[Bowhunter61]

I am looking at a 2019 DCT Touring, planning on test riding one in the next 2 weeks. But I wanted to get some feedback from some owners first on the DCT.

1. On my current bike I engine brake quite a bit on my commute to work with the traffic I hit. Does the DCT allow this without using the paddle shifters? If not do people expect the brake wear to be more if you have to use the brakes vs engine braking?

2. Currently my driveway is downhill slightly into my garage, so when I come home I do a U turn in the driveway and then pull the clutch in and let gravity back me into the garage. Then in the morning it is straight out. Will the DCT allow this or am I going to have to use the reverse to back down into the garage?

Trying to get a handle on what to expect.

Sorry if these are too basic of questions

 

[reginaldmc]

On a manual transmission car you can use engine braking but not on an automatic. It is no different on the Goldwing DCT. You either let the bike do it or use the paddle shifters to override. On my 2012 I would just put the bike in neutral and let it roll backwards down the driveway to the street. Once in the street put it in 1st gear and off I go. I do the same with my DCT.

 

[justbiken]

You can use the paddle shifters to down shift so you don't need brakes as much. I find that by using sport mode the shifting is dead on but in tour mode its slow to downshift in town and you need more brake.
As for your turn in the driveway you can easily do it, I might just hit the neutral button as it rolled back to make sure your not causing any extra clutch wear. A honda mechanic would be able to answer that.

 

[Bowhunter61]

On a manual transmission car you can use engine braking but not on an automatic. It is no different on the Goldwing DCT. You either let the bike do it or use the paddle shifters to override. On my 2012 I would just put the bike in neutral and let it roll backwards down the driveway to the street. Once in the street put it in 1st gear and off I go. I do the same with my DCT.

OK just wanted to make sure it was the same. I have a challenger auto that has the paddle shifters so basically the same, if I want to I can just tap the downshift paddle and it will switch to manual mode?
Also sounds like I would just need to stop after doing the u turn in the driveway and put the bike in N with the button.

 

[laen]

Engine braking deluxe on the DCT. You could go from Mexico to Canada and easily not use the brakes.


I use the Auto DCT exclusively in conjunction with downshifting as needed with the Paddle Shifters.


You have too remember to apply the brake so those behind you know your slowing down at lights

 

[mchertel]

Another cool thing about the DCT is that you can go miles in stop and go traffic on the highway and never put your coffee cup back in the holder!! I use ECO mode and manual and in stop and go you never have to shift out of 1st, maybe second if you don't want to rev above 3500 or so.

 

[CarpeDiem]

1) the DCT uses engine braking as people should!



2) after you reach the point when you pull the clutch lever, just put in reverse and use the brake to modulate your speed! Piece of cake

 

[El Toro]

OK just wanted to make sure it was the same. I have a challenger auto that has the paddle shifters so basically the same, if I want to I can just tap the downshift paddle and it will switch to manual mode?

Manual vs Drive is selected with a thumb switch on the right grip. But if you are in Drive, you can paddle with the paddles on the left if you don’t like Drive’s choice. But if you leave it in Drive and paddle, Drive will probably go back to the gear you didn’t like more quickly than you would like. So if you want to paddle, better to choose Manual.

It really is quite easy, and it may even become intuitive if the rider’s brain cells are still subconsciously learning.

 

[reginaldmc]

1) the DCT uses engine braking as people should!



2) after you reach the point when you pull the clutch lever, just put in reverse and use the brake to modulate your speed! Piece of cake

OK, I am missing something where you say put it in reverse.

 

[CarpeDiem]

OK, I am missing something where you say put it in reverse.

"so when I come home I do a U turn in the driveway and then pull the clutch ***HERE*** in and let gravity back me into the garage."

 

[reginaldmc]

"so when I come home I do a U turn in the driveway and then pull the clutch ***HERE*** in and let gravity back me into the garage."

DCT's don't have a clutch lever.

 

[El Toro]

DCT's don't have a clutch lever.

There are some serious issues with communications.

He was telling you that HERE is the place where you put it in reverse.

 

[BR-549]

The DCT will roll backwards without any resistance while still in drive as long as you don't twist the throttle. Just like the clutch pulled in on your current bike.


It does use engine braking, especially in Sport and some in Tour. If you accelerate quickly then let off the throttle it holds its current gear for a moment to see if you are going to get back on it. If you don't after a given time it will go ahead and upshift.


Sport does the same but much more vigorously and it doesn't upshift unless you are going fast enough to still be sporty in the next gear when you decide to twist it again.


At first I thought Sport mode was almost useless and rarely use it here in Florida. Get it on a mountain road riding at a fun rate and it's nice.

 

[TimGraichen]

Another question. My driveway is steep up hill from the road to garage. If I need to get off my bike before pulling it into the garage, I just shut it off in gear and put it on the side stand and it doesn't roll backwards. With the DCT, I need to apply the parking brake every time because it can't be shut down in gear, correct?

 

[murf]

Another question. My driveway is steep up hill from the road to garage. If I need to get off my bike before pulling it into the garage, I just shut it off in gear and put it on the side stand and it doesn't roll backwards. With the DCT, I need to apply the parking brake every time because it can't be shut down in gear, correct?

If you shut a DCT bike off in gear it will shift to neutral.

:doorag:

 

[BR-549]

Another question. My driveway is steep up hill from the road to garage. If I need to get off my bike before pulling it into the garage, I just shut it off in gear and put it on the side stand and it doesn't roll backwards. With the DCT, I need to apply the parking brake every time because it can't be shut down in gear, correct?

Correct


However you can leave it running in neutral and put parking brake on.

 

[El Toro]

I don’t know that you would HAVE to, but it makes good sense.

I thought that the parking brake was silly... until I used it. I actually like it.

I don’t understand how you could ride off with it on. It holds well enough that if you forget it, it won’t let you ride off.

It takes a second to put it on, and the same to release it. I really like it.

I also thought HSA was a needless feature ... and maybe it is. But there are places in town on hills at lights where I really like it.

The new G O L D WING is really well thought out. You might not like what they did, but for a lot of folks who would never have considered the pre-2018 models, this bike just keeps delighting.

 

[Mike459]

As many have said the DCT provides its own engine braking. If you need more braking you can push the paddle to downshift faster (while in drive). I have never found a need to be in manual.
I also turn the bike around and back into the garage. I simply make the bike do the work with the forward and reverse paddles. On my other heavyweight bikes I always worried about a tip-over when parking in the driveway or garage. The GL DCT is so easy to back and fill I don't worry. I never have to push it from the side, never worry about taking a downhill parking space, or whether I can back it up with a passenger or not. Once I learned how to work everything life became so much easier. I still have other bikes so I'm constantly reminded.

 

[TimGraichen]

Correct


However you can leave it running in neutral and put parking brake on.

Ahh, Okay! Maybe that's even better. First DCT test ride coming up next weekend at the Columbus, OH show.

 

[Bulitt]

Reading through this thread is very interesting. I am surprised by people who stay in auto all the time. For me, in auto, tour wants to go to 7th ASAP and just “lug” around which is irritating to me. In auto, sport, the shifting is more to my liking but a little too “edgy” for relaxed riding.

So I spend all my time in tour, and or sport, MANUAL and just up shift when I am ready. Sometimes quick, sometimes slow. Sometimes I downshift for engine braking for a corner or a stop, but many times I just let it downshift completely for me when I come to a full stop.

I guess that is the beauty of this bike....It is different things to different people.

One thing for sure....there is nothing you can’t do on a DCT that you could on a manual transmission. It’s just done differently.