Bandit Alley
GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: mike on December 14, 2005, 05:18:20 PM
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I saw these premiered on some bike show yesterday - Speed Channel Tuesdays.
http://www.ridleymotorcycle.com/
They claim they have come up with a automatic that is more efficient and transfers more power to the rear wheel than a manual shift. It's not really a tranmission, like we think of classic transmissions. It kind of works on the same concept as top fuel dragsters, where they dont' actually shift gears, but change the ratio of the drive itself as speed or horsepower allows it. I dunno, it sounded like a good concept, though I could never own a automatic bike - it takes away from the experience for me.
Once I looked at the site, I found out all thier motors were 700 vtwins. Except for one model that was a 1400 vtwin, but it was a 5 speed manual --->kinda makes ya wonder "where's the beef, what am I missing here?"
The lower powered bikes are all autos, but the big one is not--- Hmmm... Maybe it's just new and they haven't developed the drive for the larger bike yet, who knows..
BUT, I bet if the yuppy, never ridden, I wanna bike, dentist, doctor, weekend 20 mile ride type market segment will eat it up. They can just throw a leg over and twist the throttle-hell it's as easy as riding a moped-just heavier, louder, and more powerful.
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Yeah... I saw that too.... interesting concept (okay, reality) but that rubber belt looks like it takes quite a beating. Wonder what the service interval is for that sucker? Totally different sound too... nothing at all like a manual bike or automatic car for that matter.
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they've been out for years and are manufactured right here in Okla City.
They look little Harleys. They are about 700cc and run about 85 mph.
I consider them more a novelty than a motorcycle. Better than a chopper.
John 98 Red B12
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Sounds like an ordinary CVT transmission like they've used in snowmobiles, a few ATV's (esp Polaris), and a few cars have even had them (IIRC, Subaru had a CVT Justy).
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I remember when I was a kid, Honda had a 750cc Hondomatic. I dont know much about it or how it worked but I think it was a CB 750 with some sort of automatic transmission?
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The CB750A was a two-speed automatic... kinda like the motocycle version of a GM Powerglide. Just low and high gears.
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they've been out for years and are manufactured right here in Okla City.
They look little Harleys. They are about 700cc and run about 85 mph.
I consider them more a novelty than a motorcycle. Better than a chopper.
John 98 Red B12
Yeah, a friend of mine in Muskogee had a few HD's and thought his new young bride would look good on one of those. But 7 years ago they wanted 11,000.00 for what looked like a hopped up moped,, they were very small then.
The Hondamatic was a 750 and was a 2 speed, they worked just like the old Honda mini trail 50's and 70's. Boy I sure miss those days!!!!
OH a guy named Chad from OH was IDBA number #1 plate 4 or 5 years in a row on his Hondamatic in the 90's. Pissed everyone off that had a $10,000 8 Sec Pro ET Bikes :lol: He dialed in at 13.89 and always had a .520 or better tree and ran 13.89 @ 90mph almost every time! I asked him what his trick was he said "Well I leave on the second yellow and at 9,000 rpm I shift, :bigok: thats it and I win" :lol:
Brent
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Dale Walker raced a 750A back in the day, too... here's some pics of it:
(http://www.holeshot.com/old/dwracing/890cc.jpeg)
Dale built this 890cc Hondamatic strictly to bracket race in 1978. He gave the car guys fits, winning almost every Wednesday night and on Sundays. It only ran 12.30's, but every pass was within a hundredth of a second and that what it takes to win at bracket racing.
(http://www.holeshot.com/old/dwracing/hondamat.jpeg)
Dale thought it would be kinda fun to punch the Hondamatic out to 1000cc's and add a turbo. These bikes never caught on with the general public and only offered a low and high gear. They had a torque converter, valve body and clutch packs very similar to an automotive transmission. It didn't leave very hard, but when the boost came up and you clicked into high gear it would carry the wheel about 8" to around 110 mph then settle down. The bike ran a relatively moderate 11.50 ET, but at an incredible 138 mph. It really surprised a few racers at the finish line...Big time.
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my friend had the suzuki automatic once
i had no idea the Justy was an early CVT!
i always wished that little thing could be a rally car
but all those chassis are too old to race against the
modern rally rockets now
old naked japanese standards are the best & so cheap!
thats thier BIKES by the way
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I test rode one last summer. A dealership is a mile from my house and they had a open house. They are interesting to say the least. I would say almost dangerous as far as slow. It's funny to hear the engine roar and not speed up very fast.
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It's funny to hear the engine roar and not speed up very fast.
So what's the difference from a Normal Harley! :grin:
I've seen a couple of the GS450A's kicking around up here in Canada, never took off.
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1216 Big Bore, Gixxer intake, RCA 21" colored TV
12volt Dewalt drill, Yellow
Kedeg, I love your sig!
Husqvarna used to make an automatic dirtbike, it would upshift at the most inopurtune times, like in the middle of a corner- sending you to take dirt samples for thew EPA.
I've heard that somebody (not sure opf the name) is making an auto clutch for almost any bike, it replaces the stock clutch and then you ride it like a Honda Trail 50/90.
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http://www.mcnews.com.au/Product_Advertorial/2003_December/Dynojet/Shifter.htm
what about these?
are they really safe for modern bike trannies?
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They're just as safe as shifting your bike manually without the clutch (and that's safe when done right), just faster.
The drawback to that one is it is a $267 plug in accessory to a $300+ Power Commander... and they don't make a Power Commander for any of the Bandits.
If you want an electric quick shifter for your bike, IMHO, a better choice would be the PS2 or PS3 Powershifter from Holeshot.
Holeshot PS2 (http://www.holeshot.com/shifters/ps2.html)
Holeshot PS3 (http://www.holeshot.com/old/shifters/shifter3.html)
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The Suzuki GS450GA "Suzukimatic" bikes of '82, '83, and '85 were actually rather nice. Perfect learners and/or ladies bikes, or just inexpensive commuters. I've thought about picking one up sometime just for sh!ts and gr!ns. I like unique things.
Check 'em out! A shaftie, too!
(http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/soccerdude1239/00525.jpg)
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They're just as safe as shifting your bike manually without the clutch (and that's safe when done right), just faster.
yeah I figured that,
my friend's dad shocked us all with clutchless shifting in a car.
He works for Nissan and rode motrcycles when he was younger.
It looked pretty easy to do, but impossible for safe fast shifts in a car.
I just could never do it right myself = I was too afraid to practice.
I can kinda do it on the bike, but I'm still pretty slow and clumsly.
Are these kits really worth $200-470 faster than manual power shifting?
I mean for bikes like the B12 is it really that hard on the clutch if you mess up power shitfting a couple times a year? I can understand on modified drag bikes but a stock bike with minimal street mods it seems these kits would be overkill. THANKS for posting the BANDIT specific ones though Paul.
AND thanks Herb for the great SUZIMATIC ad
I love old magazine ads. Everything just felt & looked better back then.
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If it was worth it to me, I'd have one... but I don't have the need. I can see it being a worthwhile tool for a drag racer and maybe even a roadracer.
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Hmm nice idea for lazy people (or the spazmos who can't actually use gears) but it looks pretty tacky.
My old CZ 125 was a semi automatic - when changing gear, if you kept the gear lever pressed up/down, it held the clutch. Good for one handed wheelies! The gear lever ALSO acted as the kick start. Genius. Pity it was a pile of crap
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My old Honda 185s three wheeler when I was younger , it had an auto clutch... Gearup for 1st, then one down for 2nd through 5th. That thing was a total swamp buggy-sealed airbox wih a snorkel. I drove it off into several deep creek holes, and it would come floating back to the top upside down by it's balloon tires. :lol: Take it to the river bank, tilt it on its rear end, pull a plug to clear the water, and it was good to go for another round around the creek.
(http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/4517/honda185s5ey.jpg)
Anyway, the fun transmission part was: When on a dry trail, if you held the gearshift down when going to second it was like pulling in a clutch, rev the piss out of it and then let the gearshift up, and Wheelie galore. They were easy and fun to wheelie with a right knee on the seat and foot on the rear bar and left on the foot peg and gear shift. You could ride that sucker throuh 4th, unless one rear tire was low, then you'd veer off in the direction of the low tire.
That thing was fun and a welcome break from MX 2 strokers with open airboxes, that hated water.
I think the way you shifted was similiar to the old Hnda trail 90's, thugh I never had one of those.