Lifted from the latest ULYSSES newsletter
One year on - reflections on the Honda DCT gearbox
DCT (double clutch transmission) gearboxes have been increasingly introduced in cars, and particularly high-performance cars, being activated 'manually' via flappy paddles on the steering wheel. The principle of the DCT is that the next gear, either up or down, is always engaged within the gearbox, being activated electronically via one of the two clutches. Thus it's totally different to the conventional torque converter automatic gearbox as the gears engage mechanically and there is no slip resulting in power loss. The result is that gear changes are virtually instantaneous, and seamless & far faster than can be achieved by a human. Watch/listen to any on board footage of a F1 car and you will see what I mean. At present Honda are the only motorcycle manufacturer to incorporate DCT in a motorcycle, optional on some models, and the only type of transmission on some.
Now to real life experience. My primary motivation to change to a DCT was the increasing Arthritis in my left hand. Living much of my life outside the UK I had for many years driven cars with auto gearboxes so had no concerns regarding getting used to an auto box on 2 wheels. 30 minutes on a test ride of an Africa Twin DCT had me convinced of its merits so after 11 totally reliable years on the GS I bought an almost new AT DCT.
Pros:
It's impossible to stall it. Repeat impossible to stall it.
The engine starts in Neutral and Drive is selected via a
button on the rh grip.
As there is no creep, when you select Drive with the
engine at idle there is no risk of an unscheduled take off.
You can ride it in Drive mode (default setting) or via the
rh controls, select one of 3 Sports modes which increase the revs of both up & down changes. The Sports settings range from fast to frantic.
Regardless of what's selected the gearbox will revert to 1st gear when you stop.
If you drop the side stand whilst remaining in Drive, the gearbox goes into Neutral
When in Drive, or any of the Sports settings, you can, if you choose, change up or down using convenient thumb & index finger buttons on the left grip.
In addition there is a button on the RH grip which cancels the auto gear change, gears then being changed 'manually' via the up/down buttons on the left grip. In this manual mode the gearbox automatically reverts to 1st gear when you stop.
Unlike car auto boxes there is no creep when stationary and in Drive.
There are built in sensors which sense when going downhill, and depending on the gradient, will automatically drop down a gear, or gears to provide engine braking. In this scenario, if you have manually dropped down gears the sensors will hold the lower gear until you accelerate.
Uphill under load the box will change down like any auto box.
I tend to approach roundabouts and flick down gears using the
down button to provide engine braking, which given the instantaneous changes is very satisfying. However, when
lazy I just let the box change down as speed diminishes.
There is ABSOLUTELY no way a manual gearbox could beat the gear engagement so acceleration is seamless and
can, if so inclined, be very fast.
5
Cons:
If you are a 'throttle blipper' (necessary left over from carburettors and 'boy racers') at move off then beware, as it will be off, probably without you, as the engine on the AT is very responsive. Having said that the take up of the drive is easy to control/ master, however if you 'give it a handful' it will win any traffic light GP.
Walking speed control in traffic is easy to master (remember you can't stall it), however U turns require concentration on throttle control, as there is no clutch to slip. Dragging the rear brake is the key, as is a bit of practice.
You can't park it in gear on an incline, however the missing clutch lever has been substituted with a, deliberately, configured out of hand span park brake lever which operates via a set of small brake pads on the rear disc. You can't drive off if you haven't released the park brake.
Conclusion:
Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar and many other manufacturers are converts, as am I.
Honda have managed to package a DCT into a motorcycle gearbox with an insignificant increase in weight over a
manual gearbox. Expect others to follow as 'Quick shifters' are hard on gear trains and only operate above a certain
rev range. Strong leaks suggest the next Honda Fireblade will have a DCT gearbox.
Not having to factor in gear selection makes riding more stress free and one just concentrates on all the other
inputs/outputs.
Report from the pillion is no jerky down changes.
Go and try one, especially as the UK in general still considers auto boxes on cars as the work of Satan. It certainly doesn't take the enjoyment away, and in fact introduces new experiences which are enjoyable.
And finally again, YOU CAN’T STALL IT
One year on - reflections on the Honda DCT gearbox
DCT (double clutch transmission) gearboxes have been increasingly introduced in cars, and particularly high-performance cars, being activated 'manually' via flappy paddles on the steering wheel. The principle of the DCT is that the next gear, either up or down, is always engaged within the gearbox, being activated electronically via one of the two clutches. Thus it's totally different to the conventional torque converter automatic gearbox as the gears engage mechanically and there is no slip resulting in power loss. The result is that gear changes are virtually instantaneous, and seamless & far faster than can be achieved by a human. Watch/listen to any on board footage of a F1 car and you will see what I mean. At present Honda are the only motorcycle manufacturer to incorporate DCT in a motorcycle, optional on some models, and the only type of transmission on some.
Now to real life experience. My primary motivation to change to a DCT was the increasing Arthritis in my left hand. Living much of my life outside the UK I had for many years driven cars with auto gearboxes so had no concerns regarding getting used to an auto box on 2 wheels. 30 minutes on a test ride of an Africa Twin DCT had me convinced of its merits so after 11 totally reliable years on the GS I bought an almost new AT DCT.
Pros:
It's impossible to stall it. Repeat impossible to stall it.
The engine starts in Neutral and Drive is selected via a
button on the rh grip.
As there is no creep, when you select Drive with the
engine at idle there is no risk of an unscheduled take off.
You can ride it in Drive mode (default setting) or via the
rh controls, select one of 3 Sports modes which increase the revs of both up & down changes. The Sports settings range from fast to frantic.
Regardless of what's selected the gearbox will revert to 1st gear when you stop.
If you drop the side stand whilst remaining in Drive, the gearbox goes into Neutral
When in Drive, or any of the Sports settings, you can, if you choose, change up or down using convenient thumb & index finger buttons on the left grip.
In addition there is a button on the RH grip which cancels the auto gear change, gears then being changed 'manually' via the up/down buttons on the left grip. In this manual mode the gearbox automatically reverts to 1st gear when you stop.
Unlike car auto boxes there is no creep when stationary and in Drive.
There are built in sensors which sense when going downhill, and depending on the gradient, will automatically drop down a gear, or gears to provide engine braking. In this scenario, if you have manually dropped down gears the sensors will hold the lower gear until you accelerate.
Uphill under load the box will change down like any auto box.
I tend to approach roundabouts and flick down gears using the
down button to provide engine braking, which given the instantaneous changes is very satisfying. However, when
lazy I just let the box change down as speed diminishes.
There is ABSOLUTELY no way a manual gearbox could beat the gear engagement so acceleration is seamless and
can, if so inclined, be very fast.
5
Cons:
If you are a 'throttle blipper' (necessary left over from carburettors and 'boy racers') at move off then beware, as it will be off, probably without you, as the engine on the AT is very responsive. Having said that the take up of the drive is easy to control/ master, however if you 'give it a handful' it will win any traffic light GP.
Walking speed control in traffic is easy to master (remember you can't stall it), however U turns require concentration on throttle control, as there is no clutch to slip. Dragging the rear brake is the key, as is a bit of practice.
You can't park it in gear on an incline, however the missing clutch lever has been substituted with a, deliberately, configured out of hand span park brake lever which operates via a set of small brake pads on the rear disc. You can't drive off if you haven't released the park brake.
Conclusion:
Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar and many other manufacturers are converts, as am I.
Honda have managed to package a DCT into a motorcycle gearbox with an insignificant increase in weight over a
manual gearbox. Expect others to follow as 'Quick shifters' are hard on gear trains and only operate above a certain
rev range. Strong leaks suggest the next Honda Fireblade will have a DCT gearbox.
Not having to factor in gear selection makes riding more stress free and one just concentrates on all the other
inputs/outputs.
Report from the pillion is no jerky down changes.
Go and try one, especially as the UK in general still considers auto boxes on cars as the work of Satan. It certainly doesn't take the enjoyment away, and in fact introduces new experiences which are enjoyable.
And finally again, YOU CAN’T STALL IT
)
