DCT question

Dave (@dduelin) posted a comment quite a while ago after getting a DCT that I found interesting. If I am misremembering his comment, he will correct it.

As I remember it, he wrote that he found his ride to be more enjoyable in some circumstances such as on curvy roads. He found that removing shifting from the equation allowed him to place more attention on the ride, the road, and to focus more intently on properly setting up and attacking the curves which resulted in greater enjoyment of the experience.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Dave (@dduelin) posted a comment quite a while ago after getting a DCT that I found interesting. If I am misremembering his comment, he will correct it.

As I remember it, he wrote that he found his ride to be more enjoyable in some circumstances such as on curvy roads. He found that removing shifting from the equation allowed him to place more attention on the ride, the road, and to focus more intently on properly setting up and attacking the curves which resulted in greater enjoyment of the experience.
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Sounds just like what I am after doesn't it?

the Ferret said:
I enjoy the challenge of hitting the curves just right without losing speed.
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the Ferret said:
I rarely experience any joy in shifting anymore. Yes on occasion a perfectly timed shift pleases me, but I find I get more joy out of perfect flowing lines and thus not having to shift.
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some more road pics...see the roads I ride are not technical enough for rowing the gearbox. I love riding these roads. Anyone who has been to OH-SToc knows the kind of roads I am talking about. Southern Ohio country curvy roads thru the hills. These are more Cherohala roads than Dragon roads. And like I said if I WANT to shift I will always have the 6 speed CB 1100 for that.

XJ8fqFi.jpg


9e3tlIA.jpg


n4DCZy8.jpg
 
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the Ferret said:
some more road pics...see the roads I ride are not technical enough for rowing the gearbox. I love riding these roads. Anyone who has been to OH-SToc knows the kind of roads I am talking about. Southern Ohio country curvy roads thru the hills. These are more Cherohala roads than Dragon roads. And like I said if I WANT to shift I will always have the 6 speed CB 1100 for that.

XJ8fqFi.jpg


9e3tlIA.jpg


n4DCZy8.jpg
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Are these on Rt78?
 
STJohnS said:
Are these on Rt78?
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No these are in counties to the south and west of 78 by maybe 75 miles. ST RT 78 is a little tighter in spots than these pic and has a little steeper elevation changes. All of southern Ohio along the river is curvy with elevation changes, but more so as you get further from Cincinnati and closer to West Virginia. The same with northern Kentucky where I ride alot. Curvy roads between hills and along ridge tops.

Will be interesting to see the roads Pat chooses for OH-SToc this year, as the base for the event is more to the south and west than usual. The top pic in that series is on ST Rt 125 just east of Russleville and west of West Union. There are some great roads in that area if the rally gets that far west... 41, 247, 348, 782, 27 just to name a few.
 
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Almost every post I have seen regarding the DCT seems to generate so many love it or I would not like it responses. The DCT is something you have to spend some time with to fully appreciate. It is not like losing some control of shifting at all. If you want to manually shift you can. I changes the experience of riding for me a lot. It allows you to concentrate on your riding skills more as you brain does not have to be occupied with shifting and clutching as much. I find that riding on mountain twisty roads much more fun than on a conventional transmission bike. I seem to experience riding much more and find it very enjoyable. It take a little time to adjust to the DCT and learn how to use it properly. I have talked to a lot of riders that try the DCT out for a quick ride and come back not liking it. But when the same person rides the bike for a longer while will begin to like it more and more. It drives me crazy when I read a test report on an Africa Twin with DCT where the rider does not understand it and does not know it well enough to ride it correctly and then writes about not liking it. I do find that setting the DCT into one of the Sport mode makes a big difference. In std. Drive mode it seems to shift very early and is fine for putting around town.
 
I had a DCT in my VW GTI and it was a rocket when you put it in "sport' mode. There is no way I could change gears faster than the automatic DCT.

A true DCT is an automatic gear box with two clutches, one for odd gears and one for even gears. I am not certain that on the Honda bikes they are true automatic DCTs. My understanding is that you still have to change gears but there is no requirement to use the clutch. That is like my GTI with the paddle shifters.

Am I correct?
 
In essence, there are two gear shafts. One containing gears 1,3 and 5 and the other with 2,4 and 6. Each shaft has its own clutch and the next gear is pre-selected while the previous one is running. This takes the split-second moment of transition out of every gearchange and also makes it much smoother. And because it’s controlled electronically, not physically, there are no microswitches or clunky engineering to cut the throttle etc. Even when you try and fool DCT by manually changing down while still accelerating, the shift is still almost instantaneous and still as smooth as you like.

www.bennetts.co.uk

Honda DCT; biking’s biggest (and most misunderstood) step forward

Honda’s DCT transmission is the biggest step forward in motorcycle performance for years. If only they’d switched off the ‘auto’ mode
www.bennetts.co.uk
 
I have never ridden a DCT anything.
There.
I said it.
I enjoy shifting, I like using the clutch, I like being as smooth as humanly possible. No doubt, there is automation available today that can do it better.
I simply don't want it.
When riding, it's not a "distraction" for me, to be in the power band, or shift according to the curves or terrain. On the contrary, that's WHY I'm on a bike.
I want.the total experience.
For those who want the DCT, that's fine. I want the clutch lever, I want the toe shifter. That's the engagement I desire.
For these same reasons, don't try to sell me on an electric bike.
 
Sadlsor said:
I have never ridden a DCT anything.
There.
I said it.
I enjoy shifting, I like using the clutch, I like being as smooth as humanly possible. No doubt, there is automation available today that can do it better.
I simply don't want it.
When riding, it's not a "distraction" for me, to be in the power band, or shift according to the curves or terrain. On the contrary, that's WHY I'm on a bike.
I want.the total experience.
For those who want the DCT, that's fine. I want the clutch lever, I want the toe shifter. That's the engagement I desire.
For these same reasons, don't try to sell me on an electric bike.
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I understand what you are saying. I think if you were to get familiar with the DCT and how it works and feels you would find out that it does not disconnect you from the experience of riding at all. It allows focus on the riding experience and does not detract from it at all. It is just different and allows as much rider input as you would want, either full input or little input. I feel I am a smoother rider with DCT than without it. I do respect what you are saying though, to each his own.
 
I have the best of both worlds. My ST and my wife's CanAm F3 1350cc reverse trike with DCT.
F3 stands for Fun on 3 wheels.
No clutch and no shifter pedal. Paddle for up shifting and the computer does all the downshifting.
I like it as it's always ready to go in 1st gear from a stopped position, not like me starting out in a higher gear on my ST sometimes. Reverse is kind of cool on a bike too.
 
amorley said:
I had a DCT in my VW GTI and it was a rocket when you put it in "sport' mode. There is no way I could change gears faster than the automatic DCT.

A true DCT is an automatic gear box with two clutches, one for odd gears and one for even gears. I am not certain that on the Honda bikes they are true automatic DCTs. My understanding is that you still have to change gears but there is no requirement to use the clutch. That is like my GTI with the paddle shifters.

Am I correct?
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You have an incorrect understanding of Honda's DCT. Perhaps this will help.
 
Al Gully said:
I have the best of both worlds. My ST and my wife's CanAm F3 1350cc reverse trike with DCT.
F3 stands for Fun on 3 wheels.
No clutch and no shifter pedal. Paddle for up shifting and the computer does all the downshifting.
I like it as it's always ready to go in 1st gear from a stopped position, not like me starting out in a higher gear on my ST sometimes. Reverse is kind of cool on a bike too.
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The CanAms use a CVT transmission, not a DCT. The F3 mimics gear shifting with electronic 'steps' but it has two variable pulleys and a rubber belt like every CVT transmission.
 
OkieRider said:
Screenshot_20210315-011037_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20210315-010657_Google.jpg
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The he-man and sissy references to DCT are worn out responses borne of ignorance. They were common and not unexpected in DCT threads 10-12 years ago when DCT was new technology but kind of surprise me today in this forum which usually has a greater knowledge and understanding of motorcycle technology.

DCT is banned at the highest level of motorcycle racing because it's so much faster and safer for the riders. It's not banned in F1 racing and those that tried to compete without DCT gearboxes were left in the dust. Among production cars in 2021 the fastest and highest performing supercars have DCT gearboxes.
 
Sadlsor said:
I have never ridden a DCT anything.
There.
I said it.
I enjoy shifting, I like using the clutch, I like being as smooth as humanly possible. No doubt, there is automation available today that can do it better.
I simply don't want it.
When riding, it's not a "distraction" for me, to be in the power band, or shift according to the curves or terrain. On the contrary, that's WHY I'm on a bike.
I want.the total experience.
For those who want the DCT, that's fine. I want the clutch lever, I want the toe shifter. That's the engagement I desire.
For these same reasons, don't try to sell me on an electric bike.
Click to expand...

You and I seem to think a lot alike.... I am pretty sure I have said the exact same thing countless times......and meant it.

Then I made the mistake of riding my buddies DCT Wing for an afternoon.......
 
dduelin said:
The he-man and sissy references to DCT are worn out responses borne of ignorance. They were common and not unexpected in DCT threads 10-12 years ago when DCT was new technology but kind of surprise me today in this forum which usually has a greater knowledge and understanding of motorcycle technology.
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Cheese and rice, Dave!
Lighten up, buddy. Some of us call that "humor."
Humor - definition - the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.
"his tales are full of humor"
Or, "his memes are comical and make me laugh!" (my example added)
 
Sadlsor said:
Cheese and rice, Dave!
Lighten up, buddy. Some of us call that "humor."
Humor - definition - the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.
"his tales are full of humor"
Or, "his memes are comical and make me laugh!" (my example added)
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Thank you for taking the time to explain humor to me. I could have used it for the last 10 years as people without a clue pop off the same tired remarks (oops, hilariously funny remarks) regarding their need to stroke a clutch lever and put down those that desire not to.

Better late than never I suppose, thanks again for the comic relief.
 
I found the memes not humorous, but kind of insulting, as if someone who doesn't use a clutch is not a real motorcyclist.

I've been riding 56 consecutive years on the street come this May, Have ridden approximately 800,000 miles. Raced motocross pretty competitively for 10 years. Worked in the motorcycle industry for 17 years. I have ridden in 42 states, ridden to all four corners of this country from Maine to Washington State to Southern California to Florida, 2 provinces of Canada and 5 countries in Europe. Have ridden from -9 degrees F to +113 degrees F. On average I ride over 300 days and 24,000 miles a year. Last year, at 70 years old, I rode 350 days out of 366 and 21,400 miles in a state where it snows for 3 months. . My truck is 11 years old and has 59,000 miles on it for comparison. I AM a motorcyclist.

I don't think I have to prove to anyone that I am a motorcyclist by having a clutch lever on my handlebar.
 
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