03-23-2016, 06:46 AM
Rode down to my local dealer today to pick up a gallon of GN4 for an upcoming oil change and the owner showed me a CTX? 700 With DCT (dual clutch transmission) that he took in on trade. Care to ride it? He says. Sure! say I. Never ridden a bike with DCT but have been wanting to. Last auto bike I rode that wasn't a scooter was in 1976 (CB750A).
The bike had a button on the right switch assy you pressed for neutral, drive mode 1st gear, or sport mode 1st gear. And a finger swith for upshifting and a thumb switch for down shifting on the left bar switch assy ( but you don't even have to mess with that if you don't want to). I decided to try drive mode 1st, and let the bike do the shifting. Start bike, click right hand button from N to D1 and give it the gas and it takes off. It quickly shifts itself into 2 nd and you feel a slight bump as it shifts. Then you feel the bump again and you are in 3 rd and so forth up to 6 th. As I slowed down to turn around I could feel the bumps reversing as it downshifted back to 1 st. Not alot of get up and go in Drive mode. Let me try Sport Mode, so I toggled the right button to S1 and took off. Much peppier in sport mode but it still wanted to shift early and did, bump, bump, bump bump up to 6 th, and bump bump bump down to first as I slowed down to turn around again. Time to try the left paddles. Take off and bump bump I'm all of a sudden up to third and haven't touched anything, so I thumb the left - paddle and the bike down shifts to second, then I accelerate and hit the finger trigger and shift third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Then start slowing and hit the thumb to downshift to 5,4,3, and let the bike downshift itself into 2 and 1 as I slow down to turn around.
My conclusion, it was weird and although shifting was seamless except for the bumps you felt as it chaged gears, I didn't like the bike deciding when I should shift ( even though my truck does it all for me). It wasn't as smooth as driving an auto car or truck. Hard to explain, you will just have to beg a ride for yourself to see what I mean. Definitly a new experience and one Honda believes in.
Can't imagine riding the new Africa Twin 1000 in the dirt with one of these transmissions.
The bike had a button on the right switch assy you pressed for neutral, drive mode 1st gear, or sport mode 1st gear. And a finger swith for upshifting and a thumb switch for down shifting on the left bar switch assy ( but you don't even have to mess with that if you don't want to). I decided to try drive mode 1st, and let the bike do the shifting. Start bike, click right hand button from N to D1 and give it the gas and it takes off. It quickly shifts itself into 2 nd and you feel a slight bump as it shifts. Then you feel the bump again and you are in 3 rd and so forth up to 6 th. As I slowed down to turn around I could feel the bumps reversing as it downshifted back to 1 st. Not alot of get up and go in Drive mode. Let me try Sport Mode, so I toggled the right button to S1 and took off. Much peppier in sport mode but it still wanted to shift early and did, bump, bump, bump bump up to 6 th, and bump bump bump down to first as I slowed down to turn around again. Time to try the left paddles. Take off and bump bump I'm all of a sudden up to third and haven't touched anything, so I thumb the left - paddle and the bike down shifts to second, then I accelerate and hit the finger trigger and shift third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Then start slowing and hit the thumb to downshift to 5,4,3, and let the bike downshift itself into 2 and 1 as I slow down to turn around.
My conclusion, it was weird and although shifting was seamless except for the bumps you felt as it chaged gears, I didn't like the bike deciding when I should shift ( even though my truck does it all for me). It wasn't as smooth as driving an auto car or truck. Hard to explain, you will just have to beg a ride for yourself to see what I mean. Definitly a new experience and one Honda believes in.
Can't imagine riding the new Africa Twin 1000 in the dirt with one of these transmissions.