CTX1300

[the Ferret]

Well there have been several automatic motorcycles starting in 1976 with the Honda CB 750 A, in the eighties with the CB 400/CM 450 A's, the Rokon dirt bike, with the Aprilia Mana, the Ridley, the FJR, and the VFR, the CTX 700, the DN-01,

One reported instance does not mean they are un-safe.

Many riders of manual transmission bikes have spun out in the rain and low sided while making a turn. Doesn't mean manual transmissions or clutches are dangerous either.

[cbdtran_imp]

Ah - Automatic adds weight is the only drawback, the VFR1200 DCT you can shift up and down like F1 racing car or fully automatic. It however doesn't catch up yet, not a good seller so Honda gingerly test out the water. Manual is fine until one ride an automatic. I bet in a decade or so 50% of bikes are automatic.
Sooo... you totally discount the drawbacks I mentioned? Riding a high horsepower bike with an automatic (such as the VFR) in the rain without traction control would not be something I would want to do. I read about a guy who had a low-side with his FJR because of that very thing (wet street, making a turn from a light, spun up the rear wheel, down he went). Throttle fidelity at low engine RPM's isn't that great on most bikes.

For parking lot maneuvers, nothing beats being able to slip the clutch. Even traction control is not your friend in that situation, because loss of power could drop you into a tight turn, even if the rear wheel doesn't spin, especially on a heavier bike. I am having a great deal of trouble understanding this line of thinking. Have any of y'all ridden the automatic motorcycles? How about the automatic dirtbikes, scooters, and everything else out there? I've ridden lots of those and the automatic transmission utterly obviates the need for any kind of slipping of a clutch. The autos are much easier to ride under such conditions.
all new things have resistance until its advantages sink in and momentum gathers speed

[AzBob_imp]

As I mentioned, it's simply off-idle/low RPM fueling combined with a high-power motor that can put you on the ground. Slipping the clutch gives _ME_ control over how much power is getting to the rear wheel. The automatic transmission decides that for me. At low speed, it could be entirely too much power for conditions. As I previously stated, I know of at least one person who had a low-speed low-side because of this.

In an automobile, if you have too much power, the wheels spin, who cares (assuming no traction control). On a bike, that's a disaster.

This is not an argument from some Luddite about how new technology is bad simply because it is new. I am talking about a specific instance in which this technology is not better than the existing technology, and, IMO, worse.

Automatics on bikes are not the same as automatics on cars. On bikes, they take away the ability to perform certain maneuvers safely, such as slow speed turns, u-turns, etc., especially on higher horsepower bikes. Slipping the clutch is an important part of riding a motorcycle well.

Ah - Automatic adds weight is the only drawback, the VFR1200 DCT you can shift up and down like F1 racing car or fully automatic. It however doesn't catch up yet, not a good seller so Honda gingerly test out the water. Manual is fine until one ride an automatic. I bet in a decade or so 50% of bikes are automatic.

Ah - Automatic adds weight is the only drawback, the VFR1200 DCT you can shift up and down like F1 racing car or fully automatic. It however doesn't catch up yet, not a good seller so Honda gingerly test out the water. Manual is fine until one ride an automatic. I bet in a decade or so 50% of bikes are automatic.
Sooo... you totally discount the drawbacks I mentioned? Riding a high horsepower bike with an automatic (such as the VFR) in the rain without traction control would not be something I would want to do. I read about a guy who had a low-side with his FJR because of that very thing (wet street, making a turn from a light, spun up the rear wheel, down he went). Throttle fidelity at low engine RPM's isn't that great on most bikes.

For parking lot maneuvers, nothing beats being able to slip the clutch. Even traction control is not your friend in that situation, because loss of power could drop you into a tight turn, even if the rear wheel doesn't spin, especially on a heavier bike.

Ah - Automatic adds weight is the only drawback, the VFR1200 DCT you can shift up and down like F1 racing car or fully automatic. It however doesn't catch up yet, not a good seller so Honda gingerly test out the water. Manual is fine until one ride an automatic. I bet in a decade or so 50% of bikes are automatic.
Sooo... you totally discount the drawbacks I mentioned? Riding a high horsepower bike with an automatic (such as the VFR) in the rain without traction control would not be something I would want to do. I read about a guy who had a low-side with his FJR because of that very thing (wet street, making a turn from a light, spun up the rear wheel, down he went). Throttle fidelity at low engine RPM's isn't that great on most bikes.

For parking lot maneuvers, nothing beats being able to slip the clutch. Even traction control is not your friend in that situation, because loss of power could drop you into a tight turn, even if the rear wheel doesn't spin, especially on a heavier bike.
VFR1200 owners don't complain about things you said. They are owners. Automatic has many things to desire: on green light, many cars / SUVs pulled away from me naturally. My bike HP/weight ration is 80/700 (including me) typical SUVs: 220/4000, then how come most pull away from me from red light? it is due to automatic transmission. I learn to shift from 1 to 2, if too much gas, it lurches during transition.

Not to be mean or anything, but this is simply lack of skill on your part. Learn to launch your bike from a standing start if you desire this ability. It's not that hard and doesn't require a completely different transmission.

[dBuster_imp]

The ctx700 fully automatic with an automatic like that of a car, first gear low rpms and it is not the experience that one thinks it is. Actually it has the same if not better control than feathering a clutch. What if you're feathering a clutch skips then BAM to much power to the whelks now with this bike that won't happen unless you crank the throttle open wide and can get the rpms to redline immediately....

Sent from my XT901 using Tapatalk 4.2.4

[bubblerboy64_imp]

Well? They are applying traction control to motorcycles. I believe this CTX1300 which was the topic of discussion is offered in the deluxe with ABS and Traction Control. Remember there is no auto shift option offered as of this time.

I don't personally know if the concern of wheel slip with an automatic is inherently more of a concern over a manual or not. I understand the point being made and will keep an open mind about it. There is slippage involved with an automatic type transmission on take off is there not? My thoughts are that if you nailed the throttle on take off with either an auto or a manual you could cause yourself some trouble regardless. Is the auto more likely to do so? Good point and the devil would be in the details.

Most of us resist change and especially change which we diem unnecessary. This is how progress flows fellows. I believe the sport bike riders will buy into it as soon as it's perfected. I hear them running past the office at 8000 rpms shifting through the gears without dropping out of the rev's. When all it takes is to pull a trigger with the left index finger and hit those gears even quicker it will take over the game. Cruiser riders and standard bikers don't need it and probably don't want to spend the additional bucks but having owned a DN-01 and a number of scooters it's pretty darned nice at times. I found no negatives other then the "fun" of shifting gears on a bike. Frankly I wouldn't spend the extra money most of the time but in some applications I surely would.

I believe the Goldwing makes for a perfect platform for an auto shift. That CTX700 if used for commuting in traffic would be another.

They have their place and that place will expand as improvements are made. Even some of the big old Harley bikes would be pretty sweet candidates for an auto. Lets face it doing it the easy way sometime is nice. Lets understand I am assuming no reductions or penalties in performance which I believe is doable soon if it isn't already.

When I test drove the CTX700 at Twiggs cycle the salesman said that the owner put a plate on one and rode the bike. He said the owner almost never rides a new bike. He's "into" his wing and the rest of it is just rolling stock to sell. Later when I got back from the ride the owner ask me what I thought about the CTX700. I said I liked it and was impressed with just how easily it rode. How well balanced it was and how practical I thought the bike was for myself and any rider interested in a middle weight bike. He agreed with me in all of this and said he was very pleasantly surprised at just how nice a motorcycle the CTX700 was.

It remains to be seen how this CTX1300 will stack up but as stated I am interested in it. It probably will be more bike then I need or want and more money as well but "ugly" or not I'm going to check it over in detail when it's in the show room.

[AzBob_imp]

Well? They are applying traction control to motorcycles. I believe this CTX1300 which was the topic of discussion is offered in the deluxe with ABS and Traction Control. Remember there is no auto shift option offered as of this time.

I don't personally know if the concern of wheel slip with an automatic is inherently more of a concern over a manual or not. I understand the point being made and will keep an open mind about it. There is slippage involved with an automatic type transmission on take off is there not? My thoughts are that if you nailed the throttle on take off with either an auto or a manual you could cause yourself some trouble regardless. Is the auto more likely to do so? Good point and the devil would be in the details.

Most of us resist change and especially change which we diem unnecessary. This is how progress flows fellows. I believe the sport bike riders will buy into it as soon as it's perfected. I hear them running past the office at 8000 rpms shifting through the gears without dropping out of the rev's. When all it takes is to pull a trigger with the left index finger and hit those gears even quicker it will take over the game. Cruiser riders and standard bikers don't need it and probably don't want to spend the additional bucks but having owned a DN-01 and a number of scooters it's pretty darned nice at times. I found no negatives other then the "fun" of shifting gears on a bike. Frankly I wouldn't spend the extra money most of the time but in some applications I surely would.

I believe the Goldwing makes for a perfect platform for an auto shift. That CTX700 if used for commuting in traffic would be another.

They have their place and that place will expand as improvements are made. Even some of the big old Harley bikes would be pretty sweet candidates for an auto. Lets face it doing it the easy way sometime is nice. Lets understand I am assuming no reductions or penalties in performance which I believe is doable soon if it isn't already.

When I test drove the CTX700 at Twiggs cycle the salesman said that the owner put a plate on one and rode the bike. He said the owner almost never rides a new bike. He's "into" his wing and the rest of it is just rolling stock to sell. Later when I got back from the ride the owner ask me what I thought about the CTX700. I said I liked it and was impressed with just how easily it rode. How well balanced it was and how practical I thought the bike was for myself and any rider interested in a middle weight bike. He agreed with me in all of this and said he was very pleasantly surprised at just how nice a motorcycle the CTX700 was.

It remains to be seen how this CTX1300 will stack up but as stated I am interested in it. It probably will be more bike then I need or want and more money as well but "ugly" or not I'm going to check it over in detail when it's in the show room.

The more I look at it the better it gets. The new BMW R1200RT is what I'm currently lusting after, however. :-)

[Huladog_imp]

Quote:The more I look at it the better it gets. The new BMW R1200RT is what I'm currently lusting after, however. :-)
Uhhhh, I sold my R1200RT and got the CB1100 ...........

Aloha,
Huladog

[the Ferret]

Lo its funny over on the adv forum some people were saying they lusted after the CB1300 instead of this dodgy CB 1100 yet 2 of our members here sold CB1300s to get their CB1100s.

Grass is always greener

[The Spaceman_imp]

Lo its funny over on the adv forum some people were saying they lusted after the CB1300 instead of this dodgy CB 1100 yet 2 of our members here sold CB1300s to get their CB1100s.

Grass is always greener

Was the CB1300 ever sold in the US?

[the Ferret]

No only in Europe... People often want what they can not get lol