Demo'ed an DCT today

[frozenpoet]

If I was shopping a '13 I would consider the DCT a little more, or if I lived in a city, or if I had a physical ailment. For me though, living in the mostly country, with no real problems with my left leg/hand... well other than just doing damage to my ACL, and being somewhat cheap I'm happy with the '12 manual.

 

[Mike Cash]

If I was shopping a '13 I would consider the DCT a little more, or if I lived in a city, or if I had a physical ailment. For me though, living in the mostly country, with no real problems with my left leg/hand... well other than just doing damage to my ACL, and being somewhat cheap I'm happy with the '12 manual.

That's me exactly, including the damaged left ACL. My thoughts were, "For $2,000 I can shift my own gears".

 

[Longboy]

...... This culminated in me dropping it at almost a stand still when the engine stalled whilst manouvering out of a very tight parking spot.
But Hey! each to their own
PS I love your signature

Tell us about the times you were at the stoplight in second gear and let out the clutch.

 

[Cagedodger]

I think a lot of it falls onto how your dealer prices it out. I got my '12 DCT for a good deal lower than the MSRP (actually lower than the '13 DCT price as well, thankfully). My greatest want on this model was the ABS. I've ridden CVT-based auto scooters before and I wanted a manual transmission level of control.

After test riding both the DCT and Manual versions at the dealer, I'm quite content with the DCT version for this bike with this engine. The DCT performs very well. The manual version works just fine, but I found myself hitting red-line too easily and too frequently. If the DCT were paired up with a higher revving engine then I could see it being a completely different experience. As it is, I think the 6 speed DCT is a perfect match for the NC's torquey engine.

To help quantify it a bit, my main use is commuting in heavily congested traffic. The automatic nature is superb in stop-and-go circumstances.

 

[Mikee3544]

[...] The DCT performs very well. The manual version works just fine, but I found myself hitting red-line too easily and too frequently. If the DCT were paired up with a higher revving engine then I could see it being a completely different experience. As it is, I think the 6 speed DCT is a perfect match for the NC's torquey engine.

To help quantify it a bit, my main use is commuting in heavily congested traffic. The automatic nature is superb in stop-and-go circumstances.

The only disadvantege I noticed is manuvering in small places. There is no friction zone, and as it happened to me in the weekend right tight turns is very hard make it through properly. / right foot on the ground-->cant push the back brake, no clutch and if you pull the throttle the bike starts to go. / But this is most 2nd.annoying thing on the bike, the 1st is the seat...
So the DCT is a very good tech!

 

[DominusFL]

The only disadvantege I noticed is manuvering in small places. There is no friction zone, and as it happened to me in the weekend right tight turns is very hard make it through properly. / right foot on the ground-->cant push the back brake, no clutch and if you pull the throttle the bike starts to go. / But this is most 2nd.annoying thing on the bike, the 1st is the seat...
So the DCT is a very good tech!

I just got my DCT Saturday. I had no trouble performing super slow and super tight parking lot turns, just a matter of playing the rear brake against the throttle. Similar to feathering a clutch. The rear brake has the advantage of forcing the bike to stand up straighter.

 

[Mikee3544]

I just got my DCT Saturday. I had no trouble performing super slow and super tight parking lot turns, just a matter of playing the rear brake against the throttle. Similar to feathering a clutch. The rear brake has the advantage of forcing the bike to stand up straighter.

I know it exactly and it works the same on mine, when I tried. The matter is, I was just starting a right turn and had no time push the back brake and that gravel-tarmac road was against me - so the bike went down

 

[wozza]

I don't understand why some of you are having trouble with low speed manoeuvring on a DCT NC? I find the bike perfectly manageable and I don't have to feather the rear brake etc etc. Honda have really worked this out well for the NC, and a U turn in the road isn't a great problem. I think some of you must be a bit heavy on the throttle.

 

[Chris]

At slow speeds I do find I'm still not 100% smooth with the manoeuvring on the DCT. I've still got the bad habit of opening the throttle a bit too sharply but can't balance that with the clutch as I got used to over the years. I think it's just a matter of practice - when I did the RAC-ACU course back in the last millennium they taught us to do all our slow speed manoeuvres without using the clutch, just by trickling along on the throttle.

I haven't had any particular handling problems, just not as smooth as I should be.

 

[johnakay]

I don't understand why some of you are having trouble with low speed manoeuvring on a DCT NC? I find the bike perfectly manageable and I don't have to feather the rear brake etc etc. Honda have really worked this out well for the NC, and a U turn in the road isn't a great problem. I think some of you must be a bit heavy on the throttle.

they ought to try it on our narrow roads eh Wozza.

 

[Crilly]

I like the dct better for slow speed handling. Expressly on rough water crossings and steep up hills. Down hill the abs works great. The subconscious brain and eyes can balance the bike in tight turns. You have to keep the eyes up, steady speed, and very little handle bar movement. Practice, practice, practice

 

[LA_NC700X]

On the NC700X with DCT, does the engine rpm match when downshift to lower gear manually?

 

[Cagedodger]

On the NC700X with DCT, does the engine rpm match when downshift to lower gear manually?

Yes. It's literally a button press with no other effort involved.

The DCT is fantastic. Hop on and ride. It's the best commuter bike I've had yet.

 

[670cc]

On the NC700X with DCT, does the engine rpm match when downshift to lower gear manually?

To the best of my understanding: No. During a gear change, one clutch disengages while the other engages. It happens very fast, but I speculate that in that time frame the engine is forced to match up to the new RPM, just as on a single clutch manual model.

Whether you paddle shift it down or it's done via the program, the shift is accomplished by the same mechanisms.

The gear box is still sequential on the DCT, but the fairly close ratio six speed will not have huge steps in RPM. Also, the bike has very minimal engine braking which would make the downshifts smooth as well.

If there was an automatic RPM match, I don't know how would that be accomplished. Servo for the throttle plate or throttle by wire (electronics)? It doesn't have that. I think just good clutch design get's it done smoothly.

Greg

 

[Cagedodger]

Actually, Greg's response makes me rethink mine. I sort of misinterpreted and made an assumption with my response. The DCT doesn't match engine speed. It feels like it does, though. A big part of that is the close gear ratios and the low redline. The end effect is that it doesn't *feel* like there's an RPM mismatch when downshifting. The net effect is that it feels like it syncs up perfectly.

The reality is that if you down shift a 14k redline bike that doesn't have a slipper clutch too aggressively, the bike's going to "complain". That scenario just doesn't seem to come up with the NC700x.

The end effect is that shifting is smooth in a way that is hard to replicate 100% with a clutch. I'm an agile shifter (I prefer a manual and would have a manual NCX if it came with ABS in the States) but I can't replicate the smoothness of the DCT all the time. Actually, I should correct that side thought: Previously I would have preferred the manual (with ABS) to the DCT. After owning a DCT, I'm quite happy to keep it.

 

[fabian]

I am also an old school clutch guy, but when i rode the nc700x dct as well as the integra i was impressed......also thinking of getting a dct

 

[DominusFL]

Confirming most things said here, I agree that the NC700X DCT is the ideal commuting bike. In Sports-Mode it actually downshifts reasonably aggressively matching my personal manual style. It also holds gears and drops gears (two at a time if needed) for the right power when needed. The only thing it cannot do is scan the road ahead and see a upcoming curve. So I just use my left thumb and drop gears (single press) as I approach a curve to insure my desired curve entry gear (so it doesn't have to shift mid-curve). Very maneuverable, a pleasure in stop and go traffic, thin to slip between cars if needed, impressive ABS braking (tested it the other day) and pretty fast takeoff from a red light (thanks to low torque). I find myself almost exclusively riding in Sports-Mode with my left-thumb adding extra downshifts for when I want engine braking or a lower gear before a curve.

 

[Scott Williams]

try the Air Hawk seats. They are not cheap, but you can go twice as far before your buttache sets in. I've had two, and am getting one for my 700 DCT
Scott Williams

 

[westgl]

The NC700X bike should be a better ridding, smoother bike at 10K miles than it is new.

10K is a Complete break in mileage.

My 86' Naked Goldwing GL1200 has 94-H.p. @ 7000-rpm and has a 7500 rpm redline weight 640-lbs 0-60 under or at 5-sec. mark

I have 5 ea Goldwings currently, I have had the heads off of one of them and also Pulled the heads off of my brother in laws Goldwing, when i completely when through his bike rebuilding everything on it, my bike's had 80K miles on it other one had 90k, when the heads were pulled, the Cylinders still had oem cross hatches, from the oem honing of the cylinders, barely any wear in the cylinders.

What does All this mean,

The NC700X has a lower rpm over all which should be less wear and stress on the engine/entire bike, also less power and torque

Honda over engineers their bikes, should last a LONG LONG time

 

[fedtech]

this engine is equipped a single bore throttle body. two injectors installed into the head pointing at the port. Idle control is done by idle air control valve [IAC] mounted on the throttle body. power train control module can control idle and some off idle engine speeds. I have not seen this particular valve apart but most modern IAC valves are rotary types. old tech now days. most GM and Fords have direct injection, cam phasers, and throttle bodies that open up to reduce pumping action on the engine. engine cylinder mangment. Honda has some of these on their cars but to my knowledge they don't use any of these on their bikes. you'd think a wing would be the pinnacle of tech but not one of these technologies is on the wing.