AE u-turns

[mcatrophy]

For UTurns, I left it fully engaged.. (or popped the throttle until it engaged,, then slowed.......

Just be warned, that's how I dropped mine on an up-hill hairpin:

... So, I do the wrong thing, I try to go up in bottom gear without slipping the clutch. As most will know, on the AS (or AE if you prefer) as the bike slows below a certain engine RPM, the clutch disengages. When this happens there is no drive. On a steep up-hill hairpin, the bike just stops its forward motion, but goes into its tipping motion. With the steep road camber conveniently on this bend, there is no possibility of holding the bike up....

(Quote taken from my "Playing Santa" post.)

 

[bikerkash]

By using the foot brake, keeping it in 2nd gear and being very gentle with the throttle. This is kind of a pain but the rest of the AE is pretty good especially if you have issues with your left foot as I do.

 

[palerider]

Do you really think anyone who dropped 14K on something that didn't really work like they thought it would, would admit thier mistake to this bunch? :dribble: I think not. The only ones to speak the truth, are the ones looking from the outside in. We have no reason to lie. It's the same as if you voted for :glare: ........ Oh never mind, this isn't the place. :assassin:

+1

Here's what sociologists say about this phenomenon:

"Regarding the ecstatic reviews, psychologist Carol Tavris notes that 'One of the most well-documented findings in sociology is called the 'justification of effort' effect: The more time, effort, money and pain that people invest in a procedure, program, surgery, or other activity, the more motivated they are to justify it.'"

I have a 2006 AE. I have an AE because of arthritis in my left thumb joint. If there were no AE, there'd be no motorcycling for me, so I'm grateful for it. Nor does it "suck." But there's a huge gap between "the bee's knee's" and "suck." After 15,000, mostly city miles, would I get another if I didn't have to? No. Although there are some good things about the AE, there are just too many negatives--and difficulty with u-turns is not one of them. Negatives are the inability to decide when to coast, lack of precise clutch adjustment (it's pretty much on or off), auto-clutch slip at high-speed upshifts, bike locks if it stalls in gear. There are other things I don't like, but these are the main ones. :dribble:

 

[palerider]

What do I like about it?

• I can flick up and down the gears unbelievably easily and quickly.

But can you do it 55 times in one minute?

No, but I can do it one time in 55 minutes.

:clapping:

 

[isuftin]

Bought an 08 AE late this year, 84 miles on the odometer. Did a trade-in for a 2006 Honda Shadow that I put 4k miles on. Bought the Honda Shadow early this year as soon as it got warm outside (Madison, WI). Must've been around... May? I passed the MSF course late last year and before that was riding around on a 2006 Scarabeo 500 scooter (nothing says awesome like the looks you get when you're passing people going 85+ on a scooter).

At first I did miss having a clutch. Specifically for purposes of feathering it during tight turns. Also, I missed it because I was used to disengaging the engine with the clutch and just stepping down through the gears to come to a stop. At this point I don't miss either since stepping down to match the engine speed feels more natural and I've since realized that feathering the clutch to get me through tight turns is just one way of doing it and it was the way I was depending on when I had a clutch. Basically, it's just a different way of doing it, as others have said in this thread.

Would I choose to buy another? Honestly, I don't know. And it's not because manual clutch systems have any advantages over electronic clutch systems. To me, I could keep or drop the AE and it really wouldn't matter. My ride is not affected by it at all, so it's like trying to decide between two versions of the same TV where the only difference is the buttons on the remote are in a different configuration.

I guess in the end, it comes down to the expenses it would cost if anything were to happen to the electronic clutch system vs fixing a manual clutch. I imagine the manual clutch would be a lot cheaper to fix. Does anyone have any info of costs of that?

Two weird things I did notice is that when coming to a complete stop, I guess it's when the bike disengages fully on the clutch, it does feel like there's a weird transition where the breaks kind of let up a little and come down again. It's not jarring or anything but it's something I can feel at almost every stop. Does anyone else feel this?

The other weird thing is that after a few thousand miles, using the foot lever to flip through gears usually causes a mechanical clunking sound that sounds like when you shift on a manual clutch system, but the finger-switch doesn't make that noise. Again, does anyone else get this?

Finally, I've seen recommendations for shifting that disagree with one another and the manual isn't very clear on this.

1) Close throttle, shift, open throttle

2) Keep throttle in position, shift and let the electronic system do the opening/closing for you.

I've tired both but I typically do the first way as it feels more natural like when you're using a manual clutch.

Does anyone have a definitive answer on this?

 

[happyPuppy]

isuftin, I use the first method I think it is smoother. The clunk I have found on every yamaha I have owned they just seem to have clunky gearboxes vs Honda's which are very smooth. On the AE some things are different not really better or worse. I didn't buy it to be a SB or a track bike for long ( one day to multi day) spirited touring. I wanted a bike I could ride all day and not have any physical issues , as I am not getting younger and too hunched forward and constant shifting etc. is trying after a long day. True I do have a fused left ankle and arthritis in my hands , bad knees in need of replacement and it plays into it. I can still ride and shift all day , for a day. But over a week trip, it would be painful. I don't really buy into the one bike fits all needs camp . I prefer 2 bikes and hope to add another bike down the road for day rides. But right now this dad is saddled with 3 kids in College and the budget is tight.

 

[mcatrophy]

...Two weird things I did notice is that when coming to a complete stop, I guess it's when the bike disengages fully on the clutch, it does feel like there's a weird transition where the breaks kind of let up a little and come down again. It's not jarring or anything but it's something I can feel at almost every stop. Does anyone else feel this?

...

The nearest I have for an explanation is that when the clutch disengages, the engine breaking stops, it can feel as if the bike almost accelerates (it doesn't, just less retardation).

...The other weird thing is that after a few thousand miles, using the foot lever to flip through gears usually causes a mechanical clunking sound that sounds like when you shift on a manual clutch system, but the finger-switch doesn't make that noise. Again, does anyone else get this?

...

There is no difference in the shift mechanism between the foot switch or the finger switch, both do exactly the same thing, both are simply electrical switches. Any apparent difference in operation is due to the timing between your finger switch operation and your throttle hand, or your foot movement and your throttle hand.

...Finally, I've seen recommendations for shifting that disagree with one another and the manual isn't very clear on this.

1) Close throttle, shift, open throttle

2) Keep throttle in position, shift and let the electronic system do the opening/closing for you.

I've tired both but I typically do the first way as it feels more natural like when you're using a manual clutch.

...

Basically, the idea is to unload the gearbox at the moment of operating the change switch. How you do this depends on what the bike is doing at the time.

Examples:

If you are doing any sort of reasonable acceleration, as you change up, you momentarily reduce the throttle, then put it on again. It's not "close the throottle, change, open the throttle", only a slight dip. This makes a big difference to the smoothness and speed of change.

If you are slowing and want to change down, a momentary increase in throttle as you change will smooth things out.

Both the above are just as you would do for a conventional clutch, but you have to match the times to the box's change time, which is very quick.

Most other scenarios are just adaptations of those, it will just be a matter of more or less throttle movement according to how much torque is going through the gearbox that you need to relieve.

The worst change I find is when you are in traffic, accelerate from rest to a slow speed, then changing to second without wanting to accelerate. I find I often get a clunk and a jerk. That's the one I don't often get right, even after more than three years and lots of practice!

If you don't modulate the throttle when accelerating, the clutch will slip and engage slowly, and I believe the system retards the ignition to reduce engine torque. This results in a change that seems to drag, definitely much slower than using the modulated throttle technique.

Just for the record, and this bit will be like an oil or tyre thread, I use just my forefinger to change up or down, just flicking the lever back or forward. Much easier than using the thumb to change down, and I find the timing easier than using the foot switch. The latter may be due to my deciding right from the start that I would only use the finger switch to avoid any confusion if I ride a conventional bike, so I've had little practice. This was brought home to me when I broke the finger switch in an unfortunate incident and had to use the foot switch for a while.

 

[dustyrains]

The worst change I find is when you are in traffic, accelerate from rest to a slow speed, then changing to second without wanting to accelerate. I find I often get a clunk and a jerk. That's the one I don't often get right, even after more than three years and lots of practice!

Try this when you short shift from 1st to 2nd in traffic: Shortly after pulling away from a stop, under gentle acceleration or even no acceleration, flick up into 2nd very quickly with no throttle blip at all. My bike shifts so smoothly like this it is nearly imperceptible.

 

[F8James]

Ok, after reading all this: no AE version for me.

Try one just once and you will change your mind. It's Awesome! :clapping:

You never hear anyone who owns one saying that it sucks!! You will only hear that from those who don't. There's a reason for that! :dance:

Best point made on this issue yet! The reason is the AE is incredibly easy to ride. It's especially great in traffic when frequent up and down shift are needed. I have an'07AE. Like all AEs it has a clutch, it's not an automatic! Its just a very cool electric clutch. I find it easy to feather the throttle and do U turns. This bike is way easier to maneuver at low speeds. The problem is it takes a couple of hours on there to unlearn the 'ol fashioned clutch technique and learn the new! Too bad, due to consumer fear and unfamiliarity, this cutting edge system is being discontinued from the line in the US.