the same-old , same-old ”, and you have to take your hat off to them for that . But the clutch ? To my knowledge Honda is the only major manufacturer delivering motorcycle DCT . Again , why ? Well hang on a sec , I ’ ll get there .
DCT TURNS 10 Firstly , it isn ’ t new . Honda has been formulating basic versions ever since the 1958 super Cub . But this year the DCT proper , turns ten years old . So , first up , what we are talking about ? What is DCT ? Dual Clutch Transmission is a computerised , electro-hydraulic control system that switches between the gears of a conventional six-speed transmission with two clutch packs - one for the odd numbers , the other the evens . Here ’ s a slightly more technical explanation - “ Before any actual gear shifting operation begins , the system automatically prepares itself for the transfer of drive power between gears by starting up the rotation of the gear to be
changed to . Its two independently actuated clutches then smoothly transfer rotation speed from one gear to the next without zeroing out the drive force transmitted to the rear wheel .” That last bit is smart , thank you , Honda boffins . Ok , so it ’ s a sort of smart automatic then ? Well , yes , and no . A DCT is even smoother than a fully automatic transmission because the inclusion of a second clutch allows the next gear to already be spinning at the correct revolutions before it is engaged . This eliminates the clunky , jerky shifting that can be a characteristic of some automatic transmissions . That is bloody clever . But why ? What ’ s the point of all this weighty tech ? Well , it ’ s accurate , lightning quick , never misses gears , allows for easy slowspeed manouvering , stalls are non-existent , ( no arguments from me – all true ) and it makes life a lot easier in stop / start traffic such as we encounter endlessly on Auckland ’ s Motorways . All of which I can understand , but
34 KIWI RIDER