Bryan's Blog

Devil Machine -unnecessary complication April 5, 2010 10:39 AM
sometimes, honda likes to make things over complicated just for the sake of doing it. when they do, it often makes things an absolute bastard to fix when they break. and it will break. now, not only does the bike have one clutch pack to wear out, it's got two. it's also got extra shafts, and undoubtedly extra bearings those shafts and gears will rotate in and on. so i just want to know how long and how much money it's going to take to fix this thing when one or both of the clutch packs decides to give up.

Superlight -New VFR April 4, 2010 07:56 AM
This will be interesting to watch. Honda debuts a new technology intended to make shifting easier on an upmarket touring bike. The problems are 1), shifting a motorcycle is an easy task already, 2), this bike is targeted at experienced riders who know how to shift and 3), the bike starts out expensive and this transmission adds extra cost/price. I know these dual-clutch transmissions are all the rage in cars, but motorcycles are an entirely different proposition. Bikes are way-easier to shift than cars, don't need the fuel mileage increase to meet CAFE laws like cars do and are somewhat price-sensitive. For the sport touring market this may be the answer to a question no one was asking.