The AT is a good road
ride, comfortable
with great brakes and
manoeuvres easily
with wide bars and
nice balance
SECOND OPINION
I had never ridden a DCT so I grabbed the auto
and we were on the road to Hanmer Springs. It
didn’t take long to get my head around the DCT,
for normal road riding I just left it in auto and
manually shifted when I need to pass traffic.
With the new larger tanks topped up we didn’t
need to worry about fuel till Blenheim at the
earliest. The AT is a good road ride, comfortable
with great brakes and manoeuvres easily with
wide bars and nice balance.
After coffee and a feed for Jock we were on the
gravel heading into the Molesworth. Osborne
error one… I charged onto this first hill and went
nowhere as it was in full road mode. A quick
stop to turn off the traction control and ABS
and the DCT was hauling. I had a great time on
the loose surfaces the Molesworth threw at us.
The suspension is very good with the rear being
48 KIWI RIDER
exceptional and the 21-inch front wheel makes it
sure-footed.
There is a different feel with the manual due
to the lighter engine. The manual feels more
responsive as the drive is more direct and it’s
slightly easier to throw around due to less mass
but once you’re used to the DCT it can be ridden
hard in manual transmission mode by letting
your fingers do the shifting. The new AT feels a
bit punchier and sounds more aggressive so the
hundred and forty odd km of gravel was quickly
gobbled. These bikes are different from their
predecessors as they carry more fuel in a bigger
tank which does make the bike feel bigger and
slightly more top heavy with a full fuel load, as
well as it being taller on the new suspension
so slow manoeuvring is a bit more of a task for
short arses like me.