ASA/DCT and similar

[mw3230]

It seems to be generally agreed that riding with any of the auto clutch or similar transmissions is a piece of cake when on the move, it is slow riding and manouvers which seems to present difficulties.

On a recent tour with an NT100 rider he dropped the bike twice whilst making extremely tight right hand hairpin turns uphill. The difficulty seemed to be that in the absence of a clutch it was difficult to moderate the power and the usual advice of ‘put some revs on and control the speed with the rear brake’ didn’t work as the rider had his right foot down and in any case, the severity of the turn demanded almost walking pace. No doubt practice and time will increase his skills and confidence but it has made me wonder just how others manage this type of ride especially on uneven ground where the road is narrow and simply does not allow for any degree of speed into the turn.

I’m shortly to have a test ride on an ASA and as such wonder if such slow manouvering problems/difficulties could be a potential deal breaker. Time will tell

I’d be very interested to hear from experienced users of bikes with these transmissions

 

[Blue]

If I can manage Hair pin turns on all types of continental passes two up it is all just about getting used to it just drag the back break if its tight, and apply throttle gently at least you cant stall it.

 

[Blue]

This was a tight little pass two up (Serpentine Pass Montenegro)

 

[leadfarmer]

I had a Crosstourer DCT with an early iteration and I had no problem whatsoever, did various passes on it, had no problem manoeuvring it around my car to park it in the garage etc.

It’s just like riding a big twist and go scooter at low speed, you can’t stall it

Mine was a 2012 model so they will have also improved a fair bit since

 

[MartinK]

I had a nc750 dct for several months, at first it was interesting because it was different. After a few thousand miles it started to hack me off, especially in winter on wet slimy roundabouts, and IT made a gear change when I didn't expect it!

My Mrs now has an E-Clutch Honda hornet 750, as nd she loves the E-Clutch. But you can override the clutch anytime you like.... Almost best of both worlds

 

[Wrigsby1]

I had a CT DCT and as with pulling out of junctions sharpish it's anticipation... The reason he dropped is probably the slight delay in engaging drive one you're off throttle... That's where the rear brake comes in handy to stop you going off throttle so much... You'll feel the drive start to engage and it's finding that initial bite at will that will sort it...
Some folk are just choppy with the throttle and that will cause probs on a DCT with no clutch to disengage manually....

 

[Santa-2512]

Not filling me with confidence ,

ive got a day with a DCT wing next friday eeks

 

[Wrigsby1]

Not filling me with confidence ,

ive got a day with a DCT wing next friday eeks

Just get a feel for the clutch engaging at a standstill and the rest should be easy enough...

 

[Santa-2512]

Just get a feel for the clutch engaging at a standstill and the rest should be easy enough...

yeah right,

 

[siddo]

Just forego the drama. They need to relearn their riding habits.
Same as when we took up riding we had to learn and master the controls.
A couple of drops will teach you not what to do.

 

[boxer]

I’ve used a DCT Goldwing and NT1100 never had an issue with hairpins or slow speeds.
I suggest your friend switches to manual when faced with a hairpin rich environment.

 

[siddo]

It seems to be generally agreed that riding with any of the auto clutch or similar transmissions is a piece of cake when on the move, it is slow riding and manouvers which seems to present difficulties.

On a recent tour with an NT100 rider he dropped the bike twice whilst making extremely tight right hand hairpin turns uphill. The difficulty seemed to be that in the absence of a clutch it was difficult to moderate the power and the usual advice of ‘put some revs on and control the speed with the rear brake’ didn’t work as the rider had his right foot down and in any case, the severity of the turn demanded almost walking pace. No doubt practice and time will increase his skills and confidence but it has made me wonder just how others manage this type of ride especially on uneven ground where the road is narrow and simply does not allow for any degree of speed into the turn.

I’m shortly to have a test ride on an ASA and as such wonder if such slow manouvering problems/difficulties could be a potential deal breaker. Time will tell

I’d be very interested to hear from experienced users of bikes with these transmissions

Does he have his own reel on Kanyarfoto? Loads of bods on there that cannot ride the bikes they bought. Alright going in a straight line but at a bend, they have no clue.

 

[the woodster]

The guy on our trips with a 1300 SAS seems to have no problems on uphill right hand hairpins in auto. He is a very experienced rider and he says it's just a case of doing a little bit of practice and remembering that you can't stall. We have similar skill and experience levels and I followed him on several occasions into hairpins and he seemed to be making a smoother job of it than me on my 1250. Confidence (From practice) and momentum remain your friends. In the modern world, comms helps and that vital look up the hill is still.................vital. Of course, it could always be done in Manual until confident enough in Auto.

 

[daesimps]

My wife and I have just done 2400 miles in 2 weeks through the Pyrenees. Both of us ride R1300GSs with ASA and ride height adjustment. She’s 5’1”.

We also did a similar amount of miles in Spain and Portugal last year.

We did tons of hairpins, some ridiculously tight and steep. Neither of us had a problem.

As someone mentioned above; it’s actually easier as you can’t stall and if you do have to stop you don’t have to worry about finding 1st.

Also, remember that even if it’s is D mode you can use the gear lever to override its selection of gear.

 

[Wrigsby1]

That's reminds me that I did ride my CT DCt in manual much of the time...
One time city riding in the pissing rain with loads of traffic and lights auto made perfect sense...

 

[stever1]

Not filling me with confidence ,

ive got a day with a DCT wing next friday eeks

You’ll love it. I found the wing is the best version of the DCT system. Just make sure you’re riding it in S2 transmission mode. This’ll make its gear change at a more natural point.