends without wasting a lot of time starting and stopping in city driving, I find myself on the freeway at 70 mph + about 1/3 of the time, where the DJ mod really is a benefit for me.

The DJ mod is definitely not a benefit for everyone, but it is for me and the way I use my bike now.
 
#25 ·
I found a VS1400 drive on eBay for $305 (delivered), eBay U-Joint for $25 to do the BB-Joint mod (just to have a spare in case I mess up the cut), plus less than $50 for a few other little parts like seals and a spacer, and had a great time with my hand-held grinder to shape the drive to receive the swing arm.

I don't do this stuff every day, but I can surprise myself after a bit of careful study.

I love this mod! It makes it feel like the bike it should be as a cruiser. It looks like a harley and now it runs more like one going through the gears too... I used to hate riding 2-up and shifting to 2nd in an intersection! That doesn't happen anymore.
 
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#26 ·
"Why didn't I do the DJ drive sooner???"

Is a frequently asked question... I love mine, both for the highway and for around town. For in-town travel, I like the extended 1st gear and that I can stretch out my shifting. The benefits on the highway speaks for itself. :wayhappy:
 
#27 ·
For in-town travel, I like the extended 1st gear and that I can stretch out my shifting. The benefits on the highway speaks for itself. :wayhappy:
Exactly - improvements to both city and freeway driveability. However, I can also appreciate that it is not necessarily useful if most of your time is spent on 50 - 60 mph back roads.
 
#28 ·
Hello Everyone.


I'm new to this forum and just converted my C50 to a Bobber (Pictures on profile) I just purchased VS1400 for DJ Drive MOD and am wondering if Mickey" and "Motiv still do the drive shaft and spacer? I also have a new C50 drive shaft and would like to have them do the work if they are still here and doing it? I'm in Northern KY close to Cincinnati and if anyone could help me would be appreciated. My email is:

wainscott.jeffrey@yahoo.com or wainscott.jeffrey@outlook.com

This is without an awesome forum site.
 
#29 ·
I haven't noticed that either of those mentioned have been logged on here lately.

Try posting/contacting the member in the thread url below, last page is recent:

2 DJ Drives left $400+shipping each
 
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