Honda CB 650 R eClutch System
2024 Honda CB 650 R, and it features their brand new eClutch system, which is an interesting bit of tech that should take some of the sting out of stop/start riding.
But is it any good? And should you think about speccing it up on your new Honda in 2024? we’ll go through all of the details as well as taking it out for a spin to find out.
So let’s start with a quick overview of what this new system does and how it works.
What is the eClutch System and How Does it Work?
Essentially, you’ve got an electronic actuator with two motors bolted to the side of the engine that can operate the clutch on your behalf.
Plus, there’s a control unit that decides if and when to intervene based upon your current speed, throttle position, engine RPM, shift pedal pressure, clutch motor reduction, gear angle, engine counter shaft speed, and which gear is currently selected. CB 650 R
I think it’s fair to say that’s fairly comprehensive. In practice, it means that you can come to a stop, for example, and the clutch will automatically pull in.
As you twist the throttle to move off, it will start to let the clutch out. There is still, however, a traditional clutch lever if you want to intervene yourself, which automatically disables the e-clutch while in use.
A good example of where you might want to use this would be to slip the clutch in very slow moving traffic for that extra little bit of control.
The e-clutch also enables clutchless up and down shifts in the same way you’d expect from a quick shifter, although Honda claim it’s extra slick at any level of revs, owing to the fact that it can actually dip the clutch momentarily.
Now, at the moment, the eClutch is currently available on this bike, the CB 650R, and also the sports bike equivalent, the CBR 650R.
Benefits of the eClutch System
But the thing is, one of the benefits they talked about when they first announced this system was the fact that it requires minimal adaptations to the bike in order to fit it, as opposed to something like their DCT system or dual clutch transmission, which is effectively a whole new toolbox and pair of clutches.
Look, if this is a success in this bike, I’d be very surprised if we don’t see it rolling out to more Hondas over the next few years, like their 500 lineup, for example, which includes the NX 500 adventure bike, the CB 500 F Hornet naked, the CBR 500 R sports bike, the Rebel 500 Cruiser, and I think that’s it.
But you get the idea, this could be on a lot of bikes.
The first massive benefit of this system is the fact that you can ride it effectively as a twist and go, and the bike manages the clutch on your behalf.
So sitting here in neutral without having to touch the clutch, of course, I can just stick it into first and it doesn’t stall.
Then if I want to pull away a little gentle twist of the throttle because it can be a little bit jerky, but you just give it half a mil and the bike will start to pull away. And it really isn’t bad.
Once you get used to riding it with a little bit of nuance and carefulness, it really is pretty good. CB 650 R
How the eClutch Handles in Stop-and-Go Traffic
Now, at a junction like this, like you could just see there, you just pull the break in. No need to touch the clutch.
It will just recognize that’s happening on your behalf and pulling the clutch electronically. And then again, a little bit of throttle and you’re off on the move.
Now, I think you can see immediately how this would be quite convenient if you were doing commuting and very congested city riding, where you’re stopping and starting almost constantly and you’re constantly having to pull in the clutch, hold it for a few seconds, let it out, pull it in, let it out.
And so with this, stop, start, twist and go. No need to put it in neutral if you’re stopping for a little bit longer. CB 650 R
I think it really could reduce the fatigue of a long city ride on your left hand.
Clutchless Shifting: Up and Down the Gearbox
Then once you’re on the move and out of town, the other benefit is the fact that it can basically act like a quick shifter.
I guess when it detects a bit of pressure on the pedal that you’re about to make a shift, it pulls in the clutch on your behalf, electronically, to momentarily reduce the load on the Gearbox, and that’s what allows you to perform that shift, either up or down the box without having to dip the clutch or change your throttle position.
I’ve got to say it really is very slick on the up shift, and possibly even better than what I’d expect from a traditional quick shifter.
There’s very little force required on the lever, and it happens with absolutely no jolting or jerking at I see I’m pretty impressed with it when you’re under acceleration, and it definitely helps to add to the sporty vibe of a bike like this, especially with this brilliant inline four engine. CB 650 R
The only thing I will say is that on the downshift, it’s still pretty smooth, but maybe not quite as immediate as a regular quick shifter.
Performance on the Open Road
There’s a little bit of a lag. the reason that the bike isn’t that crisp on the downshift is because the CB 650 R and the CBR 650 R still run a cable throttle, not a more modern ride by wire throttle.
so I think that means that they can’t intervene to blip the level of revs to get a really crisp, neat rev match on those downshifts.
it’s the same reason that the quick shifter accessory for these particular bikes only works on the upshift shift as well. CB 650 R
They can momentarily cut the power to make those clutchless up shifts, but there’s no way to auto blip on the way down.
Adjustable Pedal Pressure for Shifts
Now, what I will say is you can play in the bike settings with the amount of pressure required on the pedal to make the clutchless shifts.
So you can choose from soft, medium, and hard, and you can choose different values for the up and down shifts. CB 650 R
So to some extent, you can perhaps get the feel of the lever to feel similar to a regular quick shifter that you’ve maybe used on a previous bike.
But the long and short of it is there’s not really any way to get the bike to perform in the same way as a quick shifter enabled ride by wire bike.
Like if we’re talking about the immediate competitions, something like a Triumph Trident 660.
That said, if you’ve got your heart set on one of the Honda 650s and you’re purely considering whether to go for the quick shifter upgrade or the e-clutch, for me, the e-clutch wins absolutely hands down because you can still make those clutchless downshifts that just a little bit laggy.
I think there are lots of scenarios in which this would be quite a valuable feature and really, the only downsides are, firstly, learning to use it, learning that subtlety with the throttle when you’re pulling away.
Other than that, it’s just the fact that it adds nearly three kilograms, and it perhaps doesn’t look quite so clean from this side of the bike.
But really, overall, to say it’s something that’s just bolted to the side of the bike here, yeah, I think they’ve done a really good job.