AFRICA TWIN
LIFE IS NOT A GUIDED TOUR
An adventurous spirit is hard to contain.
The Africa Twin is not scared of the worst roads in the world. There’s nothing that can hold it back, or you for that matter. North, West, East or South, whichever horizon you point it at, this motorcycle is equipped to take you anywhere. How far you want you go with it, is entirely up to you.
This first installment is about the most unique feature on the Africa Twin, the DCT (dual clutch transmission)
What is a DCT transmission? The simplest explanation of this system is that the bike shifts automatically, just like an automatic car. But there are a lot of differences too. The clutch itself is actually two separate clutches that are oil-pressure actuated by two independent servos. Each clutch changes three gears – one clutch for 1, 3, and 5 and the other for 2, 4, and 6. That way one clutch is disengaging while the other is engaging making for seamless, almost imperceptible shifting. There are also four different “modes” that the DCT can be set to, depending on how aggressive you want to ride. D mode is for cruising around town or to maximize fuel economy and the bike upshifts very low in the rpm.
For example, just leaving the parking lot the bike in D mode the bike went click, click, click, click into fourth gear before hitting 30 mph. Then there are three S modes, each more aggressive then the last. Basically, the higher the S mode, the longer the bike holds a gear letting you reach higher in the revs before it shifts. Also, the higher the S mode, the more likely the bike will down shift (sometimes twice) when you whack open the throttle. There is no clutch lever or shift pedal on the DCT model, but it does have a left grip finger trigger and thumb button that lets you shift when you want to, even in any of the DCT modes. The finger trigger shifts up while the thumb button shifts down. Lastly there is a “manual” mode that lets you do all the shifting with the left grip buttons.
How does the DCT know when and how to shift? There are a few sources of input that goes into the system. Primarily, the ECU monitors engine rpm and throttle opening to decide when to shift and which direction. It also has a sensor that monitors the tilt of the bike so it knows if you are going up or down a hill. When climbing or decending, it will hold a gear longer for better torque(uphill) and more engine braking (downhill). Lastly it has a “G” mode where the clutch engagement is at its most aggressive – with the G mode off, according to Honda, it the shifts are a touch smoother, but you loose a hair of acceleration.
