Honda E-Clutch makes the manual gearbox feel modern
Honda’s clever clutch-by-wire helper keeps the gear lever, keeps the fun, and quietly removes the faff that puts many riders off manuals.
Every so often a small-looking motorcycle idea lands with a much bigger thump than the spec sheet suggests. Honda’s E-Clutch is exactly that sort of thing: not a full automatic, not a scooter-style twist-and-go, and not a replacement for the company’s better-known DCT system. Instead, it takes the most awkward part of riding a conventional geared bike — the clutch lever — and makes it optional.
That matters for Automatic Motorbikes readers because clutchless riding is no longer confined to big tourers, scooters and electric machines. Honda has put E-Clutch on real, everyday middleweight motorcycles, including the CB650R and CBR650R family already familiar to UK riders. In other words, this is not a faraway concept or a niche-market curiosity. It is a very practical answer to a very British problem: stop-start traffic, hill starts, wet roundabouts and the constant crawl of urban riding.
A manual bike with the boring bit removed
The cleverness of E-Clutch is that it does not turn the bike into an automatic in the traditional sense. The rider still changes gear with the foot lever and still gets the physical rhythm of riding a manual motorcycle. The difference is that the system can manage clutch engagement when pulling away, stopping and shifting, so the left hand no longer has to do the repetitive squeezing.
That is a subtle distinction, but an important one. Many riders enjoy choosing gears. They like the connection, the timing, the sense that the engine is being worked rather than merely instructed. What they do not necessarily love is feathering a clutch through a queue on the North Circular, or trying to be beautifully smooth while filtering past a van in first gear. E-Clutch keeps the involving bit and automates the chore.
It also leaves the rider with a safety blanket. Because this is still a manual gearbox motorcycle, the clutch lever remains there for those moments when instinct takes over or when the rider simply wants to do things the old-fashioned way. That makes it less intimidating than a fully different transmission and less alien to someone coming from a conventional bike.
Why it is different from DCT and twist-and-go
Honda has form in this field. Its Dual Clutch Transmission has earned a loyal following on larger machines because it can select gears for you, either automatically or by rider input. DCT is a proper alternative transmission. E-Clutch is something else: an assistant for a normal gearbox.
That gives it a different flavour. DCT suits riders who want the bike to handle gearchanges altogether, particularly on touring and commuting machines. Twist-and-go scooters and many electric bikes go further still by removing the idea of gears from the rider’s day. E-Clutch sits between those worlds. You still ride the gearbox; you just do not have to operate the clutch every time the bike asks for it.
For UK and Irish riders, that middle ground could be the sweet spot. We have a strong manual-bike culture, but we also have crowded towns, variable weather and plenty of returning riders who may not want the hassle of constant clutch work. E-Clutch does not ask them to give up the feel of a motorcycle. It just makes the learning curve and daily grind less spiky.
The AMI take
We like this idea a lot, precisely because it is not trying to be all things to all people. If you want a fully automatic motorcycle, Honda’s DCT range, a maxi-scooter or an electric bike may still be the cleaner answer. But if you want a proper geared motorcycle that is kinder in traffic and friendlier to tired hands, E-Clutch is one of the most interesting developments on sale.
Its biggest achievement may be psychological. For years, clutchless bikes have had to fight the lazy accusation that they are somehow less “proper”. E-Clutch sidesteps the argument by keeping the manual gearbox and simply modernising how the rider interacts with it. That is smart, and very Honda.
We would like to see the technology spread beyond the 650s into more accessible and more varied machinery, because the benefits are not limited to sporty middleweights. Learners, commuters, older riders and anyone managing hand pain could all gain from this kind of assistance. It is not the death of manual riding. It is manual riding with one of the annoyances quietly engineered out.
First reported by Motorcycle Sports. This is our own summary; read the original for full detail.