Sales are up! The motorcycle industry in America is actually experiencing an upsurge, especially in dirt bikes and side-by-sides. Dirt bike sales are up over 50% for the first six months of 2020, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s retail sales reporting. Sales of street bikes are mostly flat but […]
Sales are up! The motorcycle industry in America is actually experiencing an upsurge, especially in dirt bikes and side-by-sides. Dirt bike sales are up over 50% for the first six months of 2020, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s retail sales reporting. Sales of street bikes are mostly flat but are still significant. There are around 450,000 or so new motorcycles sold in the U.S. per year. This is good news, especially since just a few years ago the industry was pretty bleak, taking seemingly forever to crawl out of the recession of 2008-2009-etc.
You could credit the most recent months’ sales increase in dirt bikes to a bunch of Americans cooped up inside for months and months, desperate to get out and ride. Regardless, let’s look longer-term here. What will save the motorcycle industry long term? I say, automatic transmissions. And electric motorcycles. Maybe both. Take a look.
Honda is way ahead of any other bike-maker when it comes to automatics, or more precisely, DCT dual-clutch transmissions, which is a quick-shifting variant of the automatic. In any case, you don’t have to operate a clutch or even change your throttle position to shift gears. The motorcycle does that for you. On the Hondas you are even given the choice of shifting with a pair of buttons on the left-hand grip. Or you can buy a manual. But the straight-up DCT transmission doesn’t require any input from the rider other than a twist of the throttle. I gotta think that feature will have a tremendous appeal to both older buyers and when it comes to luring in new riders of all ages.
“Currently we offer three on-road motorcycles with a DCT option: Africa Twin, Gold Wing, and NC750,” said Honda Motorcycles’ Colin Miller, who points out that Honda has DCT transmissions in many of its SXS and ATVs as well. “The DCT transmission actually originally debuted on one of our ATVs in 2009.”
And it’s a big seller.
“We have sold over 20,000 DCT transmission motorcycles since the VFR1200 came out in 2010 (that model has since been discontinued). Overall sales don’t show a huge percentage of the total motorcycles but when you look at the models that do have the DCT option you start to see the picture. Since the DCT debuted on the Gold Wing, well over 50% of sales have been DCT. As for DCT on the other two models that offer it, roughly one third of the Africa Twins and one fourth of the NC750s are sold with it.”
Word is getting out about the shiftless option.
“A lot of customers really prefer that,” said Giovanni Perez, a customer care specialist at Bert’s Mega Mall in Covina, California, one of the largest motorcycle dealers in the country. “It makes it easier at the stop light, especially on hills.”
Perez has a reason to appreciate the DCT on Hondas.
“I honestly dig this technology on this clutch because I’m missing my left arm (he lost it in the Army in Afghanistan). Customers are specifically looking for that DCT. They’re real specific. They know them from the high-end supercars, like Ferrari runs them in all their cars. Most popular is the NC750 DCT; they want a lighter bike, they don’t want the clutch.”
Electric motorcycles are by design very similar to DCT bikes in that there is no clutch to operate on an electric motorcycle, you just twist the throttle and go.
“In 2019 sales (of Zero motorcycles) grew up near 1,500 in the U.S. and for the first time over 1,000 in Europe,” said MotorCyclesData.com about the Zero electric motorcycle.
Iconic bike maker Harley-Davidson has pinned a lot of hopes on the all-electric (and shiftless) LiveWire model.
“The LiveWire does not have a clutch so there is no shifting,” said Harley spokesperson Jennifer Hoyer. “It’s one part of the reason consumers are drawn to the overall performance of LiveWire: its ease of ride, its instant speed, the quick charge and range.”
I have ridden both the LiveWire and several Zero electric bikes and have enjoyed them all, particularly the way the regenerative braking functions to slow the bike entering corners in the same way downshifting does that on a conventional, shifter bike.
But I also got another chance to ride the new Honda Gold Wing with the DCT recently. Not that I’m getting older—I just turned 61—but I really grew to appreciate the comfort and ease of movement the Gold Wing’s DCT transmission offered. As you may recall from the new model’s introduction in Autoweek two years ago, the new ’Wing is powered by a new 1,833cc (1.8-liter) liquid-cooled flat-six. Honda doesn’t release power figures but intelligent guesses have put it at 125 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque. That is formidable for a bike that weighs around 800 pounds, depending on how you load it up.
My test bike was fully loaded, “Loaded up like your living room floor on Christmas morning,” I wrote in my notes: parking brake, four-speaker stereo, reverse, heated grips, heated front and rear seats and infotainment that looks like what you’d find on a car. You can raise and lower the windscreen electrically. There are folding mirrors. Three luggage compartments (none of which would hold my full-face helmet, btw).
Riding around town was a little like piloting the starship Enterprise. So comfortable. It took a little while to stop ghost-shifting the ghost-clutch, because it wasn’t there, but once I broke myself of that habit, it was pure cruise control (another feature, cruise control on a motorcycle!). You can see why retired couples saddle up with these and head out to look for America.
It couldn’t be all things to all riders. I never got to where I felt comfortable pushing it hard on a twisty mountain road, though I did see a trio of them at the very top of Angeles Crest Highway whose riders looked to be having a fine day’s ride. It’s a cruiser bike, not a sport bike or even a sport touring bike.
I put over 700 miles on it in the time I had it and enjoyed almost all of them. It’s the kind of motorcycle that is so comfortable it just makes you want to get on it and ride in no particular direction for no particular reason. While I might choose a sport tourer, I can certainly see the appeal of this Gold Wing to a large and growing audience, as all those baby boomers retire into their more comfortable riding years. And the DCT transmission can only help with that.
“Motorcycle customers didn’t ask specifically for automatics early on, but the market has always moved towards better products and experiences,” said Honda’s Colin Miller. “New models and new features have always moved the sales needle. Honda’s Dual Clutch Technology had been in place for many years on ATVs and Honda saw the opportunity to innovate in the two-wheel market to fulfill this unstated need. Just like electric start on dirt bikes overcame early resistance from traditionalists and took some time to become a standard feature, DCT technology has gained market acceptance and we have seen increasing demand. We expect demand to continue to increase and will offer DCT on future products to continue to meet the market need. We expect that manual transmissions will probably be the majority of sales for the foreseeable future, but DCT will continue to expand its share and help to meet changing customer needs.”
Other motorcycle manufacturers are also thinking about innovations.
“We see the trend to be more about the move from internal combustion engines to electric-powered motorcycles and scooters,” said Garrett Kai of Suzuki. “The next decade will see many changes in transportation. With electric motors as the drivetrain, they are mostly automatic with no shifting while riding. Another possible trend could be performance model electric motorcycles that have manual clutches and transmissions which offer a more traditional riding and shifting experience and more of a performance feel.”
Some lifetime bikers are ready to make the leap to DCTs or automatics.
“As a car guy, you’ve seen the decline of manual transmissions,” said Ty Van Hooydonk, of the Motorcycle Industry Council. “Hell, every Ferrari I’ve driven had paddle shifters and I don’t think they make any more cars in Maranello with that gated shifter. Would more automatics on motorcycles, not just scooters, open up the market? You’d think. I’ve ridden the new Gold Wing and it’s the first one, thanks to its more sporting nature, relatively speaking, that I could actually see owning. And if I bought one, I would pick the DCT model, no doubt. So what does that say?”
It says automatics, DCTs and maybe even shiftless electric bikes are the future. Or at least a growing part of it.
Now let’s go ride!
Gallery: Best Sports Cars Under $30,000 (Autoweek)
There are hot hatches, two-seat convertibles and even a couple of four-door sedans that are not only practical but can be had for a very reasonable price nowadays, under 30 grand new. There’s no need to buy a crossover utility vehicle just because the spouse insists that you buy “…something we can actually use, not another one of your @#$%^& sports cars.” “But bay-bee,” you bleet. “Looky here at this list o’ cars that is both practical an’ sporty!” The spouse gives you the well-known stink eye at first, probably because of all your hair-brained ideas of yore where you claimed that beater would “make money once it’s finished.” But then, ultimately, after viewing the following list and, knowing that they couldn’t print it if it wasn’t true, acquiesces to your genius. You’re welcome. Now pick one of these and start living, not just sitting there waiting to retire. Click on, brother/sister!
Mazda MX-5 Miata, $27,525
Oh, man, did I ever hear it from you guys when a couple months ago I wrote a list called best sports and sporty cars under $50,000 and I did not include the Miata (it was too inexpensive!). So here it is at the top of the list, pole position, baby! Were you around in 1989 when we all first laid eyeballs on this fun little roadster, the one with the feel of great British and Italian sports cars of yore but the reliability of a Japanese car? I was, and I bet you were, too. It was my first cover story when I came to Autoweek. The Miata still excites, and for the same reasons: It is light, tossable, fun and affordable. Buy one today!
Toyota 86, $28,055
In much the same way the Miata brought back the sporty roadster 30 years ago, the Toyota 86 returned the sporty, inexpensive coupe to car buyers’ choices when it came out a few years back. The 86 has a delightful balance, just the right amount of power and your choice of manual or automatic transmissions. You won’t find this balance of agility and practicality for the money anywhere else. Except…
Subaru BRZ, $28,845
Sharing almost everything with the Toyota 86, the BRZ is Subaru’s takeaway from a magnificent collaboration with Toyota, resulting in the same great handling at just about the same price. So why make it a separate entry here? To pad the list, baby! And to segue into the…
Subaru WRX, $27,495
When the WRX entered the market almost 30 years ago, every one of them came with an application to the Sports Car Club of America in the glove box. That wasn’t just a marketing gimmick. You could take one of these straight off the showroom floor and drive it on a race track or a rally cross and have a great time. You can still do that. The advantage to the WRX is that you can then drive it all week with a real back seat and a useable trunk. It’s one of the best all-around performers on the market.
Ford Mustang, $27,865
The pony car legend started with this particular pony, and it has stayed with it over the last 56 years, give or take. No matter how badly things got in the rest of the car world, Ford was still selling Mustangs. Hey, even that Mustang II wasn’t all that bad. And there have been some truly spectacular Mustangs in the times before and after. The current car, even in its base form, is still one of the best bang for the buck broncs you’ll find. Even the base 2.3-liter EcoBoost four makes 310 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque, and it keeps it all going to the ground with an independent rear. If money is no object, you could go all the way up to the 760-hp Shelby GT500 for $88,290. In either case—giddyup!
Chevrolet Camaro, $25,995
Like the Mustang, the Camaro comes in a price and prime for almost any budget, from the 275-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four in the base 1LT all the way up to the 650 hp 6.2-liter supercharged V8. I recommend the SS 1LE myself, a Camaro I got to drive on a track and found highly responsive. Whichever model you chose, you will echo the words of the great punk band, The Dead Milkmen.
Dodge Challenger, $29,590
This is another model that runs the gamut of performance and possibility, all depending on how much cash you have to put down at the dealer. You can get into a Challenger for as little as $29,590, or for as much as $79,790 for the SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody. There are nine Challenger models in all. Surely there’s a Challenger in there for you.
Fiat 124 Spider, $24,885
This is part Miata, part Fiat, all fun. With a 160-hp 1.4-liter Multiair turbo-four mated to your choice of six-speed manual or automatic, the 2020-model Fiat 124 is just as much fun as the Fiat you had in college but it doesn’t break down nearly as often. Mazda parts throughout help in that department. Since it’s not my money, I recommend that you drop another five large and get the Abarth, the sportier version for just $30,885. There’ll be abondanza fun!
Fiat 500 Abarth, $20,745
Carlo Abarth was a tuner who took inexpensive and painfully efficient post-war Fiats and made them into race cars, painting the black scorpion logo on them all, a mark of Italian performance that remains with us today. While you can get into a Fiat 500 for as little as $16,495, you might as well go all the way up to the Abarth version for $4,250 more. You won’t be disappointed. When the Fiat 500 Abarth was launched at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, I got to take several of them around that track’s west loop, up over the whoop-dee-doo of a driving hump and through a wide variety of turns, and man was it fun. You’ll have to find a remaining 2019 model, though, as there were are no 2020s made. Fiat says 2019 stock will last into 2020.
Mini Cooper, $22,400
As with so many cars in this comparo, Mini offers a full gamut of choices. You can start with the simple Hardtop 2 Door for the abovementioned $22,400, and for that you’ll get 134 hp and a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds, or you can step up to the 189-hp Cooper S or the 228-hp John Cooper Works Mini that rockets you to 60 in just 5.9 seconds and to a top speed of 153 mph. Then there are all the more practical Minis with more doors and more room. But for pure sports car fun, any of these three will do just fine.
2020 Hyundai Veloster N, $28,520
What comes after BMW M? Hyundai N! It’s not so far-fetched since BMW’s Albert Biermann came to Hyundai to give the Korean carmaker more sporty cred. One promising example of that is the maker’s N line of performance cars. Or car, since this is the first one. But we’ve driven it and it is, indeed, sporty fun. The 2.0-liter turbo-four makes as much as 275 hp, and the whole thing weighs just 3,036 pounds. Our own Jake Lingeman called it a “hot, hot hatch.” That’s two hots in one hatch, pretty good by any measure.
Volkswagen GTI, $28,595
You could argue that the GTI is just a racier version of the Golf for $5,400 more. And it is. For that extra dough you get more power, better performance and racier looks. The GTI’s 2.0-liter turbo-four makes 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, more than enough to get the buoyant little hatchback hauling through whatever city you call home. VW says it has an “Autobahn-tuned suspension,” along with five different driving modes and optional adaptive chassis control. Altogether, diese auto macht spass!
Volkswagen Jetta GLI, $27,165
While the GTI hatch gets more attention, the humble GLI sedan is also fun to drive and belongs on this list, too. It offers the same 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque as the its GTI hatchback sibling but in handy sedan form and at $1,410 less. You can even get a six-speed manual trans, or a seven-speed DCT.
Nissan 370Z, $30,090
Yes, this one is 90 bucks over the $30,000 limit, but if you served in the military there’s a $500 cash certificate waiting for you, which will put it well under the 30 grand-or-less needed to make this list. That’s for the 2020 Z with the six-speed manual. Step up to the seven-speed auto and you’re looking at $31,490 before you put anything else on it. But for those 30 large you get a 3.7-liter 24-valve V6 sitting in front driving the rear wheels. Yes, this design is overdue for a refresh, but even in its advanced state it is still fun to drive. You may have forgotten how much fun, in which case, you oughta go test drive one. They’ll be happy to see you. And you’ll be happy to drive one.
Honda Civic Si Coupe, $26,155
No list of sports or sporty cars would be complete without a Civic Si. These things ruled the road in the ‘80s, buzzing around the Escort World Endurance Series like angry bees. They offered a responsive handling that you couldn’t find for the price. And while they’ve become a little more civilized in later years, they are still fun to drive. And if you don’t like the coupe, you can get an Si sedan for almost the same price. Or step up a grade to the Civic Type R hatchback for $37,950. The Si makes 205 turbocharged horsepower, while the over-30-grand Civic Type R makes an impressive 306 hp. Depending on your budget, either one would be fun.
Honda Accord Sport, $27,935
The Sport trim level of the Accord offers faster steering, beefier roll bars, 19-inch alloys wrapped in slightly wider, slightly lower-profile tires but not the adaptive dampers of the top-of-the-line Touring package. And the 2.0-liter turbo from the Civic Type R makes 252 hp here. So it’s not really a sports sedan, but it’s still sporty. And it would be easy to sell its quicker reactions to the spouse as a safety feature, if you spin it right. No one has to know that it might actually be more fun to drive.
Mazda3 Hatchback, $24,645
While the Mazdaspeed badge disappeared years ago, the plain old Mazda3 Hatchback is still a pretty good performance bargain. Powered by a 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G four sending 186 hp to the front or to all four wheels, the Mazda3 can make affordable fun, if you let it. A turbo engine is promised by the end of this year, but in the meantime, give this one a try.
![a motorcycle parked on the side: DCTs, Automatics and Electrics are Becoming More Common in the Motorcycle Industry.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"40","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nRHU.img?h=400&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"31","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nRHU.img?h=312&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"31","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nRHU.img?h=312&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
![a close up of a car: The Honda Gold Wing’s dash is as elaborate as a modern car.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nTXZ.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nTXZ.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nTXZ.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
![a man riding a motorcycle on the side of a road: Harley-Davidson all-electric LiveWire has no shifter.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"53","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nITk.img?h=533&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nITk.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"42","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nITk.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
![a motorcycle parked on the side of a road: Honda Gold Wing parked next to its brother Honda CT1300.](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"60","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nRI3.img?h=600&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"47","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nRI3.img?h=468&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"47","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB18nRI3.img?h=468&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
