This is good news for many seeking to extract more fun from the motorcycle without worrying about the gear shifts but sad news for purists who appreciate the skill of having manual control
We saw the trend changing towards automatic transmission in cars and now it seems to have caught hold of the motorcycle community as well. In recent news, BMW have reportedly patented something they call ASA (Automated Shift Assistant) on their flagship tourer, the R 1300 GS. KTM is now following the same path and have released a teaser video of its upcoming KTM 1390 Super Adventure motorcycle equipped with an AMT gearbox.
Honda was one of the manufacturers who started using the DCT gearbox on its motorcycles like the Africa Twin and the Goldwing. It did not catch up on any other motorcycles or manufacturers back then but now it seems to be blowing out of proportion as other big players like BMW and KTM are now launching products with automatic transmission. It’s only time until other players like Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Harley Davidson follow suite.
This article is more about the KTM’s version of the automatic transmission which they like to call AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) and in typical KTM style, they have launched a teaser video which shows the prototype participating in Red Bull’s Erzberg Rodeo in Austria and it is being ridden by French Enduro rider Johnny Aubert.
The video clearly shows how capable the ADV is, as it handles a proper off-road enduro track with such finesse. This prototype participated in Iron Road Prologue category which is meant only for twin-cylinder motorcycles.
The prototype that was used showed a traditional foot gear lever but also had handlebar-mounted buttons to initiate gear up or gear down action, but there was no clutch lever which means it is a clutchless operation and one can shift using the lever near the foot or the buttons on the handlebar.
These shifters on the lever and the handlebar are the manual mode options while the primary intention is to ride the motorcycle in the ‘Auto’ mode which makes sure that you can ride the motorcycle without worrying about the gear shifts or the clutch operation and the bike will take care of it.
Most of the automatic motorcycles that already exist or upcoming seem to be focused on either the ADV category or the cruisers. The aim, we believe, is to provide a hassle-free comfort during those long rides on the cruisers and for ADVs, it allows the riders to maintain the focus on the off-road terrain without worrying much about being in the right gear.
