What concerns me about this thread is the suggestion that ASA is not perfect. I was looking forward to it and whilst I’ve yet to have a test ride, there are many comments here and elsewhere which suggest the system is good but a little flawed.
Surely it should be silky smooth, changing imperceptibly when expected or when the riders actions warrant it.
...cars first went auto as we know it more than 65 years ago with a slush box running a torque converter - the drive on these is 100% by the trans fluid sloshing around - thus when stationary we get no drive as the fluid isn't moving fast enough to create any drive, more revs more fluid sloshing around and we get slight movement... it was incredibly inefficient and gutless with 0% drive at tick over (or a smidge to aid low speed maneuverability) on ave around 80% engine power got to the road and a best of 98% on a steady cruise - hence only fitted on large engine sedate luxo barges -
in fact the first ones had a fluid flywheel and were even worse - a torque converter using weird beard magic, invents torque through the way it throws the fluid about inside itself and partly explains why they had so few gears... this design of box does have incredible smoothness because there was NEVER ANY direct connection between the engine and the wheels - just trans fluid slopping about - later towards the end of the 1980's they put a mechanical clutch to lock up drive to 100% under certain conditions, but in traffic its still 0% efficient - with all the power making heat and wear we don't actually want
if you remember top gear circa 1996 and Jeremy hating flapppy paddle BMW SMG gearboxes dues to their abrupt and recalcitrant changes
https://gearshifters.org/bmw/what-is-a-bmw-smg-transmission/ - that is more or less what ASA is - Later computers and servo actuators make a better fist of it - but its the same technology - its a 100% normal manual gearbox and conventional bike wet plate clutch - the only automation is in the actuation of the bits you do on a normal bike - and because humans can see and interpret whats going on in the big bad world more easily than an ant brain 2 pence computer - we can work around whats required and bring a smoothness more akin to a slush box
DTC is far later tech - it is effectively two separate gearboxes and two clutches - its heavier and far more expensive, and getting both small delicate clutches to survive is difficult - this type of box can bring a smoothness more akin to a slush box because they run two gears at a time (with your safely and the gearboxes survival) relying exclusively on both clutches behaving impeccably - it then uses throttle application and ant brain logic to pre decide which gear to pre select in the second gearbox thats' not currently driving the rear wheel...
So if pulling away the bike has both 1st gear on one gearbox and on its second gearbox 2nd engaged as well. Meaning the "change" 1 to 2 feels seamless - as its just perfectly swapping the clutches in and out - then so long as you are still applying throttle and not braking it secretly takes the first 1, 3, 5 gear gearbox and puts it in 3rd as you ride through 2nd gear on the 2, 4, 6 box, and we get more seamless changes... the only bit that feels unlike a slushbox is if you are accelerating through 2nd and slow down catching the bike out - as it had pre selected 3rd but now its more likley you want 1st and we get a rough perceptible change - its also easier to get park as the bike is always in two gears - so at engine off and nothing actuating a clutch - the bike can't move - but to stop the trans slop letting the bike wobble, it does get a manually applied park brake too