Wot, No Shift Lever? / Yamaha AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) Will Let Your Fingers Do The Shifting - Adventure Rider

Yamaha's new auto-shifting tech also allows hand-actuated manual-style shifting via the left handlebar. Photo: Yamaha

Back in May, we told you Yamaha had plans to introduce an automated gearbox, based off spied patents. Now the cat is out of the bag; the Yamaha AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) will debut in the near future on multiple models.

Those are Yamaha’s words, not ours. When Yamaha Motor Europe officially confirmed the AMT gearbox, their PR made it very clear that this isn’t some airy-fairy pie-in-the-sky concept; the release says it’s coming soon, featured on different bikes, and with Euro 5 regulations around the corner, it seems likely we’ll see this auto-shifting tech introduced on the company’s popular models at that point.

Yamaha previously had featured clutchless shifting with its FJR1300, but the new gearbox works more like the quickshifter systems that have spread across most OEM’s lineups. As we told you upon our initial sighting of the system:

The patent drawings show Yamaha including two actuators on the CP2 engine; one controls the clutch, the other controls the shifter. There’s no shift lever (unlike the Honda E-clutch and BMW designs) and no clutch lever (BMW’s ASA has no clutch lever, but the Honda E-clutch design does, the DCT doesn’t). A set of buttons on the left handlebar switchgear are all that’s needed to shift up and down through the gearbox.

Now we have more info. Their PR doesn’t get into the specific technical details, but the basic details of how to operate the new gearbox are simple. You get a shift lever on the left-hand handlebar that allows you to flick up or down between gears with your finger or thumb, “manually” running the gearbox using the MT function. You can also run the gearbox automatically using the AT function, which has D+ Mode (for quick and sport gear changes) or D Mode (for softer gear changes, perhaps more appropriate for around-town riding).

Here’s what Yamaha’s Euro website tells us about the system:

Y-AMT allows you to fully focus on enjoying the sports performance offered by your motorcycle, by delivering consistently linear shifts to create the most engaging riding experience with the choice of a slick, finger operated manual shift (MT) or a two-mode fully automatic transmission (AT).

With MT, fast and precise gear shifts are just at your fingertips, without having to manually operate a clutch lever. Shifts are controlled with the index finger and thumb, via two see-saw shifting levers – a plus lever for upshifts and a minus lever for downshifts. For greater control in sportier riding, the plus lever can also be pulled to shift up and pushed to shift down with the index finger alone, offering greater freedom, as there is no need to remove the thumb from the handlebars.

Using AT, you can choose between two programmes to suit different riding scenarios – easily switchable at any time via the dedicated MODE button. D+ MODE offers a sporty gear change by shifting later in the rev range to maintain the thrill of the ride while still offering the benefits of a fully automatic transmission. D MODE delivers a softer gear shift experience, while maintaining a low rpm, to maximise confidence during low speed, urban riding and manoeuvrability. While in AT, you can also choose to shift manually at any time by simply using the see-saw shift levers.

Your finger and thumb easily flick the gearbox up and down. Photo: Yamaha

Who wants this system? In our last article on Yamaha’s auto-shifting gearbox, inmate ScottFree asked:

Hmm… on a semi-auto transmission, is it less effort/more efficient to shift with two buttons on the handlebar or with your foot? It’s not obvious to me which is better.

Good question. Inmate flynnstigator replied:

Hands. My 2007 Yamaha FJR1300 AE has both, and I only use the one on the left handlebar now, although it was nice to have the foot lever in the beginning to make it an easier learning curve. It’s faster, feels more precise, and I can position my left foot wherever I want while changing gears.

Yamaha’s new auto-shifting gearbox design works with technology similar to a quickshifter’s components. Photo: Yamaha

Yamaha’s PR says eliminating your foot from the shifting process allows you to better focus on body position and the total package of your control inputs.

With a closer and more refined connection to the brain than the feet, the hands are one of the most tactile and powerful tools the human body has. Shifting by hand alone, as opposed to a foot-and-hand combination, is not only quicker but requires less thinking time, allowing you to hyper-focus on throttle and brake application, lean angle, body position and tyre grip levels to intensify the ride. With Y-AMT, you don’t have to move your left foot from the footpeg, allowing you to instead focus on body position and weight distribution through the pegs in order to enhance the control of your motorcycle, especially in cornering.

Maybe this is indeed the case, but it will be a hard sell for many riders. But for the reticent holdouts, Yamaha is promising that the manual gearbox function will still offer excitement while riding, “allowing you to focus more on the riding and less on the mechanics, immersing yourself in the enjoyment and precision of the ride.” They’re playing up the sporty angle here, saying the Y-AMT will make each ride “even more fun and engaging, immersing you into a flow state where every movement feels natural and precise.”

Stay tuned, because no doubt we’ll have the first ride reports on this tech in only a few weeks or months