The best part of the 2024 Honda CBR650R is its E-Clutch - Reviews | Driving

Yes, I admit I’m too old to be riding a sportbike, but, damn, Honda’s new E-Clutch is almost mind-blowingly good

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I’m not particularly fond of this motorcycle, but I wholeheartedly and unreservedly love its clutch. Now I know that statement raises a whole bunch of questions, not the least of which is “What’s wrong with Honda’s erstwhile sporty middleweight CBR650R?” Or secondly “Why would David pledge such fealty for something as seemingly pedestrian as a clutch?”

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The answer to the first question is simple: There’s nothing wrong with Honda’s latest rendition of its CBR650R. It’s just that my days of riding anything with rearsets and clip-ons for longer than a 20-minute stint on a race track are well and truly behind me. Every bit of my body protests the contortions required, my arthritic wrists and herniated lumbars especially. So, despite its perky engine and lively handling, I am always left wishing I was riding something with an adventure-style handlebar.

The answer to the second question is even more simple: The CBR650R sports the very first example of Honda’s new E-Clutch system and, if my short ride — again, see clip-ons and rearsets — on the middleweight sportster is any indication, Honda’s new computerized clutch system marks the arrival of the technology we motorcyclists might have been looking for in our quest for the perfect (semi-)automated gearbox.

3.80

out of 5

MSRP $35,725 to $42,125

3.60

out of 5

MSRP $27,540 to $36,800

3.13

out of 5

MSRP $29,510 to $37,910

3.70

out of 5

MSRP $53,350 to $65,100

3.38

out of 5

MSRP $37,500

Honda claims the E-Clutch combines the best traits of traditional quick-shifters, DCT dual-clutch transmissions, and automatic centrifugal clutches. I’d say it’s actually more than the sum of those parts. Except for the fact that it can’t shift automatically — which a DCT can — I’d say it’s better than all three technologies in almost all regards.

For one thing, it “quick-shifts” better than a quick-shifter. For another, manual gear-shifting is smoother than even the best dual-clutched DCTs. And, last but not least, its automatic clutch operation is way better than even MV Agusta’s Recluse-like centrifugal version.

Mechanically, the system is fairly rudimentary. Attached to the right side of the CBR’s crankcase, the E-Clutch consists of two electric motors (one each for clutch engagement and disengaging) and a quick-shifter-like shaft that not only changes the gears, but triggers the signal of an impending gear shift. As with all such devices, the magic is in its computer which not only judges the pressure on the gearshift lever (hence determining the rider’s urgency for changing gears) but also throttle position, engine speed, and vehicle velocity, again trying to determine the speed of the gearshift required.

Like quick-shifter systems and MV’s centrifugal clutches — but unlike Honda’s own DCTs — there remains a single, old-fashioned clutch, in this case cable-operated: at any point in time, the rider can take over management of the clutch from the computer and bang through the gears in the traditional way.

The alternative is to let the E-Clutch system do all the work for you. From neutral, for instance, you can engage first without touching the lever on the left-hand handlebar. Ditto upshifting and downshifting the CBR’s six gears. Taking off from a standstill in first is fairly smooth, as is tiptoeing through a U-turn in a parking lot. There’s none of the catch-and-release snatchiness of the Recluse centrifugal system and some of Honda’s DCTs.

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A few reviewers have claimed that taking off in first can be a tad abrupt. I didn’t find it so, but just to make sure I had a solution, I tried taking off in second, and the automatic clutch’s operation was as gentle as a lamb. And, no, it wasn’t overly strained, the CBR’s decent torque — for a middleweight four — and smooth off-idle power delivery making it a doddle. In other words, it feels exactly like a standard gearbox, except your left hand is out of a job.

What it can’t do is automatically shift gears like a DCT. That said, the E-Clutch’s semi-automatic gear changes are a sight smoother than any of Honda’s DCT-equipped bikes. And, as much as paddle-shifting is truly the most convenient way to shift a manual gearbox in a car, I have never really made my peace with the buttonry on Honda’s dual-clutch motorcycles. Oh, you eventually get the hang of it. But is button-shifting truly natural or even fun? No.

The most closely-related technology, of course, is the quick-shifter. After all, both systems use the traditional motorcycle gearbox; both cut the engine to allow easier shifting; and unlike the DCT, in both, the traditional gearshift lever remains the main actuator. Indeed, a number of reviewers have noted that, save for the need to use the clutch to engage first gear with a quick-shifter, the performance of the two systems is much the same.

Contrarily, I’d argue it’s not: the E-Clutch is better. Way better, in fact.

The most obvious difference is that you need to use the clutch to engage first gear with a quick-shifter; in Honda’s E system, it’s optional. For another, while you can go up and down the gears using a traditional gear shifter, downshifts can get pretty crunchy.

In fact, I haven’t found any quick-shifting mechanism — OEM or aftermarket — that I will use while downshifting. Blame me for having an overly developed sense of mechanical sympathy, but, to me, the resistance to downshifting says the dogs aren’t happy. Upshifts — at least past second gear — may be passably smooth, but it’s hard to believe a transmission ruthlessly downshifted sans clutch is going to last a long time. Honda’s E-Clutch, meanwhile is happy rowing up or down the gears.

The other way the E-Clutch is superior — and this is the feature that cemented my full-throated recommendation — is that, with a quick-shifter, you essentially close the throttle and bang down the gears. With the E-Clutch, however, because the clutch is being disengaged, the gear changes are a lot less aggravating, particularly downshifts in the lower gears.

The real bonus of Honda’s system, however, is that you can take over the rev-matching part of the downshifting process yourself. Still leaving the clutch lever alone, you can blip the throttle right before banging down a gear, and the E-Clutch will slip between gears so smoothly, you’ll swear there’s a torque converter down there.

In fact, within about five minutes of jumping on the CBR, I was cracking out downshifts more fluidly than I have ever managed on any fully mechanical system. It didn’t matter if it was 3,000 rpm or 10,000. As it turns out, the optimum shifting system — or, at least, David Booth’s optimum shifting system — may be a combination of human throttle manipulation and computerized clutch control. Who knew?

Indeed, after less than 15 minutes, I was more comfortable with the E-Clutch system than Honda’s DCT system, which I have sampled over many, many miles. In fact, the downsides to E-Clutch are fairly minor. The first is that the system adds two kilograms to the 650R’s curb weight. Extra weight is never good, but that does compare well to the 10 kilos the DCT adds to the Africa Twin.

The second is that manually using the clutch can feel a little weird. There’s virtually no resistance until the lever is at the end of its travel, and then it come in fairly abruptly. Adjustments are available, but it’s still a bit like an off/on switch. You can switch the E-Clutch system off so that the CBR650R’s transmission is then fully-manual, but a) that kinda defeats the purpose; and b) I was having way too much fun speed-shifting the computerized version.

Despite those small foibles, I think that Honda’s E-Clutch is the system that best marries many motorcyclists’ need for engagement while still offering some automation of the process. In fact, it works so well that its availability might sway me to buy any model so endowed. Hell, it’s so good it might even convince me to buy a Honda, were the company to render an adventure touring model so equipped.

Oh, and by the way, the CBR650R is a fine bike. Just not for me!

Author’s Note: In some parts of Europe, Honda offers the CBR650R with both the traditional and E-Clutch. In England, for instance, the E-Clutch-equipped version is but 100 pounds more expensive, which tells me Honda is really pushing the new electronic technology. In Canada, the 2024 CBR is only available with the E-Clutch, and it costs $11,499. Last year’s version MSRP’ed for $11,091, and while the ‘24 model also gets a new five-inch colour TFT screen and Honda’s RoadSync connectivity, one has to believe that most of that $408 increase is the new clutch system.

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