It’s not what you think.
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I recently had the opportunity to ride Honda’s TransAlp with the new E-Clutch. Forget what you thought and forget what you heard. You need to experience this to fully grasp it. This is not a different DCT option. It’s not “the best of both worlds” between auto and manual. Its not automatic at all. It is a normal manual bike. You still ride and shift gears. You still have a clutch like on a normal bike. It’s just optional to use it.
So how does it work?
You start the bike, put the bike in first, twist the throttle and ride off. You can not stall it. And then you run up and down the gears, manually like normal, and stop. And stopping without the clutch does not stall the bike. Very user friendly.
One of the biggest benefits is in stop-start traffic. You simply select first gear and ride away without touching the clutch. The clutchless upshifts and downshifts that are generally smoother and faster than what most riders can achieve manually. On twisty roads, this helps maintain momentum. On adventure bikes like the Transalp, the system can reduce the chances of stalling when negotiating difficult terrain. Riders can focus more on throttle control and line selection rather than clutch modulation.
On the XL750 Transalp with the throttle-by-wire system, the E-Clutch can actually "blip" the throttle during downshifts. This helps match the engine revs to the wheel speed for ultra-smooth transitions. For the Transalp in particular, this also improves upshifts even when the rear wheel is spinning (for example, off-road), since the system monitors front and rear wheel speed to control engagement.
You can pull the clutch lever at any time and ride exactly as you would on a traditional motorcycle.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of Honda's E-Clutch is that it makes motorcycling more accessible to newcomers. For many new riders, learning how to coordinate the clutch and throttle without stalling can be intimidating. The E-Clutch takes care of that task automatically, allowing riders to concentrate on riding and building confidence from the moment they get on the bike.
If you get the chance, I highly recommend taking one of the Honda E-Clutch models for a spin.
