DCT question

Wow, those are some nice roads in the pics. In SC, it’s a few curves but mostly straight roads (until you go out west, then things are quite different). See, I’d sometimes like a bike like the CB1100- just a more basic bike to hop on and go for a short run- keep the STs and have that as a fun bike (that’s why I mentioned the new Rebel). I like the long haul capability of the ST though
 
ddemair said:
I also ride bicycles. My current ones have 20 gears or more and I'm very accustomed to shifting to choose my desired cadence.

I'm disinclined to go DCT and I'm wondering if I'm carrying over my sense of control on the bicycle over to the motorcycle. I can definitely see where DCT could be a very nice feature, but I still like the idea of a clutch and choosing the gear myself.
Click to expand...
It has a manual mode.
 
I test rode a 2019 DCT gold-wing and when in the twisties it did not select the correct gear I wanted to be in so I used the paddle shift quit a bit.
 
Well, I am surmising that a DCT would not be best for a rider that likes to keep the bike in the higher rev ranges, keeping the pot boiling so to speak, especially an NC 750 which has less than 60 hp and has a low redline anyway, but for a guy who just likes to ride, without all the "work" a DCT sounds like a nice compromise.

I know guys that like to keep their bikes between say 6 and 9K rpms while riding, but that's not me, I'm a 2500-3500 rpm kinda guy. My normal shift point is at about 3200 rpms. I was always shocked at the rpms my CVT scooter ran in. I haven't been near redline on a bike in 2 decades, and have hit 100 mph maybe 3 or 4 times in the last 20 years.
 
ST-Traveler said:
I test rode a 2019 DCT gold-wing and when in the twisties it did not select the correct gear I wanted to be in so I used the paddle shift quit a bit.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what that mode of shifting is for. I manually shift automatic transmissions in vehicles, too.
 
red one said:
Yeah, on my new Goldwing DCT test ride demo it down shifted on its own when I was in manual mode coming to a stop. Did not think I would like it but I did. One thing I've been curious about is at a stop sign you should not blip the throttle like all the Harley's do because with the DCT are you always in 1st gear? I did not try it on my demo bike.
Click to expand...
You DO NOT want to blip the throttle when stopped at a stop sign unless you put it in neutral, or you will be launched forward o_O
 
ddemair said:
but I still like the idea of a clutch and choosing the gear myself.
Click to expand...
You like what you like. That counts for a whole lot of enjoyment. The act of selecting the time and manner in which you execute any given gear change especially when executed particularly smartly is a thing of pure joy. A DCT can eliminate the tedium of shifting (my perspective) but I don't know if it can supply a joy of its own that would replace that of the perfect shift.

I like running up and down gears from time to time but even without demoing one– at the end of the day I think a DCT would make mine. I feel that lucky.
 
I have shifted motorcycles nearly daily since May 1965, commuted by motorcycle for 17 years. 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.

I used to drive nothing but manual cars too, but the last 24 years before retirement I was in over the road sales, and daily rush hour traffic jams in stop and go traffic took the joy out of that. My last car purchase before retirement was to reward myself with a car (truck actually) that had no clutch pedal.
 
ST Gui said:
You like what you like. That counts for a whole lot of enjoyment. The act of selecting the time and manner in which you execute any given gear change especially when executed particularly smartly is a thing of pure joy. A DCT can eliminate the tedium of shifting (my perspective) but I don't know if it can supply a joy of its own that would replace that of the perfect shift.

I like running up and down gears from time to time but even without demoing one– at the end of the day I think a DCT would make mine. I feel that lucky.
Click to expand...

Thanks
 
ddemair said:
but I still like the idea of a clutch and choosing the gear myself.
Click to expand...

I never think about this ... it's so second nature, I never think, "wow, it'd be cool to have an automatic on my bikes"... or... "my next bike must have auto tranny".

However, I do understand it would be advantageous for folks with limited ability. Me having somewhat extreme rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, I can see the advantage.
 
Erdoc48 said:
Sometimes I think about a smaller bike to keep with one of the STs, kind of like a scooter type bike where there’s no prep, just jump on and ride it (I don’t have space for 3 bikes)...I was looking at the Rebel 1100 DCT and the reviews are quite positive, it’s just that the peg position might make for a more cramped ride. I love my STs, but once in a while it’s nice to look at new rides (then wallet reality hits and I turn off that new bike nucleus for a while). I think I’d like to try a DCT bike, maybe a GW, just to see how it feels vs manual shifting (which to me was really never that big of a deal and becomes quite ‘automatic’ the more you do it).
Click to expand...

I agree....I have a DCT wing and my small bike is to the left.... a VFR1200X:biggrin:
 
Bulitt said:
I agree....I have a DCT wing and my small bike is to the left.... a VFR1200X:biggrin:
Click to expand...
I talked to a guy today that initially I thought was you. It's only the second or third VFR1200X I've seen in the wild. He was going on and on about his DCT, loved it.
 
dduelin said:
I talked to a guy today that initially I thought was you. It's only the second or third VFR1200X I've seen in the wild. He was going on and on about his DCT, loved it.
Click to expand...

I have to say, the DCT married to the VFR motor is a thing of beauty! As you probably know, the VFR has 3 different sport modes and while I run my wing in manual all the time, I have found that auto in sport mode 2 on the VFR is my happy place. It holds the gears just the right amount of time and is like Wyle E. Coyote riding that rocket.....

I got pulled over on A1A yesterday right at the Matanzas bridge for passing a car on a double yellow. A lot of “Yes Sir Officer” etc. got me away with just a warning but is hard to drone along behind some looky loo when that bike just wants to run loose. Just crank the throttle and the auto transmission drops a gear and bolts.....

I really don’t understand why they didn’t sell a billion of these things.
 
Last edited:
ST Gui said:
You like what you like. That counts for a whole lot of enjoyment. The act of selecting the time and manner in which you execute any given gear change especially when executed particularly smartly is a thing of pure joy. A DCT can eliminate the tedium of shifting (my perspective) but I don't know if it can supply a joy of its own that would replace that of the perfect shift.

I like running up and down gears from time to time but even without demoing one– at the end of the day I think a DCT would make mine. I feel that lucky.
Click to expand...

I have a DCT Wing and I agree with what you say above, I run my wing in Manual mode 100% of the time and shift with the paddles. I hold the gear as long as I want and shift when I am ready. With 7 gears, I shift far more than I ever did with my manual bikes. The difference is, it is instantaneous,.... immediate .....you are in the next gear without even rolling the throttle off.

The DCT gives you a lot of choices.....
 
Bulitt said:
I got pulled over on A1A yesterday right at the Matanzas bridge for passing a car on a double yellow. A lot of “Yes Sir Officer” etc. got me away with just a warning but is is hard to drone along behind some looky loo when that bike just wants to run loose.
Click to expand...
We're the same age, and last time I was pulled over, was for this very reason.
Following a car going 30mph in a 45 zone; I wasted no time getting around -- there was at least a half mile of straight pavement ahead, and NO oncoming traffic for that distance.
I'm aware there were parallel yellow lines...
Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools. -- Sir Douglas Bader
 
Bulitt said:
I have a DCT Wing and I agree with what you say above, I run my wing in Manual mode 100% of the time and shift with the paddles. I hold the gear as long as I want and shift when I am ready. With 7 gears, I shift far more than I ever did with my manual bikes. The difference is, it is instantaneous,.... immediate .....you are in the next gear without even rolling the throttle off.

The DCT gives you a lot of choices.....
Click to expand...

I hadn't really thought about using manual mode 100% of the time. I was thinking that once I started using one of the automatic modes, I would find myself ignoring the paddles or never quite sure when I would prefer switching modes. But if I think about the DCT as clutchless shifting rather than an automatic with paddles, I may change my inclination to get the traditional clutch and foot shifter. So thanks for giving me more to think about.
 
ddemair said:
I hadn't really thought about using manual mode 100% of the time. I was thinking that once I started using one of the automatic modes, I would find myself ignoring the paddles or never quite sure when I would prefer switching modes. But if I think about the DCT as clutchless shifting rather than an automatic with paddles, I may change my inclination to get the traditional clutch and foot shifter. So thanks for giving me more to think about.
Click to expand...
DCT isn't and shouldn't be a "set it and forget it" appliance. Operating a DCT can open an entire new skill set to learn. Good riders will want to explore how to use the different modes and fully "ride it". You are right though, too many people compare it to the only automatic transmission they know, the one in the car, when it is really just the same direct drive constant mesh motorcycle transmission we are used to with the added ability to automate clutch and gear shifting operations.
 
Bulitt said:
I got pulled over on A1A yesterday right at the Matanzas bridge for passing a car on a double yellow. A lot of “Yes Sir Officer” etc. got me away with just a warning but is hard to drone along behind some looky loo when that bike just wants to run loose.
Click to expand...
Riding down A1A on a sunny spring Saturday, during spring break, during Bike Week, is too painful to contemplate. Everybody is a looky lou.

That said I do it a lot - a coffee shop at the south end of A1A Beach Blvd is the first stop of a dawn patrol sunrise ride but I'm there and gone by 7 or 8 AM, headed inland.
 
I can't wait to try a DCT, I am betting I will like it a lot. But that is dangerous as I might like it too much!
John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom