Honda continues its quest to make motorcycling more accessible, with the firm announcing on its website a new E-Clutch for motorcycles.
Set to be the world's first automatic clutch control system for a multi-gear motorcycle transmission, Honda’s E-Clutch aims to enable smooth starting, shifting gears and stopping without the need for the rider to operate the clutch lever. It sounds like great stuff for those coming to grips with motorcycles, as well as having plenty of other potential applications.
The system uses electronic control technology to provide instantaneous, fine-tuned clutch control for optimum performance in situations where the driving force changes, such as starting, shifting gears, and stopping, to achieve smooth starting, shifting gears and stopping more naturally than a rider’s manual clutch operation.
To meet a wide range of rider demands, the clutch can be operated like a normal manual motorcycle gripping the clutch lever, even when the clutch is controlled electronically. This allows the system to be used by more riders of diverse riding experience and skills, who can concentrate on the fun of riding in more comfort.
As the lightweight and compact system can be installed without major changes to existing engine layouts, Honda plans to apply Honda E-Clutch to its FUN motorcycle models over time.
At the time of writing, Honda is yet to announce where in its range it might deploy the E-Clutch, but with EICMA just around the corner, we imagine we’ll find out soon enough.