A bunch of random new-owner observations

[GregC]

I just leave it in gear at a stop. If the road slopes down or is flat, I just keep my foot or hand on the brake. If it's uphill, even better because the DCT holds the bike and a little throttle work moves me along. The DCT makes intersections very easy.


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[sumo]

I just leave it in gear at a stop. If the road slopes down or is flat, I just keep my foot or hand on the brake. If it's uphill, even better because the DCT holds the bike and a little throttle work moves me along. The DCT makes intersections very easy.

If I'm stopped on a hill my bike rolls backwards so I need to apply the brake. The manual says, 'To prevent clutch damage, do not use the throttle to keep the motorcycle stopped uphill.'

 

[SilverRocket]

Yesterday I tried to get into N on my DCT when coming to a stop and it won't go until I'm almost completely stopped. Speedo was showing 1 mph, but that might have been a delay.
I've got a tricky parking space that sometimes requires me to back up into it. I've found that it's easier to walk the running bike backwards if I'm in N instead of D.
Being able to get into N at any time doesn't seem possible. Maybe that's to keep people from trying to get better MPG by going into N while on a downhill slope?

 

[FezUSA]

Like Sumo posted from the manual, if the wheels are turning you can not move into N. I perform a tight K-turn at the top of my gravel driveway before pushing my bike backward into it's parking spot. The K-turn also involves a gradient on one side. I have to give a minute twist of the throttle to get the front wheel up the slope before putting it in N to reverse it to the point where I dismount before pushing it back (slight uphill) to park it. I know I can go backward in D/S, but I prefer to be be in N. Any foot slipping (gravel/grade) and I don't want any accidental twist on the throttle to suddenly shoot me forward into a wall or parked vehicle! When I get the front wheel up the gradient I absolutely cannot go into N until the wheel stops moving, and I'm doing < 1mph for the 5' or so up that grade. As soon as the wheel stops I can go into N.

SleepyC, I'd have to agree with others about your experience on the DCT. Your time on the bike didn't really give you a full/true experience. It IS different and can require a slightly different riding style. I came from a scooter so the DCT was a no-brainer for me in my journey to learning to ride. It allowed me to focus on all of the other aspects without worry about the gear changing part. As I got more comfortable I experimented more with the S modes, but I also started to ride a little harder & more "spiritedly"!! In these times I also noticed shifting when I really didn't want it, mid-curves etc. It was so smooth that it never caused any issues with the handling all it did was impact the performance of my exit etc.

Now I ride the DCT in manual mode almost exclusively and I love it all the more. Technological marvel aside I cannot fathom how/why anyone would want to have to use a clutch lever and shifter to do what the buttons do in the blink of an eye. I control the gear I'm in and it doesn't shift mid-corner, I still can't stall the bike, and the shifts are so quick and smooth!! On top of that if I'm in traffic or if I just want to, I can put it in D or one of the S modes. Best of both worlds. Is it perfect?, no. There are times when I'm slowly approaching a stop and I'm in the 1st or 2nd overlap speed range and the change could be made smoother if I could feather the clutch. And I'm sure there are other scenarios that more experienced (than me) clutch riders can point to that would exalt the clutch option. But riding the the DCT in manual is just incredible, and I can see why the top race car drivers love the paddle shifters on their cars. You just simply cannot change gear like the DCT can!

In the UK it used to be (might still be) that if you pass your car driving test in an automatic you were NOT allowed to legally drive a manual. The color of the license etc. was different, the driving test was different. But finding an automatic car was also challenging, you had to pretty much buy a 'luxury' car as most others didn't even have automatic as an option. When moving to the US and learning to drive an automatic I hated it. Such a sense of lack of control. I got used to it, but I still preferred a manual. Now the automatics often have shifting abilities and I do like that 'improvement' when I'm in the mood for actual driving! I still would also prefer a manual in my Yukon XL though, especially when towing my 30' camping trailer. Tow mode is nice but it's not as efficient or as good as I would be in manual mode. And I can't override it (it's an '05!). I've also driven sports cars with paddle shifters. Took some adjusting, but they are amazing. And I'm really glad that Honda figured out a way to implement it on a bike and were able to give us not just an automatic (even with sport modes), but also to give us manual mode.

So TL;DR bottom line is that the DCT is a technological thing of beauty that allows all kinds of riders who might otherwise struggle for various reasons with an old-school clutch lever and shifter to ride and to even ride with control over the gearbox. It also allows experienced riders to ride hard and provide them with a manual shifting option that they simply can't match performance wise with a lever/shifter. And if that's not enough, they will sell you the out-dated technology version too! Although I'm not sure why they didn't include a kick-starter on that one because hey, if you're going old-school you should do it properly and go all-in, no? (JK)

Thankfully we can all just agree that Honda has a winner with the NCX and that they offer us versions that we can all agree are simply great bikes. Not perfect as that doesn't exist, but great nonetheless, and with some available tweaking options they come pretty darn close to perfection!