Wow really wipe and clean every day?
After my 2006 ST, I bought a 2018 FJR of course both shaft drive, so got used to the cleanliness and durability of shafts. In 2014 I also bought a CB 1100 chain drive, and in 2021 traded the FJR in on an NC 750X DCT, also chain drive, because the FJR was getting heavy for me (I'm in my 70's and not real big..actually I'm a munchkin). My bikes get ridden daily year-round. Unless there is snow/ice ON the road, I'm riding. Chain maintenance means lubing them when I look at them and they look dry, after riding in the rain, or at least once a month and adjustments are when the rear tires get changed about every 8,000 miles. They don't need it between tire changes. The oem chain on my CB, a 530 oring chain, went 36,909 miles before it got into the red zone with no kinks or issues. I now have 34,000 miles on it's oe replacement chain, and I'm getting ready to take it on a trip to Va in a couple of weeks. The NC with a lighter 520 O ring chain went 23,000 with no kinks or issues before getting into the red, and replaced with an X ring chain which I hope will go a little longer. I have 9,000 miles on it's replacement.
Modern chains are actually quite good compared to the wimpy chains we had in the 60s/70s and will go a long time with very minimal care. Not shaft drive long (unless it's a BMW shaft bwahahahah J/K Beemer riders), but for the average rider who rides 3,000 miles a year, the owner will likely trade the bike off before needing a replacement chain (which is why I think mfgs have gotten away from shaft drives for the most part, especially on smaller cc bikes). Even if you ride 10,000 miles a year they will go 2-3 years, with minimal maintenance. They really don't need a lot, as they are internally lubed and the lube you supply on the outside is mainly to keep the chain side plates from rusting. I know a lot of guys who just rub 90 wt gear oil on their chains with a rag as far as lubing them goes. I still spray a wax chain lube on mine out of 57 years of habit. I don't even carry chain lube on trips. It's lubed and adjustment checked before I leave, and I've come to trust it will be ok for the duration of the trip. The CB has been on out of state trips to PA, ARK, KY, VA, W VA, TN, NC, GA, IN, IL, SD, ND, MD, DE, NJ, CT, RI, WI, MN, Neb, IA, MO, Colo, KS and never once did it have to be adjusted or lubed on the trips. The guy I rode to California with in 2014 rode a 1000 V Strom (I was on my ST) and never once did his V Strom's chain need adjustment, He did lube it every couple of days. We rode 5,500 miles in 11 days. That trip changed my opinion about chains.
I must say chains are not shafts, but these days they are not so bad.
For me the bad part is the cost of a chain and a set of sprockets and rubber cushions for the rear hub every, let's say, 35,000 miles, and the constantly dirty rear wheel (which I ignore for the most part)
BTW there are loads of lighter sport touring bikes out there, or bikes suitable for being used for that purpose from the Suzuki V Strom 650 or Kawasaki Versys 650, Honda NC 750X, BMW 900, Yamaha 900 Tracer, Kawasaki Versys 1000, Suzuki 1000GT, the new soon to be released Suzuki 800 and Honda 750 Hornet ...all chain drive BTW..and the V7, V85TT, and Mandello from Guzzi all shaft driven