Semi-automatic transmissions haven’t made much of an impact on motorcycling, especially with American riders. Aprilia’s Mana 850 and subsequent GT version lasted only a handful of years in the Italian manufacturer’s US lineup before being dropped in 2015. Although it wasn’t a true semi-automatic transmission—it did not have an automatic mode— Yamaha’s 2006 FJR1300AE with YCC-S (Yamaha Chip-Controlled Shifting) survived just four years before being quietly discontinued. And the dualclutch transmission version of Honda’s VFR1200 has lagged far behind sales of its standard gearbox brother since the bikes’ debut in 2010. Meanwhile, semi-automatic transmissions have taken over the performance automobile segment, with paddle shifters on the steering wheel (and no clutch pedal) now de rigueur for any high-end sports car.
Biperformance Development Corporation’s president Dean Pick is hoping to change…
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Sport Rider (Digital) - 1 Issue, October - November 2016