BMW Motorrad has announced a new Automated Shift Assistant (ASA) technology that operates the clutch and gearbox of a motorcycle to offer a smoother, faster, more precise gear shift. If you’re thinking “what for”, then you’re probably an existing motorcyclist. That was my first reaction when I saw BMW’s press release, but as I read onwards, I changed my mind.
Much as you’d like to think otherwise, you can’t shift gears as well as a computer. NOT EVEN CLOSE!
A computer (and associated electromechanical actuators) can do it much quicker than you could ever hope, but the ECU and Transmission Control Unit have an additional advantage in that they are monitoring and choreographing all those cogs and clutches so the unit changes gears with great precision and continues its journey so quickly that your line on a 200 km/h sweeper won’t vary an inch. You can't do that!
Yes, hitting the apex and getting the exit and sequential gearshifts right is a huge part of motorcycling’s reward. Blending all the dynamics of a motorcycle into one endless smooth swooping experience is why we do it. Most times it's just for you, and sometimes for a significant other too, but the beauty of the Automated Shift Assistant (ASA) system is that it isn’t a permanent thing, and that’s what the magic button is all about - you can choose manual or auto at the flick of a switch.
Even if you'll never give up that (sort of) direct connection to the gearbox, there are times when having to pull the clutch lever one more time isn't what you want to do.
Maybe when you’re stuck in an endless traffic jam on a hot day and your left wrist is starting to cramp because the motorcycle is very big, the clutch didn’t feel that heavy to begin with, and there's still at least an hour of hostile fenders to negotiate ... that might qualify as an emergency.
Two-up, a motorcycle is also very different, and whilst it’s harder on the rider, it’s much harder on the pillion. Hence having the constant smooth acceleration and deceleration offered by the ASA might be a welcome relief for your loved one. Even when you are going quick, you’ll possibly be quicker with the magic ASA switch in D mode.
The system adjusts the shifts based on the engine’s revs and the load, so having clinically precise gear changes while you’re trying to work out how to get to the other side of a big city you don’t know … well, that might be one less thing to think about.
BMW's information on the new ASA can be found here - it's all that is known at this point in time and BMW has yet to explain when the technology will become available, how much it will cost, and on which bikes it will become available.
The proof of just how much this new innovation will offer will be in the riding, and I cannot wait. While the technology has been designed initially around the big Boxer twin engine, but the ability to change gears quickly is going to become an important factor in achieving emission standards in the future, so how long it will take for this technology to be applied across the BMW Motorrad range will be interesting to watch.
