BMW is attempting to revolutionize the way we shift gears by launching a new automatic transmission, called the Automated Shift Assistant (ASA), which offers both a manual and fully automatic configuration.
That’s according to MCN at an exclusive event at BMW Enduro Park Hechlingen, near Munich, last week, with the brand giving a live demonstration of the technology, in pre-production form, on a BMW R1300GS adventure bike.
BMW says it has been working on the project for five years, with the aim of transforming its fast up/down shifting systems into a fully automatic transmission, with a “manual” mode in which the rider selects his own gears.
In both modes, clutch operation is completely automated, with no clutch lever on the handlebars. There is still a gear lever on the foot, although it is just an electric “switch” with no mechanical function.
The entire ASA system is essentially a conventional computer-controlled motorcycle transmission, with electric actuators that operate the clutch to start and stop and that change the gear ratios.
Meanwhile, the Transmission Control Unit adjusts the gearshift parameters according to the riding style and mode the bike is in – so an Off Road mode would have different gearshift characteristics to Rain or Sport modes.
Source:https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-tech/2024/may/bmw-automated-shift-assistant-gearbox-r1300gs/