Honda confirms E-Clutch system coming to U.S. on 650s

And here's the twist. While Honda's other approach to making manual shifting optional on its full-size motorcycles, the dual-clutch transmission (DCT), is an extra-cost option on models such as the Gold Wing and Africa Twin, all CBR650R and CB650R models will come with the E-Clutch as standard equipment. That makes sense when you consider how the E-Clutch system works (you can get a refresher by reading Dustin's report). Unlike some other approaches, E-Clutch might better be described as an automatic clutch than an automatic transmission. Riders still shift through the gears but the electric mechanism operates the clutch. The lever still sits there on the left handgrip, so if riders want to operate the clutch manually, they can.

Honda customers are essentially getting the E-Clutch system for free because the prices are the same as last year: $9,899 for the fully faired CBR650R and $9,399 for the naked CB650R. And that's despite the two 650s getting a few other upgrades, including LED lights and a new TFT display.

What's the big deal about automatics?

Decades ago, motorcycle manufacturers flirted with transmissions that allowed the clutch to be eliminated, but they never caught on. For many years, scooters were essentially the only options for riders who didn't want to learn to use a clutch. But times have changed and so have the offerings from a motorcycle industry that's realizing it needs to make riding more accessible. And in the United States, where cars with manual transmissions are nearly extinct, that means making things easier for people who have never operated a clutch. Or maybe ever seen one.

It's a hot topic. A few years ago, Common Tread writer Andy Greaser wrote about a friend who was deterred from motorcycling, in part, by having to learn to shift a manual transmission and he wondered if we'd have more riders if there were more transmission options. That story drew more than 500 reader comments. Just recently, when Dustin wrote about new options from KTM and Yamaha, nearly 200 comments flowed in. You can even get an automatic transmission now on the iconic "rugged individualist" bike, the BMW R 1300 GS.

But as Dustin pointed out in his recent story — and as Andy's friend realized when he saw our Africa Twin loaner bike with the DCT transmission — many of the motorcycles that forgo a clutch are nowhere near appropriate for a new rider. These two new Hondas don't totally change that. I wouldn't call a new CB650R a very good choice for a first motorcycle. But if someone has been riding around on a scooter with a CVT transmission and wants to move up to a motorcycle without dealing with a clutch in city traffic? A CB650R could make a quite appropriate second motorcycle.

In general, I believe more options are better. Now, whether you're a new rider who's never seen a clutch or an experienced rider who just wants a break for your left hand in city traffic, you can choose from twist-and-go scooters with no shifting, to options like the E-Clutch that make clutch use optional, to a variety of motorcycles with quickshifters that reduce clutch use, to sophisticated systems that let you choose fully automatic shifting or using paddles to shift gears by hand. That's not a bad thing.