The automatic transmission has been around since the 1940s, and while the vast majority of automobiles are now equipped with one, motorcycles largely retain manual gearboxes. We are in an era where most new drivers have never operated a car with a manual transmission, so the concept of using the clutch and shifting a “standard transmission” on a motorcycle is equally as foreign for this new generation of rider.Honda has been trying to ease this transition as far back as 1958 when it came out with the automatic centrifugal clutch on the Super Cub, which eliminated at least one aspect of the process by allowing the rider to simply back off the throttle and shift without having to manage a clutch. This was followed by the Hondamatic transmission and then the V-Matic belt-drive. In 2008, Honda took another crack at it and developed the HFT (Human Friendly Transmission) which was used in the DN-01. It was a hydromechanical unit that acted like a CVT unit, but without the V-belts and pulleys of a scooter transmission.

Honda’s next solution that followed was the Dual-Clutch Transmission that originally debuted in the 2010 VFR1200F. This tech has turned out to be incredibly successful, accounting for a huge chunk of sales in the current motorcycles it is offered in such as the Gold Wing, Africa Twin, Rebel 1100T, and NC750X. The DCT can act like a fully automatic transmission or allow the rider to shift it manually via buttons (or an optional gear lever). The only real drawbacks to the DCT models compared to the standard models is that there is a fairly significant weight penalty (25 pounds on the Africa Twin) and a higher price tag.What Is E-Clutch?Honda has once again taken a shot at developing an alternative to the conventional clutch and manual transmission by developing the E-Clutch, which is now standard on the CBR650R and CB650R models. The goals of this system are different from those of the DCT, with the new clutch attempting to blend aspects of a manual clutch, quickshifter, and DCT into a unit that does aspects of all of those functions. It’s also applied to the aforementioned sportbikes, because Honda designed it to compliment sportier riding, and not take away the rider’s control.

Before we go into the how, we need to position the E-Clutch and highlight what it can and can’t do. The E-Clutch is not an automatic transmission, it will not shift gears for you as DCT is capable of. The most unique aspect of the system is that it allows the rider to leave from a stop, change gears, and come to a stop without using the clutch lever. But it still requires far more rider interaction than a DCT in an automatic mode. If the rider is approaching a stop and doesn’t downshift through the gears, and for instance leaves the transmission in third or fourth gear, the rider will have to click down through the gearbox before taking off again or the bike will struggle to pull away or perhaps stall, just as with a normal transmission.

If the rider choses to override the system, they can simply pull in the clutch, which will then act as a completely traditional unit. The system will then reset after five seconds and become active again. The system can also be turned off completely if the rider chooses. Another aspect of the E-Clutch is that it performs the duty of an up/down quickshifter. Instead of simply taking load off the transmission by cutting ignition and/or fuel like other systems, the E-Clutch adds a bit of clutch to the process.How Does It Function?The “E” in the name explains a lot about the E-Clutch and how it works. The entire system is controlled by a pair of electric motors that actuate the clutch plates in each direction and are directed by the Motor Control Unit. This unit takes information from the bike’s ECU, which is gathering data from shift-lever load, gear position, throttle position, engine rpm, and wheel speed. The system can then determine through fine-motor control how to actuate the clutch.

Another key to the system is its ability to switch between manual and E operation. The key mechanical component is the split shift shaft that functions in three different ways depending on how it is being operated. In manual mode, the cable-actuated clutch works in a totally conventional manner, but when the E-Clutch system is active, the gear on the shaft is operated by the control motor. It can also function as a hybrid of the two with motor control and override with manual operation.

From a physical and mechanical standpoint, the system adds very little bulk to the side of the engine’s case and only adds 4.5 pounds to the engine’s overall weight. Compared to the much more complex DCT system that requires extensive design changes to the engines that use it, the E-Clutch can be easily developed for any of Honda’s conventional engines/transmissions with very few changes, therefore opening the door to other models in the future.2024 Honda CBR650R CB650R Updates and OverviewHonda’s CBR650R has been around since 2014, and was an early step away from hardcore sportbikes like the company’s own CBR600RR supersport homologation machine. The CBR650R was designed to be a more street-focused machine, with a more comfortable riding position, and a larger engine that is tuned for on-road performance instead of being track focused.

The 2024 model was a late arrival for the US market, but it comes with some updates beyond the E-Clutch. It received fresh CBR1000RR-inspired styling, a new full-color TFT display, new backlit control clusters on the bars, and all-LED lighting.

The bike is powered by a 649cc inline-four that features double-overhead cams with four valves per cylinder. The engine is fed by PGM-FI with 32mm throttle bodies and is tuned to have broad power for street riding. The bike’s clutch is still an assist/slipper style unit, while Honda’s Selectable Torque Control (traction control) comes standard.

The chassis is anchored by a steel-diamond frame and an aluminum swingarm. The wheelbase measures 57 inches, while geometry figures include a 25.5-degree rake angle with 4.0 inches of trail. The claimed curb weight is 466 pounds. Suspension is handled by a Showa 41mm Separate Function Big Piston (SFF-BP) fork, and a Showa shock with 10-stage spring-preload adjustability. Braking is handled by a pair of radial-mount, four-piston calipers and 310mm discs at the front, joined by a single-piston caliper and 240mm disc out back (both with ABS).

Like the fully faired CBR650R, the naked CB650R was also updated for 2024, and was a late arrival to the US market. In addition to the mechanical changes to the engine with the E-Clutch package, it gets updated Neo Sports Café styling that is inspired by the CB1000R Black Edition.Power comes from the same 649cc inline-four engine that powers the CBR650R. And like that bike also utilizes an assist/slipper clutch. The electronics package includes as standard Honda’s Selectable Torque Control (traction control).

Its chassis shares the same steel-diamond frame, with an identical wheelbase of 57 inches. The naked model weighs a full 10 pounds less than its faired sibling at 456 pounds. Suspension is handled by a Showa 41mm Separate Function Big Piston (SFF-BP) fork in the front and a single Showa shock with 10 steps of preload adjustment at the rear. A pair of radial-mount four-piston calipers with 310mm discs at the front and a single-piston caliper and 240mm disc, both equipped with two-channel ABS, highlight the brake package.Other additions for 2024 include a new 5-inch full-color TFT display, new backlit bar control pods, while new headlight and taillight are now LED.Riding Honda’s E-ClutchOne of the first things that you need to know about riding with the E-Clutch is that it takes a bit of mental adjustment by the rider, especially those of us with more than 40 years of riding experience on conventional clutches/transmissions. But with that said, it actually takes far less adjustment than riding a DCT-equipped bike.

To experience the E-Clutch for the first time, we had the opportunity to become accustomed to it within the confines of Atlanta Motorsport Park’s paddock and then on the racetrack itself. We would then follow this up with a 95-mile street ride. Everything is totally normal at first. Just turn on the key, start the engine, confirm that the system is active by looking at an indicator on the TFT display, and then without touching the clutch lever shift it down into first, then refrain from touching the lever again and open the throttle and the bike pulls away cleanly as if it’s an automatic. The single hardest thing to do at first is keep yourself from pulling in the clutch when you come to a stop, and admittedly even after all day on the bike we still did so occasionally out of habit.Surprisingly, the place that the system seems most “normal” is on the racetrack. It is here that the E-Clutch simply acts like a really good up/down quickshifter. As detailed above, the difference between the E-Clutch and other quickshifters is that this system adds what Honda calls half-clutch control to the ignition and fuel cuts to further unload pressure on the transmission gears. The result is really clean shifts at any rpm, any throttle opening, with reduced shift shock. The rider can also go into the menus and fine-tune how sensitive the shift lever reacts to pressure from your foot with one of three settings: Hard, Medium, or Soft.

Anyone who does trackdays will appreciate the performance of the quickshifter’s functionality. Atlanta Motorsport Park is an undulating circuit with a ton of blind corners, hairpins, and a few hard braking zones. After a few sessions we played with the aforementioned sensitivity and settled on the Medium option. Overall, on the track, we were very happy with the performance of the E-Clutch’s quickshifter function. The only thing that seems to be missing is that there isn’t an obvious and easy way to flip the shifter to a race pattern; Atlanta Motorsport Park has a superlong left-hander that would have been nice to upshift midway around (and not get your boot caught under the lever), instead we chose to short-shift before getting leaned over so we could carry that gear.E-Clutch on the StreetWhile our track session highlighted the E-Clutch’s ability as a quickshifter, it’s on the street where you really get a taste of all of the other attributes of the design. It’s also where you really have to make some mental adjustments if you want to experience its capabilities. The single biggest advantage that we experienced was riding in stop-and-go traffic through town. It’s here that you can just twist the throttle like a scooter and never have to pull in the clutch. An indicator on the dash will warn you if you need to downshift if you’re riding in too tall of a gear and slow below preset thresholds. Otherwise you can ride along and never touch the clutch at all.

Inevitably, you’ll do what we did multiple times, and instinctively pull it in, at which point the clutch switches to manual mode and also changes how the clutch-lever tension feels. The thing to remember in this situation is that the system won’t reactivate for five seconds after you’ve manually involved the clutch, so if you suddenly have to come to a stop, you have to pull the lever back in to keep the bike from stalling. On the flipside, if you are riding at a quick pace on a backroad and dip the clutch exiting a corner or forget and use the clutch for a downshift, the system will reactivate after just one second. But the dash will always let you know what state the system is in.

In an effort to try out all aspects of the system, we turned it off completely. The transmission and clutch act completely conventional, and perform exactly as expected. The big bummer if you turn off the system is that you lose the quickshifter function, so we toggled the system back on after just a few minutes. Our only other complaint about the system is that in parking lots or making U-turns the E-Clutch is too sensitive to throttle input to function smoothly if out of adjustment. We found that if there is any slack in the throttle, it makes the engagement a bit herky-jerky as the bike tries to pull away, something that as riders we’ve mastered through experience over the years. One of the test units we rode had way too much slack in the throttle grip, which really confused the E-Clutch and its ability to pull away cleanly. But once we had that slack removed the bike performed the task without issue.

As for the updated CBR650R and CB650R, both bikes are such nice machines on the street. The naked bike gives the rider a bit more leverage at the handlebars for the tight and twisty backroads we were on, while the fully faired CBR650R was the bike of choice on the racetrack.We really wanted to include the CBR650R in our middleweight sportbike comparison earlier this summer, but it wasn’t yet available. That’s a shame, because after spending the day riding the bike we are convinced that it would be very competitive against the bikes in that test. Compared to the 599cc supersport machines that are slowly fading into the past, the 649cc inline-four in these two machines is so much more versatile and really enjoyable to ride on the street. The engine offers far more bottom- to midrange performance while still delivering that high-rpm performance that we love from inline-fours. Combine that with the more relaxed riding position, and you have a really well-rounded, yet totally sporty machine that can tackle commuting as easily as weekend blasts on a twisty road.ConclusionSo is Honda’s new E-Clutch groundbreaking technology in the same way the company’s own DCT was when introduced? And will it really benefit new riders raised on nothing but automatic transmissions in cars?From our experience the answer to the first question is no. Unlike DCT that introduced the ability for the rider to utilize the system as a fully automatic transmission or as a paddle-shift manual, the E-Clutch is much closer to a conventional setup. But there are aspects of the E-Clutch that are big improvements over the function of a conventional system, like the quickshifter’s super-clean shift performance.

Does it offer newer riders a less intimidating transition to motorcycling? You could make the argument that it does take away some of the anxiety of operating a manual clutch, but as it still requires the rider to shift through the gearbox manually it doesn’t really act like an automatic except when you leave a light and come to a stop.And while we weren’t exactly seeking a motorcycle that could leave from a stop without the use of the clutch, we have to admit that when trudging along in stop-and-go traffic in an urban setting, the E-Clutch suddenly makes a whole lot of sense and makes the experience way more tolerable. So, our opinion is that while the E-Clutch isn’t a revolutionary change in shifting, it’s hard to argue against the fact that it’s a really good evolution of what the clutch can do, with some added benefits that simply weren’t possible without today’s sophisticated electronics.Honda plans to add the E-Clutch to more upcoming models in the near future, and if we were to guess what it will show up on next, an adventure bike like the Transalp seems like it would be a perfect home for the technology.

2024 Honda CBR650R Claimed Specs