To dct or not to dct

Ok I cant decide. If you could do it again. Those of you who have manuel transmissions would you stay with the manual or go with the DCT.
Those of you with the DCT would you go with it again or switch to the manual tranny.
Thanks Mike

 

...kinda like a Vasecomy...things still work pretty good, just not the way they used to for so many years.

 

Thanks for the info. If I understand. Do you mean with age (nothing personal I am older, 52) The DCT is the way to go because it helps make it a little easier.

 

By the way the picture of the RWB 1000r is really cool

 

haha, thanks - It's all the retro fun I need!

So, about DCT - It's all personal preference, man.

I've never actually ridden a DCT 1200 but did thrash a DN-01 for a few days last spring (I was thinking about getting it for my wife who's a new-ish rider)... It certainly was a novelty (fun in use and interesting to leave in D and just have a seamless powerband).

I know the DN has no where near the capability of the VFR but, we were left somewhat underwhelmed by the technology.

Probably feels entirely different with larger V-4 displacement in place of the rather anemic twin the DN comes with!

 

Part of me feels it would be nice for the take off from a stand still. on occasion it can be a little tricky if you are on an uneven grade or on gravel. Or if you are creeping in traffic constantly using the clutch, especially with two up riding. Besides these situations I dont see alot of need. Fortunatly these situations are not the norm. Once moving I do like the idea of manually shifting gears, but you can do thiis on both bikes. The DNO7 well I dont know if it is a fair comparison . But it is somthing, and definatly more experience then Ive had with an automatic.

 

Thanks again for your input.

 

for me, I will stick with a manual -- for now
the DCT isn't for me, but I don't begrudge those for whom it works
but for me, the shifting, the leaning, the reving the spit out of my engine, is all what combine to make riding a motorcycle, well, riding a motorcycle
If I did a lot of cross country, highway miles, I could see where the DCT would be great on a bike used for touring, but for a "fun" bike, I'll stick with the manual
that said, I haven't actually ridden a DCT, so I might be way off base...

 

Really, it was nuthin' (as are the majority of my useless posts, lol).

 

I could not see going with anything other than the standard transmission.

 

To me, the DCT makes it a scooter. It takes away a huge part of the fun of riding a motorcycle. If I was buying a VFR1200, it would be a manual.

 

You put into words what I was thinking.

 

Hmmm Talking about Tranny Um I try and leave those alone but if your into that sort of thing I know you can find plenty in the Hollywood Area. I'm told there are some in San Fransisco. Seek and you will find.

Oh transmissions.

Manual.

I use mine as a daily commuter and I stuck with the manual. Just figure It keeps me thinking a bit more Though the auto might have been pretty nice.

I vote Manual.

 

As a 1200 DCT owner and also the owner of many other normal manual bikes, I can tell you that the 1200DCT is nothing like the DN-01 which has a CVT type transmission, the DN-01 is on the edge of effectively being a big scooter.

The 1200 DCT has a full manual six speed gearbox which is shifted via an electro/hydraulic system, it's "NOT" an automatic transmission, although it does shift automatically in "D" and "S" modes..... it just happens to have two clutches instead of one...there's no loss of power through a torque converter as with a normal auto transmission or losses through a CVT setup. It is also "adaptive" and will change the way the system works depending on throttle position, speed and load.

The DCT system effectively allows the gearbox to be in two gears at once, whilst one clutch controls gears 1-3-5 the other does 2-4-6. The main-shaft is 2 shafts in one, each attached to a separate clutch, when you change gears it effectively just swaps clutches. You'll notice when going from 5th to 6th gear it will be seemless, simply because there are no more "up" gear changes to do. Essentially when you shift into 5th, the other clutch has shifted into 6th, it's just a matter of the ECU changing clutches rather than both the clutch and a gear, a very clever system indeed.

When in manual mode and you forget to change down when coming to a stop, the ECU will do it for you, it will not allow you to come to a stop unless you are in 1st gear, this stops the possibility of trying to pull away in any gear other than 1st.

I find "D" mode very useful for my daily commuting drone to work, "sport" mode and the full "manual" mode is where the DCT comes into it's own, being able to shift up or down through the gearbox whilst cranked over with the throttle pinned in a corner is one of life's little pleasures. Not once have I missed a gear with the DCT system, you don't have to back off the throttle to change gears, up or down, it even "blips" the throttle on the down-change for you when the rpms are in the higher zones, very clever indeed, so far it has been faultless and very enjoyable for me. As with the manual version, the DCT makes full use of the tremendous midrange torque this big V4 has to offer and shifts gears quicker than I could ever do manually, shifts are done in ~50 milliseconds, I defy anybody with a normal manual transmission to be able to do this without a "quickshift" kit.

If you haven't taken one for a good long test ride, I'd suggest you do so. You may like it, you may not, but at least it will give you a chance to make an informed decision.

Cheers,
Smithy.

 

Makes me want to go out and test one...hell, I think I will - wait...DAMNED SNOW!

 

Snow..??? What's that??.....we don't get that down here......I'm glad we can ride all year round in the land of "down-under"... ;-))

Twitchy, when you get a chance to ride the DCT, do it.....you wont be dissappointed.....it's not for everybody, but you'll at least be one up on a lot of people.

BTW...I've also got a VF1000R....great old machine it is too, has real character.!

Cheers,
Smithy.

 

I don't doubt the DCT being easier. And that is great for my "daily" car. But at least for me, part of the reason I like to ride, or take my "fun" car out on fun roads is the engagment it offers. That is why even though a scooter would make more sense for commuting, I don't own one. Sure it is easy and very practical, but there isn't really the engagement in driving it. You just twist and go. But at that point I might as well take the car and get surround sound, climate control, luggage capacity, ability to pick my son up from school, etc.

 

DCT - I wish they made it for other bikes as well. Some people like to shift with the stick in a car. I just like to mash it and go.

 

If my 6th gen had been available with shaft drive and DCT, I'd definitely have got them.

 

I don't own a VFR12, but was blessed with about 15 miles on a DCT. At the time I could have ridden either (manual or dct) and chose the DCT for the ride specifically for the fact I wanted to experience that bike.

As others have mentioned, I don't begrudge anybody for choosing their preference and going for it, after all, it's THEIR money. That said, in my particular case I could only see my buying the DCT over manual in two conditions:
1) my wife who's talked about riding for years (and once had her own learner's bike) committed to giving it a try. Background here being that she couldn't get over the hand clutch on a bike even though she was perfectly comfortable driving a manual automobile.
2) if a LARGE portion of my intended riding experience was known to be stop and go (eg commuting on DC Beltway, Los Angeles, etc).

In all other cases I'd still take the manual. As many before me have said, there's just something about clicking the lever myself, making a perfectly smooth shift MYSELF, getting the revs perfect on that blip and downshift MYSELF.

To me these are things that I think of as enjoyment. If these things are not things which you'd consider "enjoyment" then the DCT would likely work very well for you.