Dual Clutch - nice visual demo - Honda Mid concept

This looks like some exciting technology, especially with its potential to improve mpg. A nice powerfull but smallish 250-450cc twin engine with a dual clutch system, could this be a 100 mpg commuter !

The concept / production bike is called a Honda Mid. Not every body's taste, especially the feet forward positioning.

This video nicely explains how the Dual Clutch works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8reh-GWbMs

Honda Mid link
http://www.girlracer.co.uk/motorspor...-scooter-.html

This reminds me a bit like the landscape change the dual core computing brought in 5 years ago......

[yorkie_chris]

Dual clutch is nothing new, I think borg warner have had one out for golfs and such for ages. DSG box maybe.

The vid is OK but it doesn't show how well it responds when you give it a big handful, which on a little commuter is important. It's not hard to make something that shifts up at predetermined points, making it so it doesn't shift at annoying moments is the hard bit.

what i am confused about is why...

aprilia make the mana which is a 850 CVT gear box but with electronic shift just like the Honda in terms of ride-ability and smoothness and handle bar control or gear lever control if you wanted.. why has it taken Honda 2 years to re invent the wheel..and simply produce a different wheel?

[yorkie_chris]

Did honda have that dead on arrival thing first? That was some wierd CVT horrible looking thing.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by no_akira

This looks like some exciting technology, especially with its potential to improve mpg.

By the way, how does this improve mpg?

[TSM]

latest VFR has auto dual clutch gearbox

ps. DSG on VAG cars is unreliable and costly when it breaks

By the way, how does this improve mpg?

Basically it makes you ride like a girl / Colin Edwards, smooth & flowing. No burning away at the lights or sudden bursts of acceleration, when your just enjoying your SV's easy power. Its these little moments that bring down my weekly mpg from a possible 70-80mpg down to 53mpg.

Your right though getting it to work well with all the various speed changes on a motorbike in town traffic would be the real test.

I was more interested in the 3rd mode which was the Up / Downshift flippers on the clutch handle. The changes are still extremely smooth and thats the real point of the DCT system.