CTX1300

[The Spaceman_imp]

I have no issues switching back and forth between my regular motorcycles and my Yamaha 400 scooter which is automatic. Both are fun. I think a big liter bike automatic would be a blast to ride.

I find the motorcyclists who argue most fiercely against autos are those who have never ridden one.

Do yourself a favor and test rode a Yamaha Tmax or Suzuki Bergman 650 and then come back and tell me how boring autos are.

Actually I did. Suzuki was demoing 650 Burgmans at the AIM Expo. The first thing that happened was a near crash because I was grabbing for a clutch that wasn't there. Ok, got past that and figured out how to stop the thing. From then on it was like riding a two-wheeled golf cart. Fun in a "I'm not in a car" sorta way, but unless I'm buzzing from bar to bar on Bimini, I'm sticking with regular bikes. With a manly manual gearbox.

(Insert here so people realize the"manly" comment is intended to be humorous)

[the Ferret]

Lol about the smiley

They must have lead you on a group ride around the parking lot or something. I demoed a whole bunch of Yamahas last summer when the Yamaha demo truck was at our local dealer... Tenere, FZ8, Raider, R-1 can't remember what else, about 8 bikes I think. They led us on a pre determined path, never over 35 mph, 9 miles. From those test rides I'd claim all of them sucked. Couldn't judge how they accelerated, how they handled, how they braked, what they sounded like even. It was putt putt putt..aren't these bikes great?

Believe me, I know guys that can rail in the mountains on a scooter, cutting under many sport bikes with clutches and manual transmissions in tight curves, and accelerating like a Banshee out and down the next straight away. I find myself riding my Majesty about 5 mph on average faster than I do my CB.

[ingobohn_imp]

I have no issues switching back and forth between my regular motorcycles and my Yamaha 400 scooter which is automatic. Both are fun. I think a big liter bike automatic would be a blast to ride.

I find the motorcyclists who argue most fiercely against autos are those who have never ridden one.

Do yourself a favor and test rode a Yamaha Tmax or Suzuki Bergman 650 and then come back and tell me how boring autos are.

I rode auto scooters for years during my university time. I used my scooters to commute to the lectures.
It is fun and straightforward to ride them inner city, but outside not so much. I grew up in Freiburg, which is at the foot of the Black Forest, and believe me: Riding the slopes there is much funnier with a non-auto 2 wheeler.

And I rode for 1 year exactly such kind of auto scooter, too:

I've never attached manliness to driving a stick, my sister and my wife can drive a stick car or motorcycle as well as most men I know. In Europe it seemed 95% of the cars I saw were sticks and 95% of the two wheeler I saw were automatics (scooters). Just the opposite here.

With regards to riding 3 wheeler, I have admittedly not ridden a modern one. Certainly nothing like the Can Ams. I have ridden Harley Servi cars, 2 wheelers with hacks, and Honda 3 wheeled ATVs. Of those experiences there is nothing that would tell me that I would enjoy riding a 3 wheeler on the street. But I look forward to test riding one of the new ones someday so that I can make an informed decision.

Part of the thrill of riding a 2 wheeler is the lean thru the corners. No 3 wheeled vehicle I have ever ridden leaned. Piaggio was making a 500 cc scooter with a parallelogram front end that leaned, so it is possible, but I have not had the opportunity to ride one of those either. The technology is certainly not beyond Hondas or Yamahas abilities, so we will see what the future brings.

At this point Im hoping to pilot a 2 wheeler at least 6 1/2 more years (70 is my goal).. And hopefully beyond that if my health both physical and mental permits.

If not, some kind of open aired conveyance is in my future, whether it has 3 wheels or 4.

It was called Piaggio MP3 LT 500.

I've never attached manliness to driving a stick, my sister and my wife can drive a stick car or motorcycle as well as most men I know. In Europe it seemed 95% of the cars I saw were sticks and 95% of the two wheeler I saw were automatics (scooters). Just the opposite here.

With regards to riding 3 wheeler, I have admittedly not ridden a modern one. Certainly nothing like the Can Ams. I have ridden Harley Servi cars, 2 wheelers with hacks, and Honda 3 wheeled ATVs. Of those experiences there is nothing that would tell me that I would enjoy riding a 3 wheeler on the street. But I look forward to test riding one of the new ones someday so that I can make an informed decision.

Part of the thrill of riding a 2 wheeler is the lean thru the corners. No 3 wheeled vehicle I have ever ridden leaned. Piaggio was making a 500 cc scooter with a parallelogram front end that leaned, so it is possible, but I have not had the opportunity to ride one of those either. The technology is certainly not beyond Hondas or Yamahas abilities, so we will see what the future brings.

At this point Im hoping to pilot a 2 wheeler at least 6 1/2 more years (70 is my goal).. And hopefully beyond that if my health both physical and mental permits.

If not, some kind of open aired conveyance is in my future, whether it has 3 wheels or 4.

For scooters it's true, for motocycles not.

[The Spaceman_imp]

Lol about the smiley

They must have lead you on a group ride around the parking lot or something. I demoed a whole bunch of Yamahas last summer when the Yamaha demo truck was at our local dealer... Tenere, FZ8, Raider, R-1 can't remember what else, about 8 bikes I think. They led us on a pre determined path, never over 35 mph, 9 miles. From those test rides I'd claim all of them sucked. Couldn't judge how they accelerated, how they handled, how they braked, what they sounded like even. It was putt putt putt..aren't these bikes great?

Believe me, I know guys that can rail in the mountains on a scooter, cutting under many sport bikes with clutches and manual transmissions in tight curves, and accelerating like a Banshee out and down the next straight away. I find myself riding my Majesty about 5 mph on average faster than I do my CB.

The demo ride was better than that, just before the Berg I rode a Buda and the leader made sure I got to whack it a few times. On the Berg i was able to keep up, but not much more. We did about 8 miles of mixed roads. The Berg was fafaster than a couple regular bikes.

I know you can ride the piss out of these bikes, and I'll bet there's guys leaving squids in the dust on them. I guess what I'm thinking is that with so little time to ride, I want to get the most out of the time I DO have. And for me, (emphasis on the ME), that means a full-on motorcycle with all that one comes with.

[dBuster_imp]

Now there is a difference between scooter automatic and an actual motorcycle automatic. Demo the, I believe, it is the ctx700 sometime. That motorcycle has an automatic transmission that is just like a cars automatic and you feel the shifting just like in a car or you can take it to paddle shifting if you want. It isn't a bad ride! I got a nice 25 mile demo in one day on one of them. If I had the money I would pit one in the stable also, especially the model with the bags.

Now the wife's scooter, pcx150, does seem to have the take of speed but that could be because I am not trying to race the 1100.

I can say this that either CV auto or true automatic transmission bikes do have their niche and can be equally as fun to ride.

Sent from my XT901 using Tapatalk 4.2.4

[Jwayne_imp]

I've never attached manliness to driving a stick, my sister and my wife can drive a stick car or motorcycle as well as most men I know. In Europe it seemed 95% of the cars I saw were sticks and 95% of the two wheeler I saw were automatics (scooters). Just the opposite here.

With regards to riding 3 wheeler, I have admittedly not ridden a modern one. Certainly nothing like the Can Ams. I have ridden Harley Servi cars, 2 wheelers with hacks, and Honda 3 wheeled ATVs. Of those experiences there is nothing that would tell me that I would enjoy riding a 3 wheeler on the street. But I look forward to test riding one of the new ones someday so that I can make an informed decision.

Part of the thrill of riding a 2 wheeler is the lean thru the corners. No 3 wheeled vehicle I have ever ridden leaned. Piaggio was making a 500 cc scooter with a parallelogram front end that leaned, so it is possible, but I have not had the opportunity to ride one of those either. The technology is certainly not beyond Hondas or Yamahas abilities, so we will see what the future brings.

At this point Im hoping to pilot a 2 wheeler at least 6 1/2 more years (70 is my goal).. And hopefully beyond that if my health both physical and mental permits.

If not, some kind of open aired conveyance is in my future, whether it has 3 wheels or 4.

I too have been thinking about what I will be riding in the next five years or sooner due to health concerns. I have owned an Aprillia Mana so an automatic is not a problem for me. I think when the time comes I will get a Burgman and have it triked. I think that will be a good way to continue riding.

[the Ferret]

How was the Mana? We looked at one, but being a stubby person, it was too tall for me, plus the nearest dealer was 200 miles away.

[Jwayne_imp]

I enjoyed the bike but service and parts was hit and miss. It handled great,brakes were good, ergos were spot on for me.

[AzBob_imp]

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.

[cbdtran_imp]

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.