Opinion: AMT Better Than DCT For Automatic Gearboxes On Motorcycles

As much as automatic gearboxes have made cars more convenient, the technology hasn’t really garnered much attention. Amongst the mainstream manufacturers, it has only been Honda who has invested a lot of its time, money and efforts into providing a dual-clutch transmission on its big capacity motorcycles. However, the gearbox itself is large, bulky, complex and costly. So, despite Honda’s best efforts, there seemed to be no traction for automatic motorcycles. Until 2024, that is.

Yamaha, BMW and KTM are all jumping on the automatic bandwagon, the latter two choosing the apt ADV touring route to showcase its new tech while Yamaha has decided to debut it on the MT-09, a sporty naked. However, all three have chosen an alternative solution to Honda’s for the same problem: a semi-automatic AMT rather than a DCT. Here’s why:

The DCT Problem

Honda tried its best to make its DCT as compact as physically possible for it to be used on a motorcycle. The 6-speed transmission first arrived on the scene on the VFR1200F in 2010, which was more of a technological marvel on two-wheels. And as much as Honda has tried in the past 14 years, the DCT remains a heavy piece of kit. On the current Africa Twin, the weight difference between the manual and the DCT bike is 10 kilos, which when managing a 220+ kg motorcycle can be a lot. 

The AMT Advantage

The reason why Yamaha, BMW and KTM are going for the AMT route is simple: they do not want to add extra weight to their bikes while still providing the same convenience of an automatic transmission. And the proof is in the pudding. Yamaha’s MT-09 Y-AMT weighs just 3 kg more than the manual version. 

(Also Read: Yamaha MT-09 Gets Y-AMT Semi-automatic Transmission From 2024 Onwards)

BMW’s AMT is currently only on the R 1300 GS Adventure and not the standard R 1300 GS. But rest assured, when the gearbox does come over to the standard GS, it will still not be too heavy. BMW has worked hard on shaving the excess flab from the older 1250 GS, and hence wouldn’t be too keen on putting those pounds back. We had a go on the new bike in Ladakh a couple of months ago. Here’s what we made of it.

And just to prove that it will be capable enough to withstand any harsh terrain, KTM took its AMT Prototype to the Erzbergrodeo enduro race with factory test rider Johnny Aubert. The KTM project is likely to culminate in the 1390 Super Adventure R AMT, the details of which are likely to come out at EICMA 2024. 

Since the core essentials of an AMT are the same as a manual transmission, there’s not much re-engineering required. The main change arises in the clutch actuator module and the gear shifting mechanism, both of which are conducted by either an electrohydraulic or electric actuator and controlled by the ECU. 

AMT Hiccups?

The older-gen AMT cars were notorious for their ‘head nod’ shifts. The delay in gear shifts used to invariably cause the drivers jerks at every gear shift and hence the term ‘head nod’ came about. Over time, these have been smoothened out and the head nods aren’t as pronounced. Given that this technology is new to bikes, we can expect something similar during the initial phase of operation. However, since the risk factor with motorcycling is higher, one would need to get used to the early hiccups rather rapidly. 

Also, modern AMT gearboxes in cars have been able to handle 250 Nm at the max. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue on motorcycles as usually the threshold is well under 200 Nm. Even the torquiest production motorcycle on sale in the world, the Triumph Rocket 3, has a rated torque figure of 225 Nm, which should be manageable in case Triumph also decides to go with the same approach.

Future Solution?

We think that if manufacturers were to put their efforts into an automatic riding experience, AMT certainly seems to be the better and more economical bet. It can offer the convenience of riding freely without bothering about the gear shifting process and yet, in case the rider wants to, allow for manual controls. Will it find more takers and more importantly, more buyers? Time will tell.