Question Buying a 2021, on the fence about DCT?

[taplitt]

I'm 68 and really attracted to twist and go- have an ADV150 scooter- but watched a video test ride where tester was in sweeper-not tight curve, and it shifted up. He said that there is a sensor in the new DCT that should prevent upshifting in turns but it did in this turn. Should I skip it and go Std? I've owned 4 other cycles, so not a beginner.

 

[bigbird]

My '20 DCT will shift up in a sweeper.
The shift is so smooth and seamless you'll likey not even notice the shift except for the sound of the rpm change.

 

[hulkss]

I run mine in the mildest of 3 sport modes. I seldom if ever have it shift up in a curve. I'm not cruising around, I'm on the throttle after the apex. Going in it is down shifting (assuming you ride fast enough to need to slow for curves). A big sweeper I cruise around at 75+. In 6th gear the whole time.

 

[the Ferret]

If you are going thru a turn or sweeper and accelerating once you reach a certain speed the trans will upshift, or if your are slowing thru a sweeper or downhill curve once you reach a certain speed the trans will downshift. It is a very quick seamless shift in either direction. You can hear it more than feel it, and can be verified by the change in the gear indicator in the gauges. The parameter of this can be altered by the mode you use, std, sport or user. Another option is to put it in manual and choose where you want the bike to shift by using the paddle shifters. You can also downshift while in auto mode for more acceleration going uphill or more engine breaking going downhill, by tapping the - paddle, which will drop it down a gear or two, depending on how many times you push it, but if you are accelerating, when you reach a given speed it will automatically upshift.

It's a pretty slick system. I'm 71, a daily rider, been riding 56 years on the street, 31 motorcycles, traded an FJR 1300 in on mine, and I really enjoy the simplicity and carefree riding of the DCT. I wish it had more power, but it's doing everything I'm asking of it, while averaging over 75 mpg.

 

[670cc]

I’m not a DCT lover or owner, but I don’t see what the concern is if the DCT shifts in a turn. It shifts smoothly, quickly, and without power flow interruption. If it shifts in a curve or turn, so what? If you’re driving an automatic car and it shifts in a turn, does it even matter?

I’d question this tester’s credentials and their experience with DCT Hondas. How did the tester explain that the motorcycle would know it was in the midst of a turn? What would happen if the shift was then delayed? Would it stay in the present gear and just rev to the rev limiter? This sounds like silly talk coming from this tester, unless a solid explanation was given.

 

[taplitt]

I'm really impressed with all your replies! @670cc, I think he said that it is some sort of tilt sensor. Anyway, I'm going to to go with the DCT and take good advice. I believe it also provides advanced traction control options?

 

[hulkss]

Without the DCT, I would not have purchased a NC750.

 

[670cc]

I'm really impressed with all your replies! @670cc, I think he said that it is some sort of tilt sensor. Anyway, I'm going to to go with the DCT and take good advice. I believe it also provides advanced traction control options?

“Some sort of tilt sensor”, spoken by a tester to me translates to “I really don’t know how it works”.

Traction control? Again, who cares? Control the traction with your right wrist. It’s just a 50 horsepower motorcycle with a user friendly, wide, linear power band. It’s super easy to ride and hard to mess up. The traction control on this bike, in my opinion, is just a marketing gimmick.

 

[the Ferret]

I've had mine, a 2021, a little over 3 months, and a little over 5,000 miles and have yet to have the tc light come on while riding, or the ABS kick in that I have felt. Just today I had a car partially pull out in front of me, I was doing about 50 mph, hit front and rear brake really hard, and the ABS didnt kick in that I felt. Note ... when you are hauling down on the brakes hard, the DCT is also downshifting really quickly providing engine braking and additional stopping power, since you havent disengaged the engine by pulling in the clutch, because there isnt one. And when you're done panic stopping the trans is in the proper gear to resume accelerating without your having to tap dance on the shift lever.

 

[Oldbear]

Another senior rider here-started in ‘67. The DCT is pretty slick. I ride my ’16 700 is Sport 3 90% of the time. Makes for a very nice ride. I sold my Tiger and 1800 Wing because I was tired of wrestling with them. I find I’m riding my local roads every bit a quickly as I was on the larger machines and enjoying the handling, esp low speed, a lot more. The DCT is a gem.

 

[bigbird]

Without the DCT, I would not have purchased a NC750.

Likewise for me.

 

[jeremyr62]

Without the DCT, I would not have purchased a NC750.

Yeah. The NC only makes sense with DCT. Much better manual bikes out there IMO.

 

[kebrider]

I've owned two manual NC's and I have spent many quality miles on the DCT. I always recommend the DCT version and every generational upgrade only adds to the desirability of the DCT.

KEB

 

[hulkss]

I've had mine, a 2021, a little over 3 months, and a little over 5,000 miles and have yet to have the tc light come on while riding, or the ABS kick in that I have felt. Just today I had a car partially pull out in front of me, I was doing about 50 mph, hit front and rear brake really hard, and the ABS didnt kick in that I felt. Note ... when you are hauling down on the brakes hard, the DCT is also downshifting really quickly providing engine braking and additional stopping power, since you havent disengaged the engine by pulling in the clutch, because there isnt one. And when you're done panic stopping the trans is in the proper gear to resume accelerating without your having to tap dance on the shift lever.

I have a 2020 model DCT. The traction control engages too much on the default setting. It's probably good on very difficult slippery conditions in the wet.
I turn it down to the lower sensitivity setting and it works great on dirt roads or dirty asphalt. I can then slip the rear tire just a little to know I'm accelerating about as quickly as possible.

 

[taplitt]

Thank you guys for all the valuable info/comments! Happy to be part of this group. Many dealers closed today, so will be out hunting tomorrow!

 

[bumblepee]

Without the DCT, I would not have purchased a NC750.

Same here. DCT was a defining factor among other unique things like the front storage tank.

I got a new 2021 DCT just few weeks ago. I think the DCT divides people based on how they perceive the motorcycle. There are two categories probably:
Type 1. "I want to have fun, just fun, the motorocycle is a lot of fun." And like all fun activities you cannot (and should not) do it all the time. Thus, controlling exactly the way power is applied on the rear wheel is very important as it gives you the fun you want in the limited times that is pleasurable. You don't go out frequently, not in the city at least, and you are not going to stay in traffic much because shifting gears can become an annoyance and one more thing to do while engaged in traffic.
Type 2: "I want to hop on the motorcycle for a lot of things, going to play soccer, buy something from the grocery shop, commute to work in beautiful summer days." You need to consider you will be stuck in traffic (in all dumb states that do not permit lane filtering except California). You also want to be the fastest guy to start moving on a green light, which on a regular clutched bike you need some preparations for.

I value practicality and usability of a device, this is why I went with the DCT. In these 180 miles or so I have ridden, the only part I miss is the ability to press the clutch and let the bike roll until reaching a stop pint (red light, etc.). The DCT has always the back wheel engaged, and both higher modes (Standard, Sport) use a lot of engine break. I found the solution by switching to Rain mode, gives the feeling of a disengaged clutch when you release the throttle. The modes help a lot to adjust to what the ride will be about. Sometimes I switch to Sport because the road, or my schedule, needs me to be more aggressive, other times stay at Standard (default when the bike starts), and others again I stay behind other cars and prefer the Rain mode (when it's not raining, of course). So, for yourself, depends how much you need the exact control of torque/clutch in your left hand vs. how you will hate it in urban conditions. Don't forget that with DCT you free the left hand and the left foot, and the coordination you need also with the right hand when changing gears. As for gears changing in turns, I think in some occasions the bike changes gears, but is not the manual change someone would perform, it is very soft and it keeps the same traction/pull that it left from the last gear. I think they know what they have tested well enough to avoid sudden torque changes because of an automated gear shift. The part that is weird to me is how much this bike uses low revs, it quickly goes to 6th gear at 40-60mhp. Sometimes you know an uphill is coming and you will need more power, which that 6th gear cannot give at 2000 rpms, and thats when you would have lowered the gear manually, but it doesn't really matter because if you pay that much attention to gears on the DCT, you can just as well lower with a click of a button.

Hope it helps.

 

[IRA]

I'm 68 and really attracted to twist and go- have an ADV150 scooter- but watched a video test ride where tester was in sweeper-not tight curve, and it shifted up. He said that there is a sensor in the new DCT that should prevent upshifting in turns but it did in this turn. Should I skip it and go Std? I've owned 4 other cycles, so not a beginner.

does your dealer ship no nyc?

 

[Oldbear]

I find my 16 DCT in “D” to have very little engine braking (reminds me of an old 2stroke). In S3, where I ride 90+% of the time, engine braking is fairly strong-I can basically come to a stop with no brakes if I chose to do so. I’ve put about 1200 on my bike since I got it (I’ve been gone 5 of the weeks since I got it or there’d be a lot more. Did a 250 mile run today. The more I ride it the more I’m enjoying it.

 

[dduelin]

Learning to ride on manual transmissions we are taught not to shift gears in corners as it can upset the suspension and affect traction so when it upshifts in a corner the warning bells can go off for experienced riders as presumably the motojournalist is. However DCT does it so quickly the flow of power to the rear wheel is virtually uninterrupted and the chassis does not pitch and affect the suspension & traction. I can understand the journalist's reaction but the more experience one gets with DCT it becomes an absolute non-issue. There are riders that always ride the DCT in manual so they can control the shift points but my own opinion is why bother with DCT if the need is to control every shift. When riding curves fast and aggressively on the NC700X I usually manually downshift one more gear than the PCM's programming calls for then let it shift itself out of the corner. If the pace is more moderate upshifts in turns do occur but they don't do the things we are trained to be afraid of.

 

[jeremyr62]

Bottom line is the DCT is really good. I was a naysayer, but after I ran into trouble with my left elbow and found changing gear with the clutch problematic I gave it a go. I am very happy with it. My elbow is fixed but the NC is staying.
I have a DCT from 2016 and I think they refine it with model iterations. It will only improve.