dct. vs AE Is it worth the new technolgy.

[fastpappy]

If I'm not mistaken an optional foot shifter is also available.

 

[Harald]

If I'm not mistaken an optional foot shifter is also available.

Yes, there is but with the wife's left ankle issue there wasn't any point in getting it.

I also forgot to mention the grab for the phantom clutch lever when coming to a stop when riding the NC700. A lifetime of standard motorcycle riding creates some serious mental/ muscle memory. I have the same issue after driving a stick car for a while and then getting in an automatic. Takes a little while to retrain yourself with different operating systems.

 

[El Toro]

It took me a while to get used to the YCC-S but once I had it imprinted, I had no more trouble.

Ive got far more miles without YCC-S than with. Once I got over the initial transition, Ive had no trouble going back and forth.

 

[Gbjbany]

I have a Honda NC700XD in my garage. This is the DCT version of the NC700 adventure style bike and was a perfect fit for my wife who had ankle surgery and is limited with her left ankle. There's no shift lever - only paddles on the left side switch cluster. It defaults to Auto, which puts you in 5 gear by the time you hit 30mph. The goal is high MPG and it delivers 70+ regularly. You can also select Sport Auto mode (I do on every ride) which delays upshifts and downshifts quicker for a more sporty ride. I'll ride it occasionally and it's works very well with a couple caveats.
First issue is that honda has seriously limited the rev potential of the engine, which causes me to slam into the abrupt rev limiter if I'm operating it in Manual mode. It won't shift automatically in manual mode except to go to first after a stop. Because I have a lifetime of sport bike riding, I can't get used to shifting that early but I suppose I could retrain myself if I rode this bike more often.

The other issue is going downhills where it will automatically upshift and not provide any compression breaking. You can override auto at any point and downshift with paddles, but as soon as you give some throttle it goes back to upshifting. I have multiple downhill curves leaving my home and this is rather annoying. If this was my daily ride, I'd have to learn to use Manual mode without hitting the rev limiter constantly to avoid this downhill coasting.

It'll be interesting to try the HondaPotamus with DCT when it comes out to see what/if they've done differently.

My experiences exactly on my nc700 - I actually sold it because i had 2 issues with the gbox - first one left me stranded by the road side for 6 hours - And they never found out why it would not go into gear., the second one is it kept sticking in first when i stopped - which was a little worrying - i found out that i had a sticky throttle cable which made it think i was still wishing to move

The other minor nit i had was on a up hill - i was riding in a group , i was too close. and we did a swicthcback. The bike was in too high of a gear - because i was close , i couldn't change down and hit the throttle to keep the biike moving cos i was too close , so iwas afraid i would just fall over ! so i actually went on to the other side of the road to avoid the guy in front. - anyway not the bikes fault just a consideration

 

[terryfarnham]

I loved the sissy shift on the Spyder. I wish there was a way to retrofit it to the 06 wing

2018 Honda goldwing new 7 speed DCT paddle shifting. Hopefully in spring test drives.

 

[ouch1011]

I think for a daily ridden bike, especially one that spends a bit of time in traffic, or for a rider who doesn't like manual transmissions in cars, AE is a good choice. Remember that the AE is not an automatic transmission, just auto clutch. My only complaint with my AE is that low-speed maneuvers can get a little tricky because you don't get the opportunity to finesse the clutch. This complaint is exacerbated by the fact that my 07 has the older throttle linkage that is a bit stiff, so no clutch control combined with a stiff throttle and lots of engine torque can make low speed stuff a little jerky. Might be better on newer bikes with the updated throttle linkage (or DBW if they use that now)

 

[Geezer]

If I'm not mistaken an optional foot shifter is also available.

Yes, there is but with the wife's left ankle issue there wasn't any point in getting it.

I also forgot to mention the grab for the phantom clutch lever when coming to a stop when riding the NC700. A lifetime of standard motorcycle riding creates some serious mental/ muscle memory. I have the same issue after driving a stick car for a while and then getting in an automatic. Takes a little while to retrain yourself with different operating systems.

The NC700 has a very low red line for a motorcycle engine regardless of whether you have DCT or a traditional clutch and foot shifter.

 

[FJRPittsburgh]

I've been riding a 2008 AE for 8 years. I would never go back to a manual clutch for my long distance touring bike. It's truly awesome! The Honda GW DCT would certainly be an option for me. I ride my wife's CTX 700 DCT occasionally and the shifting is seamless in manual mode. Still hoping Yamaha offers the AE in the states for at least one year in the future anyway. I'd buy it in a heartbeat with all the additions made to recently released FJRs. I still get to ride my son's Ninja occasionally when I want to trouble myself with a manual clutch.

 

[mcatrophy]

I've been riding a 2008 AE for 8 years. I would never go back to a manual clutch for my long distance touring bike. It's truly awesome! The Honda GW DCT would certainly be an option for me. I ride my wife's CTX 700 DCT occasionally and the shifting is seamless in manual mode. Still hoping Yamaha offers the AE in the states for at least one year in the future anyway. I'd buy it in a heartbeat with all the additions made to recently released FJRs. I still get to ride my son's Ninja occasionally when I want to trouble myself with a manual clutch.

Being the fortunate owner of a 2014AS (as the AE is known here), I can tell you the Gen 3 is even better. No need to move the throttle during gear changes. It's a beautiful feeling doing high throttle up-changes, almost seamless acceleration. You certainly feel the low-throttle down-changes, but it's not nastily jerky. I had to re-learn not to move the throttle when changing gear! There's also the bonus of automatically changing down when coming to rest, none of that "Oh, b*gg*r, I'm still in third" when moving off from the lights.
FWIW, I did a comparison between the Gen 2 and Gen 3 here.

 

[RiderX]

I want an AS. Please send me one, prefer Fedex.

 

[Spud]

Just get an electric bike and skip the transmission altogether.

 

[RiderX]

I want something that can work for 48 hours with a few short fuel stops not 4-5 and need to charge.

 

[JimNtexas]

Everyone talks about how nice the AE is in traffic, but there is a place where the AE is not only more civilized, but just better than ordinary FJRs:

Twisty roads

Go down the twisties with an AE and you will realize why Formula One drivers switched to paddle shifters. Perfect 300ms shifts. Every. Single. Time.

No hand fatigue. No missed shifts. No 'artificial intelligence' trying to shift gears for you.

The same FJR motor. The same FJR transmission.

Just the right dash of Advanced Engineering.

 

[fastpappy]

What they said!!

 

[NEARMISSES]

I found this thread and just bought an 09' AE and wonder , do you shift it with the padle at the speeds listed in the manual, 12.5mph, 19mph, 25mph 31etc, or when you need to due to engines need to shift? This is all new to me and with my messed up left foor and leg a fantastic deal. I am lovin' it. any suggestions. I'm an old experienced rider 67, BMW LT owner, Buell, Ducati's, Kawasaki's, Triumph Triples, etc. This was all new to me but the price was right and it's a sweet bike. It seems like it's too early at those speeds but I am scared I'll break something if I do it differently. It does shift nicely, when i'm not blowin' the horn instead! I am learning to just use the front side of the padle to go up as well as down. Haven't even used the toe shifter except once for neural. Any advice appreciated.

 

[mcatrophy]

It's a normal engine and gearbox. Shift it when you feel like it. The manual figures say something like for best fuel consumption. If you want good fuel consumption, you don't want the performance of an FJR.

(From someone who's been riding the YCC-S version of the FJR since they first came out.)

 

[wil780]

Getting acceptable shifts is easier on the AE. However, getting perfectly smooth shifts up and down under all conditions of RPM and load is considerably harder on the AE. So I find the AE more satisfying to shift than my manual sportbike.

It seems that no one talks about blipping the throttle on downshifts, maybe because it's obvious. It's the only way I can get smooth downshifts in the twisties. I'm so used to coordinating the blip with my foot motion that I use the lever for downshifts and the paddle only for upshifts.

 

[RossKean]

I found this thread and just bought an 09' AE and wonder , do you shift it with the padle at the speeds listed in the manual, 12.5mph, 19mph, 25mph 31etc, or when you need to due to engines need to shift?

I don't know the reason, but the Yamaha manual writers have some pretty strange notions about the appropriate speed/RPM for shifts!! Not only for the AE but also for the regular model (and two other Yamaha motorcycles I have owned). Perhaps it is an optimum mileage thing but riding at 31 mph in 5th is lugging the motor and gives you no decent acceleration rate if needed. Just because it is possible, doesn't mean it is a good idea! Shift points will depend upon terrain (level or hilly), whether you are doing a "spirited" ride and if you are likely to need to be able to accelerate quickly. Generally speaking, the FJR is a dog below 2500 RPM and improves from there right up to close to the red line. I typically like to "cruise" around 3500 rpm but 4500+ rpm is a lot more fun (but takes a toll at the gas pump).

Don't be afraid to let it rev a bit. I don't know what you rode before so I have no idea what you are used to but if you are coming from a cruiser, be prepared to change your habits with respect to rpm. Experiment with it and see what works for you.

 

[NEARMISSES]

Thanks for the replys! We took a ride to Silver Springs State park yesterday and I tried shifing when I felt the engine speed was right, around 3500rpm seems the best spot and quiet even, a few times it never made a sound, well one my poor hearing could decipher. You guys are great. Coming from a BMW K1200 Light Truck(LT). She's a BIG girl. This was almost heaven. Downshifting for the most part is smooth also if I keep my finger off the horn button instead of the one below it,

 

[mcatrophy]

... Downshifting for the most part is smooth also if I keep my finger off the horn button instead of the one below it,

Try using just your forefinger to shift both up and down, it's a natural flicking action. Much easier than finger up, thumb down.