you to learn the one down, how-
ever many up, gear transitions
found on virtually every motor-
cycle ever built. You just don't
have to worry about stalling
or chugging off on a bucking,
angry bike because you didn't
release the clutch properly. That
said, you can stall the bike if you
squeeze the clutch and don't re
-
lease it smoothly. But if you do,
you can quickly start it up again
and get going without worrying
VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P117
(Left) If the E-Clutch
was impressive on the
racetrack, it's even
more impressive on
the open road. (Right)
With the E-Clutch
system, you either
choose to use the
clutch or not to use
the clutch. It's that
simple. We found that
it works well.
lever load, gear position, throttle
position, engine rpm, and wheel
speed. A rotation angle sensor
reads the opening of the clutch
plates, and all of this data is fed
back to the ECU. Based on the
data received, the MCU controls
the operation of the clutch, if the
E-Clutch is active. The clutch is
connected to the clutch arm via
a cable just like any other cable-
operated clutch, but, unlike a
traditional cam-style clutch
arm, the E-Clutch arm has gears
attached along its shaft. Those
gears are driven by the MCU
and allow for three different
about doing that again. So new
riders can learn without needing
help or coaching from anyone.
It's amazing technology.
So how does it all work?
Initially, when word first broke
that this technology was com
-
ing, many of us thought that
these E-Clutch systems could
be retrofitted to existing models,
but that's not the case. There's
much more to it than meets the
eye. First, the ECU is working in
conjunction with an MCU (Motor
Control Unit), which controls two
small motors housed inside the
system. The ECU monitors shift-
