Automatic transmissions in motorcycles are not new, with Ridley being one manufacturer currently producing them. In fact, back in the 1970s, Honda and Moto Guzzi both produced motorcycles with automatic transmissions, each with two forward gears. Honda called its system “Hondamatic” and the bikes are still in demand today because of their shiftless nature. That older machine used an automatic transmission quite similar to the one that came with the Civic, complete with a torque converter. Honda has also used an automatic centrifugal clutch on many of its small-bore play-bikes from the 1950s on. So it’s not too big of a surprise that Honda is going to be introducing the DN-01 at the 40th annual Tokyo Motor Show, complete with an automatic of its own called the Human-Friendly Transmission (HFT). After the break, we’ll give a brief description of this new transmission. As you’ll see, it’s a very different animal from what has been offered before.

[Source: Honda]

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