Honda, the CTX, and the DCT

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That's a really good point. What would you do in a line of traffic inching its way up a hill to a stop sign?? (I guess feet would be getting a better workout..not such a good idea).
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I have never driven a DCT, but in an automatic car, you just take your foot off the brake and it eases slightly forward. I'm thinking it would be fine. I have occasionally got stuck in such awful traffic jams that I've had to feather the clutch for hours, until my arm is completely worn out. I wouldn't miss that, not even a little bit.
 
Yep, living in hilly country would make me want an automatic on the bike. My mother grew up in Globe, AZ, a little mining town. The cheaper houses were on the sides of the hills. 10-20% grades were common and one I swear is 30% (with a stop sign halfway up). I would have liked to have had a clutch repair business in that town before automatics were improved. :)
 
I'd be more interested in the technique used for slow speed sharp turns (think drill teams). Varying speed via throttle and clutch totally engaged is very rough and not helpful for when going slow and having the bike leaned over. Varying the by slipping the clutch in the friction zone makes controlling the power to the rear wheel much smoother.

I just wonder how that would work with a DCT. Maybe more rear brake would be needed to control forward motion since you don't have a clutch to operate?
 
My wife thinks things should shift themselves and so there is more than one automatic around here. Automatics with manual control and an automated manual with paddle shifters. I find that I just leave them in auto 99% of the time. They are all a far cry from the powerglide in my mom's Pontiac.
A Cayman is on my wish list. I would order that with the PDK.

So why do I want to shift the bike myself? Should I try something new...
 
The automatics on the new Hondas aren't CVTs. They're dual-clutch boxes, and I'll be curious to see if slow speeds are as transparent as they are with CVTs.

I haven't seen anybody mention any issues with the NCX or the VFR1200s, and I remember that it was a major issue with the automatic FJR back in the early days of that bike's availability. Of course the fact that I remember it as a major issue may or may not mean that it was a major issue. Did anybody here have one of those FJR1300AEs?
 
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Dunno anything about the older stuff. In reading a bit about the new DCT, somewhere I saw that Honda was calling it an improved version of their previous DCT. Like everyone else, I'd like to know how it functions at slow speeds. I'd be interested to know how the clutches are controlled.

Guess I'll have to ride one if the opportunity presents itself. At the moment, it doesn't seem to present any advantage over a manual clutch, but it may be of benefit as I become more geezed out and creaky.
 
I have no problem whatsoever with slow speed riding. I can do tight figure 8's and u-turns with no trouble at all. It is really a smooth bike and you hear it shift but it is seemless when shifting. It is nothing like a CVT either so you don't need to wait for the rpm's to rev up. As soon as you give some throttle it is off and running. I usually keep it in S (sport) for city riding and D (drive) when on the interstate. The M (manual) function is really cool to use if you want to keep it in one gear or when riding the twisties. The thing about the CTX DCT, and I'm sure the NC DCT, is that you need to put some miles on it to really get used to it. If you only go out for a 10-20 mile ride you don't really get to appreciate the DCT. Like all bikes there are quirks but after about 500 miles of city riding it is really a pretty cool bike. I have rode so many manual motorcycles that it is nice to not have to worry about shifting and find it very relaxing when riding the nice scenic roads where I can just look around. I know that shifting is a very natural thing and I never really thought about it but the DCT is pretty cool.

I would think as more of us age that these bikes will become more popular. I may go back to a manual bike one day but it would have to be a really nice bike to get me away from the CTX. It is also very smooth on the interstate going 70-75 mph, and the speedo is dead-on accurate as well.

JeffR
 
[I am having some trouble with my left foot that makes it really hard for me to move the shift lever]

With your fabrication skills, it shouldn't be too difficult to convert the Ural to hand-shift with shifter handle to the left of the fuel tank. And with the Ural's agricultural appearance & finish, an add-on hand shifter wouldn't seem out of place. Seems like a good winter project?
 
I actually converted it to a hand shift last year. No fabrication needed from me. There are many peculiar aftermarket accessories available for the Ural, and the hand shifter is one of them.

It's this ornate assortment of levers and pivots, almost steampunk looking, that puts the lever on the right side of the tank, so I can work the clutch and shift. It actually shifts more smoothly with the hand shifter than with the foot shifter, because the Ural prefers the rider get totally off the throttle and let the revs drop before shifting, and the right hand shift enforces that slow deliberate shift.
 
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