E-Clutch Debuts On Honda CB650R and CBR650R

[advrider]

Honda showed off its new E-Clutch tech earlier this year, but we didn’t know when to expect it in a factory bike. Now we see that it’s coming on the 2024 CB650R and CBR650R, and Honda has taken the time to talk a bit more about this technology.

Already, Honda has manually-operated clutch-and-gearbox assemblies on its motorcycles, as well as quickshifters that allows clutchless shifting through the gears, and Dual Clutch Transmission technology that allows twist-and-go riding, with no manual shifting needed at all. The E-Clutch is supposed to combine aspects of all these ideas in a small, lightweight package that can easily be adapted to future motorcycles, with little change to existing designs.

In operation, the E-Clutch is used somewhat like Honda’s old three-wheelers with centrifugal clutch, or the CT110 and similar small-bore bikes. When you’re leaving from a stop, you can simply shift between gears with no need to use the clutch lever. But unlike those older designs, the E-Clutch is electronically operated instead of relying on mechanical processes.

Honda still hasn’t said a whole lot about the actual tech behind this feature. The PR gives us this small nugget of info:

The Honda E-Clutch manages clutch engagement and disengagement based on its reading of parameters including vehicle speed, throttle opening angle, engine rpm, pressure on the shift pedal, clutch motor reduction gear angle, engine countershaft speed and gear position. The clutch is operated through an actuator unit with two motors situated inside the right hand engine cover. As the clutch is engaged or disengaged, the engine’s ignition timing and fuel injection are also controlled, resulting in smooth, shock-free shifting in any situation.

Sounds pretty similar to existing quickshifter tech, but it’s more trick than that! The E-Clutch actually allows the rider to set the gearbox to have a Hard, Medium or Soft gear change, and you can set the system to have independent settings for upshifts and downshifts respectively. The E-Clutch will also send the rider a notification on the dash when they’re in too-high gear and are lugging the engine more than they should.

Honda says the E-Clutch turns on when the motorcycle is turned on, and turns off when the bike turns off. Riders can still shift using the clutch lever, too:

When the clutch lever is used, the Honda E-clutch system will re-activate after less than a second above a certain engine rpm; after 5 seconds at lower engine speeds. Should the rider wish to turn off the system for a particular ride, this is also possible via the switchgear on the left handlebar. The change to manual operation is indicated by a letter ‘M’ on the instrument panel.

This is not Honda’s first attempt at making an easier-to-shift motorcycle… or its second… or its third. But given the wide capabilities of this design, not to mention the unobtrusiveness (it weighs about 5 lb, much less than DCT tech), it seems that finally, about 50 years after its first attempts at an easier-to-shift bike, Honda might have finally figured out what many riders want—or at least, what they’ll settle for.

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