Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1521296
WheelsOfGrace.com | Volume 15 Issue 3 | 15 Rushing Wind Ministries & Bikers for Christ Rushing Wind Ministries & Bikers for Christ M / M M / M Intl. Intl. the clutch lever, and the electronics promise to make the shifts at least as smooth as a human can manage. However, there are other possibilities mentioned in the patents. These include multiple modes—selected alongside the bike's riding modes— to alter the aggression of the clutch, for instance how fast it will allow you to pull away from a standstill and how rapidly it will operate during gearshifts. An anti-stall system is also described in the patents, allowing the E-Clutch to intervene (even when turned off) to disengage the clutch if the engine is about to stall due to ham-fisted use of the conventional clutch lever. Of course, that can also be tied in with the ride-by-wire throttle to balance the clutch and the throttle positions, preventing a stall and leading to a smooth getaway. The same patents also suggest how the system can be used with a launch-control system. If implemented, it would let you preselect launch control then simply wind on the throttle to get away as fast as the bike can manage—with the ideal combination of revs and clutch operation all achieved automatically. On the flipside of the performance advantages that the E-Clutch might offer, Honda has also filed patents for an idea to use it to boost economy. Specifically, the patents suggest that the E-Clutch could be used to allow the engine to be stopped altogether when a bike is coasting, for instance down a hill, with the E-Clutch disengaging automatically to act rather like the freewheel of a bicycle. As soon as there's a torque demand, whether to maintain speed or to increase it, the engine would be kicked back into life and the clutch reengaged. At this stage we don't know which of the systems will be incorporated into the production version of the E-Clutch. The semi-auto gear changes are confirmed, as is the ability to start and stop without using the clutch lever, and the anti-stall system and multiple riding modes are also likely to be adopted from day one. The economy-focused engine-stop system might be less likely to appear, at least on the initial versions of the E-Clutch system, unless it's needed to help meet specific emissions or fuel-economy requirements. Amid all these possibilities, those who don't like additional complexity can ride in the knowledge that the E-Clutch can be simply switched off or overridden by manual use of the clutch lever.