The manual transmission is already a dying breed in the automotive industry, but now the automatic transmission also seems to be making a definitive breakthrough in motorcycles. BMW has presented the Automated Shift Assistant: a fully automatic clutch in combination with an automatic or manual gearbox.
When Honda introduced the DCT transmission on the VFR1200 almost 15 years ago, it was met with rather disdain. An automatic transmission, on a motorcycle? That will never happen, say the critics. Despite the critical comments, Honda persevered, improved the dual-clutch system and significantly expanded the number of models with DCT.
And with success. The system has been enormously improved and, according to Honda, more than half of all models available with DCT are now actually sold with DCT. Apparently there was a much greater need than the critics had anticipated.
Honda’s DCT was not the first automatic transmission, that honor went to the Aprilia Mana 850. Although strictly speaking it was half a scooter, the beating heart was the 850 V-twin of the Gilera GP 800, which provided electronic acceleration of the pulleys of the CVT final drive was provided. Suzuki had already performed the same trick on the Burgman 650, which was also equipped with a semi-automatic electronic final drive.
Yamaha launched an electronic shifting with automatic clutch on the FJR1300. The first version was crushed, but after automatic downshifting at low revs was introduced, customers became increasingly enthusiastic. In the last years of the FJR, almost half of them were sold with a semi-automatic transmission and Yamaha has now applied for a patent for a semi-automatic transmission for the 700 parallel twin.
Finally, Kawasaki has introduced a semi-automatic transmission on the Hybrid platform this year: the Ninja 7 Hybrid and the Z 7 Hybrid, while MV Agusta has been offering an automatic clutch on a number of its models for several years. You still have to shift gears yourself, but that is possible with an up/down quickshifter.
BMW has also now focused on the automatic transmission with the new Automated Shift Assistant (ASA), which, according to the Germans, is a logical evolution of the current Shift Assistant. The system works with two electromechanical mechanisms that operate the clutch and gearbox.
The Automated Shift Assistant has two settings: D and M. M – of course – stands for manual, while in D mode the transmission is fully automatic. Sensors determine the moment of shifting, while the clutch regulator determines the degree of slip when driving away. In M mode, the gear lever sends electronic signals to the gearbox operator. Shifting then depends on the selected driving mode and the throttle position.
The semi-automatic transmission will initially be rolled out for the boxer family, but we have a feeling that it will not stop there.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.