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Semi-automatic FJR1300

Yamaha has announced its FJR1300 is to be offered with a semi-automatic gearbox in 2006 – a first on a bike.

You use buttons on the left hand bar to shift up and down.

Unlike twist-and-go scooters, which have constantly variable drive, the FJR will retain a conventional gearbox with individual ratios.

The system was revealed at Yamaha’s pre-Paris Show launch event on Wednesday night (Sep 28).

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What do you think?

Mike

Seems like a good idea ... for someone who's missing their left foot ...

Interesting. I wonder if the idea will takeoff. I remember Honda's experiment with the Hondamatic 400s and 750s back in the early 80s and they got almost no interest from the serious rider.

Personally, I'm salivating over the other improvements to an already excellent bike. Don't have any real interest in the electronic tranny.

I see on thier website though that they are hedging thier bets by still offering the normal tranny version.

flynrider wrote:Interesting. I wonder if the idea will takeoff. I remember Honda's experiment with the Hondamatic 400s and 750s back in the early 80s and they got almost no interest from the serious rider.

Don't forget M Guzzi was at the forefront of automatics, now that we are 30 years older I'd welcome a tiptronic gearbox with the option to shift manually if you want. Traffic is too heavy these days and an auto box would certainly be a relief on those daily trips to work!

TechBMW wrote:Seems like a good idea ... for someone who's missing their left foot ...

As someone who is already a partial amputee (part of my right foot) and a diabetes sufferer who may lose other appendages, I think that it is a VERY good idea. Even if I do suffer more amputations, it would be nice to have a motorcycle available to allow me to continue riding for as long as humanly possible as motorcycling is one of my great passions in life.

I heard it's the automatic tran from the Honda Civic.

slamMojo wrote:Even if I do suffer more amputations, it would be nice to have a motorcycle available to allow me to continue riding for as long as humanly possible as motorcycling is one of my great passions in life.

Sounds like might be the bike for you then

While I was making light of the idea, it IS a good idea. Hopefully the market will bear it out and it won't be a passing fad type of thing.

TechBMW wrote:

slamMojo wrote:Even if I do suffer more amputations, it would be nice to have a motorcycle available to allow me to continue riding for as long as humanly possible as motorcycling is one of my great passions in life.

Sounds like might be the bike for you then

While I was making light of the idea, it IS a good idea. Hopefully the market will bear it out and it won't be a passing fad type of thing.

That's cool. I didn't have any problems with the humor in your original post. In fact, I thought your post was very funny. I am just glad to see a major manufacturer offering a top line model that serves a community often forgotten. I would like to see a couple of the large cruiser style bikes, sport bikes, and standards offered with that feature myself. In my case, I am currently ok with standard controls, but if my condition worsens, I will have to look to alternative means of activating my brakes. I think it can be done ala the integrated braking done on Guzzis, Goldwings, etc.. For me though, I will have to alter it so that my brakes will be applied with my hands instead of my foot. I am in the early stages of exploring alternatives because my need isn't that serious at this time, but it is something that I have to be aware of as I know the debilitating effects of diabetes. For currently existing motorcycles, there are a couple of power shifter units available. One is the Kliktronic system http://www.kliktronic.co.uk/, and another is offered by a company called Pingle, http://www.pingelonline.com/. For more information regarding disabled bikers and their options, visit the National Association for Bikers with Disabilities, the NABD, at http://www.nabd.org.uk/.

Interesting...why not just make it fully automatic?