I'm very disappointed, though, that Yamaha isn't making the AE for 2010. If they were going to suspend production on a model, I would have suggested the old fashioned manual clutch model, but that's just me.
As for clutch pull effort, adjusting the lever so it's closer to the bar will do wonders for decreasing the effort required.
Well, considering that they had trouble clearing the AEs out of showrooms at firesale prices, I'm doubtful that would have been a wise business strategy.
The problem with moving the levers in toward the bars on a second gen is that you can lose the ability to fully disengage the clutch. Reported on here by many 2nd gen owners with (small hands?) is that they experience clutch drag with the levers adjusted all the way in. It also doesn't actually change the lever effort, it just puts it into a location that your hand is better able to deal with it.
Of course, my comment about suspending the A model versus the AE was a bit tongue in cheek, but it also has some validity. I agree that AE models haven't been selling as well as A models and on-hand inventory is probably higher than anyone at Yamaha would like. I blame that on poor marketing and the natural human reaction (i.e., resistance) to change. They've apparently chosen to reduce that inventory by suspending the AE (here in the States) for MY 2010, but what if they had taken a different approach? Another way to sell Model X is to remove its competition from the market, in this case the A model. Undoubtedly, one or more of the suits at Team Y thought that would be too risky and might drive buyers to other brands, but at some point Yamaha needs to show that they're serious about the AE technology, and making it the only available model would go a long way toward doing that. It also would help get the technology closer to the tipping point where enough people start to realize that it's a huge improvement over the status quo that word starts to spread.
In the same way that people were angst-ridden over fuel injection, ABS, linked brakes, slipper clutches, and traction control, to name a few, we'll look back on this discussion some years in the future and smile as we all ride AE-type machines. Maybe not on pure sport bikes, but anything with touring in its name is a great candidate.
As for adjusting the clutch lever all the way in, I didn't experience clutch drag on my 2005 and I don't follow the forum close enough to know if others reported such a problem. However, it's not an all or nothing deal. There are 5 positions available, so I'm confident that a suitable compromise can be found. Regarding clutch pull effort, I have normal sized hands. Depending on brand, my glove size is Medium to Large. For someone like me, position 1 (lever farthest out) was unworkable because the friction zone was out of reach, out of my left hand's power band. Bringing the lever in (to position 5, in my case) put the clutch's friction zone squarely into my hand's power band, which reduced the
perceived pull effort greatly. And in the end, perceived pull effort is the only thing that matters. You essentially said the same thing above, so although you initially disagreed with me, in the end you agreed with me.
