Motorcycles

Honda's new motorcycle E-Clutch makes the left lever entirely optional

View 3 Images
An electronic system operates the clutch for you through all phases of riding – unless you grab hold of the lever yourself and take control
Honda
Yep, just pull up at the lights in first and leave the lever alone; the E-Clutch will make sure you don't stall
Honda
An electronic system operates the clutch for you through all phases of riding – unless you grab hold of the lever yourself and take control
Honda
The system is compact and lightweight, and Honda says it'll fit to a bunch of different engines without needing any major design alterations
Honda
View gallery - 3 images

The idea of a clutchless motorcycle just feels wrong to some riders. After many years trying to sell fully automatic motorcycles, Honda has come up with a "best of both worlds" E-Clutch system that lets you use or ignore the left lever as you please.

Honda is the only motorcycle manufacturer still pushing the option of fully automatic dual-clutch "DCT" transmissions for two-wheelers, but according to ADV Pulse, it's had some success; in 2019, customers took the DCT option on 45% of Africa Twins, 52% of NC750Xs and 67% of Gold Wings sold in Europe.

The DCT, as frequently seen in the automotive world, is a six- or seven-speed gearbox with two separate electronically-controlled clutches. It can do near-seamless gearshifts with very little interruption of the power delivery, since, for example, second gear can be disengaging at the same time that third gear is engaging. You can run it in fully automatic twist-n-go mode, or hit little thumb buttons to take a bit more control, like paddle-shifting a sports car.

But it takes away the clutch lever from the left handlebar, as well as the gear lever from the left foot. And while that's just fine and dandy for some riders, others (myself included) bristle a little at the idea.

We're a conservative lot, bikers, when it comes to new ideas. To many folk, if a bike doesn't have a clutch lever, well it's a stinkin' scooter and we don't want nothin' to do with it. To others, the left lever serves as a one-finger trigger for clutch-up wheelies, so to remove it is to cripple a key capability of our vehicles.

Yep, just pull up at the lights in first and leave the lever alone; the E-Clutch will make sure you don't stall
Honda

On the other hand, I don't think many of us would argue that we're desperate to keep hanging on to clutch levers in stop-start traffic. And that might be the genius of Honda's latest attempt, the E-Clutch, which it describes as "the world's first automatic clutch control system for a multi-gear manual motorcycle transmission."

Essentially, you keep your regular manual gearbox and clutch lever, and you should be able to ride exactly as per normal if you use the clutch lever. But if you don't, the bike will electronically control the clutch for you, handling starts, stops, upshifts and downshifts in a way Honda describes as "more natural than a rider's manual clutch operation."

So presumably, any time you touch the lever, you're overriding the automatic clutch. But you can easily stop at the lights in first, and take off again like a twist-n-go if you feel like it, and you've effectively got a bidirectional quickshifter once you're on the move.

The system is compact and lightweight, and Honda says it'll fit to a bunch of different engines without needing any major design alterations
Honda

Honda says the E-Clutch system is lightweight and compact, and it can be installed "without major changes to existing engine layouts." It'll obviously need to talk to the bike's ECU a lot, so I doubt it'll become a retrofit accessory, but Honda says it'll start building this tech into its "FUN motorcycle models over time." So, presumably things like the Grom.

I reckon it sounds like a great idea, a more relaxing way to get around, without any real penalty. Beginners can hop on, zoom about without fear of stalling, and still develop a feel for the clutch lever that they'll need if they move to another bike. And hooligans can merrily hoist their front wheels skyward by flicking the clutch when inspiration strikes – not that Honda's the kind of company that would encourage such shenanigans.

There's no word yet on when it'll hit the road. Check out a video below.

Source: Honda

View gallery - 3 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
6 comments
Chase
Might be a good feature for my wife's future bike. She has strength issues with her hands, so being able to ignore the clutch if/when it gets to be too much might be a good way to keep up the stoke.
martinwinlow
When is Honda going to realise the ICE is *dead* and just get on with developing a decent electric machine? Then clutches (FCOL!) would be the least of their worries...
Fast Corner
As noted, really the best of both worlds. I'd love to try it out on something like the Transalp or Africa Twin. Or the Goldwing. But really, this is about drawing in new riders who have had no exposure to manual gearboxes, and may not want any, but still want to ride. Don't want to clutch? Don't have to. Old-skool riders like me that want to still can. And when we get lazy in slow traffic (it can happen), we can opt out if so desired. Make it so.
Towerman
My fireblade already shifts clutchless effortlessly
Nelson
When is one of the four giant Japanes motorcycle makers going to come-out with an electric motorcycle?
Kpar
OK, here's my take on it. I am the crazy uncle who still has Corvairs in his garage. I have taught all my nephews and nieces (plus a few neighbor kids) how to drive a four-speed (except for the oldest- he was already driving manual trans ATVs). One of the things I told them is that driving a manual trans makes one a better driver- you MUST anticipate what is going on ahead of you.

I have taken several motorcycle safety courses, both beginner and advanced. The ONLY hit I took on the beginner's course was my failure to downshift during a "lock-em-up" panic stop- that is a telling thing, and that is the reason for my comment about anticipation.

While this tech will make bikes a bit safer for the "less technique inclined", and Honda has an EXCELLENT track record of terrific design, I wonder if we may be "dumbing down" the riders of the future.

BTW, ICE motors are here to stay, electrics have their place, but are limited in their potential.