[lightbox]

Admittedly I haven't kept up with the world of motorcycling since I gave up on the idea of riding several years ago, but I do get the bug from time to time. Thanks to the recent thread on motorcycle nostalgia I looked to see what they're making these days and realized that manufacturers are really pushing automatic transmissions. I'm not surprised; the car market has gone that way too. I think automatic bikes have been around for a while, but when I took my MSF course they were all standard and they taught us as if all bikes have a clutch and gear selector. Guess I just took that for granted.

Anyway, question for the riders: is this a boon for motorcycling, or do you see it as a setback?

I've got my own opinion regarding cars and I can relate pretty well, owning both types of cars. Mrs. lightbox comes from a family of automatic-only drivers and is enforcing that any car in our driveway has to be automatic She isn't going to learn stick any time soon, and we need to be able to share cars. I've been driving stick for 11 years, and only been married for 2.5... hence my struggle

Anyway, I'm curious what the bikers think about this. I know exactly what it is I'd be giving up going to an automatic car because I've felt the difference and have experienced the amount of control gained with a manual (not to mention fun and liveliness while driving). Is it the same analogy for bikes?

[p38arover]

I'm equally at home with automatic and manual cars - as is my wife. We didn't get our first auto until about 20 years after getting our licences. Would I buy a manual again? Unlikely, as I prefer the auto in traffic and off-road - the exception would be for a sports car.

I still occasionally drive manuals when helping out at a friend's Land Rover workshop.

However, for a bike, if I did a lot of city riding, I'd consider an auto bike. Yamaha do the FJR1300 as a clutchless manual. Still change gears but the bike operates the clutch. My Yamaha XJR1300's clutch can be very tiring in traffic and I end up with a sore hand. But as I rarely ride into the city anymore......

[Nakedgun]

Motorcycles are two-wheeled performance machines, in my view, and even though I've not been a touring rider, I do not relish the idea of an automatic even for that purpose.

It is unlikely I would ever buy another four-wheeled-box with a stick, however.

[BearCreek]

I had a BMW F650GS, but it had endless fuel system troubles (stalling at inconvenient moments). So I sold it, and bought a Suzuki Burgman 650 that I just fell in love with. A big, heavy bike (the heaviest bike Suzuki sold at the time), almost like a Honda Goldwing with an auto transmission. It was a recliner with wheels, glued to the road even at 85 mph, and a bear to move around with the motor off (no clutch). If you want an automatic and a heavy bike, try one out.

[reeftool]

The automatic is nothing new to motorcycles. Honda was building them in the late 70's - early 80's with the Hondamatic 400 and 750's. There was (and maybe still is) a nationwide owners club called The Shiftless Bums. Prior to those, the early Honda Cub step throughs had a clutchless shift. Some other manufacturers jumped in on the idea from time to time but I really haven't kept up. Many of the 3 wheel Spyders are automatic.

There are strong traditions in the motorcycle world and I think that is why the automatic has never really taken off and models being discontinued. Our "Baby Boomer" generation has made the motorcycle industry what it is today and the manufacturers are still catering to us. The current crop of Trikes and other 3 wheel options are being gobbled up by riders who still long to be in the wind but aren't too steady on 2 wheels any more so I think we will see a rebirth of automatics too but I think the traditional manual transmission will continue to rule. There are new things coming in the future like electric bikes.

[jpzk]

Admittedly I haven't kept up with the world of motorcycling since I gave up on the idea of riding several years ago, but I do get the bug from time to time. Thanks to the recent thread on motorcycle nostalgia I looked to see what they're making these days and realized that manufacturers are really pushing automatic transmissions. I'm not surprised; the car market has gone that way too. I think automatic bikes have been around for a while, but when I took my MSF course they were all standard and they taught us as if all bikes have a clutch and gear selector. Guess I just took that for granted.

Anyway, question for the riders: is this a boon for motorcycling, or do you see it as a setback?

I've got my own opinion regarding cars and I can relate pretty well, owning both types of cars. Mrs. lightbox comes from a family of automatic-only drivers and is enforcing that any car in our driveway has to be automatic She isn't going to learn stick any time soon, and we need to be able to share cars. I've been driving stick for 11 years, and only been married for 2.5... hence my struggle

Anyway, I'm curious what the bikers think about this. I know exactly what it is I'd be giving up going to an automatic car because I've felt the difference and have experienced the amount of control gained with a manual (not to mention fun and liveliness while driving). Is it the same analogy for bikes?

Maybe you need one of these: Zero Motorcycles (Canada) || 2015 Electric Motorcycle Model Line
Not sure if they are "auto-shifting" the way you mean it though.
Quite cool and quiet, fast, great range, little maintenance.

JP

[lammie200]

Maybe you need one of these: Zero Motorcycles (Canada) || 2015 Electric Motorcycle Model Line
Not sure if they are "auto-shifting" the way you mean it though.
Quite cool and quiet, fast, great range, little maintenance.

JP

100% Electric Motorcycle : Brammo Empulse and Enertia Home

Brammo rejected the CV type of transmission for its electric bikes. Still manual. Pretty cool IMHO.

[lightbox]

Very interesting concepts there, but expensive! I think battery tech is coming along well but still has some maturing to do, as well, they need better/cleaner ways of making the batteries. I think in due time. I saw a video on YouTube a while back with Michio Kaku talking about the future of batteries. Granted I don't put much stock into what celebrity theoretical physicists boast about, but he believes that carbon nanotube batteries will be very small and extremely dense in terms of the amount of energy they can hold. Something like that would enable quick "refills" at the fuel station, where you just exchange your depleted pack for a fully charged one. As it stands fossil fuel still has the leg up in terms of the sheer amount of potential energy you can transfer in a small amount of time. Just a minute at the pump gives you a couple hundred miles of range. That's what electric drive vehicles have to achieve, IMO, to be practical. Very interesting.

Direct-drive is an altogether different animal, but yeah, it still fits my question There's no clutch or gears to handle.

Kudos to Brammo for sticking with the manual for what seem like legitimate technical reasons (not just the whim of people like me).

[disord3r]

Newer generations who prefer and are used to the simiplicity of sit-and-go scooter-style riding but want a machine with a little more capability are definitely driving the segment. Honda is the only big manufacturer embracing it - they only offer it on two bikes presently - but several botique manufacturers offer a model as well. If you view anything which increases the number of riders on the road as a good thing, then I don't think there would be anything to complain about. If you view it as a potential threat to the continued existence of manual transmissions, then that's something. I still don't think you have anything to worry about.

[johnmflores]

Kudos to Brammo for sticking with the manual for what seem like legitimate technical reasons (not just the whim of people like me).

As someone that nearly high-sided a Zero, I'd say that a well-designed electric has enough torque to not require a gearbox.

Regarding CVTs, I'd hazard a guess that the BMW C650GT scooter can accelerate from 75mph to 90mph faster than a motorcycle of similar engine configuration and displacement, i.e., a BMW F650, even though the C650GT weighs considerably more. That's what the seat of my pants is telling me at least. Accelerating from a stop is another story though, as the CVTs I've ridden were sluggish off the line.

[lightbox]

Accelerating from a stop is another story though, as the CVTs I've ridden were sluggish off the line.

That jives with what a lot of automobile reviewers have been saying about the CVT as well. Case in point, Subaru's 2.0XT should be quicker than it is and underwhelmed reviewers in 0-60 tests.

[disord3r]

It can depend on how the CVT and engine have been programmed to work together; It may not start out in the raciest ratio from a dead stop which could prevent engine from spinning up to its max output in a timely manner. Imagine if your automatic insisted on starting out in 2nd gear from 0mph.

[monoloco]

Although you still need to shift gears, Rekluse makes an automatic clutch for dirt bikes that eliminates the clutch lever and works great, it is very popular with off-road racers. I had one on my Honda Xr 650 R and I really liked it a lot.

[Biro]

Motorcycle manufacturers are pushing automatics because they are desperately searching for growth. A lot of people have never tried motorcycling because of the manual transmisison factor and the manufacturers want them to know things are changing.

Meanwhile... CVTs. It's true most cars that have them are a bit slow off the line. But if you can get past that, many are just fine to live with on a daily basis. I recently test drove the Subaru Forester and XV Crosstrek - both with non-turbo engines - and was thoroughly prepared to hate the CVT. But both vehicles were kind of fun and I had no problems passing on the highway.

What I liked was the ability to instantly kick the transmission down to virtual second gear with a tap on the left shift paddle when you wanted to pass someone. As soon as you lifted your foot off the throttle a bit, the transmission went back to drive. This is while in full automatic mode, not manual-shift mode.

[Transit]

Auto bikes ? they are called scooters
The dumbing down of everything continues