Honda NX500 E-Clutch
The Honda NX500 was already one of the references of the A2 license for balance, consumption and ease of driving. Now it adds technology that, far from changing its personality, makes driving it even easier. The question is inevitable: does it really work?
The answer yes. When you try it you don’t want anything else… I’ll tell you later, but first we resolve technical doubts.
What really is the Honda E-Clutch?
The first thing is to make clear what it is NOT. It is not an automatic transmission. It is not a DCT. And it’s not a simple quickshifter either.
The gearbox remains completely manual. The gears continue to be selected with the left foot exactly the same as on any conventional motorcycle. The big difference is that the clutch stops depending exclusively on our left hand.
From there it is the motorcycle itself that acts electronically and with maximum precision decides when to disengage the clutch and when to reengage the clutch. We only worry about accelerating, braking and moving the gear lever. Everything else is done by her.
How it works technically
Here is the real merit of Honda. Many might think that it is simply an electronic system added to a conventional clutch, but there is much more engineering behind it. The engine still uses an oil bath multi-plate clutch exactly the same as any conventional NX500.
Honda has not changed the gearbox or the engine architecture. What it incorporates is an electromechanical assembly made up of two small electric motors, a gear train and a specific control unit that act directly on the clutch mechanism.
While we drive, the control unit is continuously analyzing a multitude of parameters:
- motorcycle speed
- Engine speed
- gear engaged
- Throttle opening
- Speed of both wheels
- Pressure we exert on the gear lever
- clutch position
With all this information, it calculates, in just a few thousandths of a second, when it should disengage the clutch, how much it should open it and at what speed it should reengage it so that the transition is completely natural.
When we start driving, the system It lets the clutch slip exactly the same as an experienced driver would, avoiding stalling and making the start extremely smooth.
When shifting gears, just press the gear lever. The electronics automatically disengage the clutch, make a short ignition cut to release the transmission, engage the next gear and reengage the clutch in a fraction of a second.
The reductions are even more sophisticated. The system calculates the necessary revolutions for the lower gear and synchronizes the engine before reengaging the clutch, achieving particularly smooth and jerk-free reductions.
When we reach a traffic light something similar happens. Even if we remain in first gear, the electronics automatically disengage the clutch before the engine can stall. The moment we accelerate again, the clutch comes into action again with complete smoothness. The magic of Honda.
Best of all: it never stops being a manual motorcycle
This is where Honda has got it right. Because at no time does it force the pilot to use the system. If you are one of those who enjoys operating the clutch lever, you can do it exactly the same as on any other motorcycle. You configure it on its TFT screen and that’s it. Traditional motorcycle.
There is also the option to operate the handle at any time. The system immediately detects that we want to intervene and gives us absolute control of the clutch, to take it back after a few seconds. Very useful in stationary maneuvers.
That means the E-Clutch never imposes a way of driving. It just adds one more possibility.
In the city, a luxury
I confess that I approached this test with some skepticism. I thought it would be an interesting technology, but dispensable. It didn’t take me long to change my mind. The first meters are strange. The brain automatically looks for the clutch lever when engaging first gear. After a few starts from a standing start you start to forget about it. And after a few minutes something curious happens: you stop thinking about the clutch. You just accelerate. You brake. You go up gears. You reduce. The motorcycle does the rest.
In urban circulation is where it really proves its usefulness. The stalls disappear, the coordination between left hand and left foot disappears and all attention can be focused exclusively on traffic.
For an experienced driver it means extra comfort. For someone who has just obtain the A2 license It can become a huge help in gaining confidence from day one.
Still a real Honda
Beyond the E-Clutch, the NX500 retains all the virtues that we already knew. The 471 cc parallel twin delivers the 47 HP allowed for the A2 license with simply exemplary performance.
It pushes from very low with enormous smoothness and maintains a completely linear delivery until approaching the ignition cut-off. Up to 6,000 revolutions it is very docile and from there until 8,000 it brings out its character and gives us a lot of play in faster driving.
Of course, always without vibrations. Even when traveling at high speeds, the engine transmits an unusual finesse within the A2 segment, where many twin-cylinder engines of this displacement end up turning at high revs and punishing hands and feet after a few kilometers. Here Honda once again demonstrates why this engine has been a reference in efficiency and smoothness for so many years.
Efficiency, you don’t need more
The recipe is already known. Showa SFF-BP 41mm inverted fork. Pro-Link monoshock with adjustable preload. Steel chassis. And a brake system with double 296 mm front discs and two-piston Nissin calipers. Sometimes simple is the right thing since without standing out in anything, it works well in everything.
The front axle conveys a lot of confidence from the first moment, soft but effective. And the feel of the front brake deserves a special mention. It starts off being progressive, very easy to dose, but when we really need power, a forceful bite appears that we especially appreciate considering the type of motorcycle we are talking about. The double front disc is appreciated, since its rivals mostly have a single disc.
The set works very well. Always smooth and predictable. In my opinion, everything is needed for an A2 motorcycle.
In the field…
The Honda NX500 E-Clutch is a crossover or trail oriented more towards asphalt. He doesn’t have very country skills but he does allow us to do some tracks without problems. Only the traction control is disconnectable. If your needs are not pure off-road, it is an alternative that meets the requirements.
Useful electronics
The five-inch TFT screen does not seek to impress by size, but by functionality. All the information is very clear and, in addition to offering the usual data from the on-board computer, it allows you to configure the operation of the E-Clutch.
I really like that you can choose between different levels of hardness or softness on the shift lever. You can configure three levels of increase and three levels of descent. Perfect if you are wearing off-road boots and lighter shoes. It is a very interesting detail because it allows the feel of the change to be adapted to the taste of each driver, from a practically imperceptible operation to one with a greater mechanical sensation.
Added to this is Honda RoadSync connectivity, which allows you to link your mobile phone to the motorcycle to access navigation functions, music, calls, etc.
For everyone
Another of the great successes continues to be ergonomics. With a seat height of 830 mm and my height of 1.80 m, I reach the ground with absolute ease. Sitting is comfortable and everything is in its place. Well, except for the horn, which is where the turn signal lever normally goes. Standing, the posture is less natural, the handlebars would have to be adjusted to be comfortable. The aerodynamic protection is fabulous for a motorcycle of this size and both the screen and the fairing protect us very well from the wind.
Everything invites you to travel kilometers and with its 17.5 liter tank and ridiculous consumption (3.5 liters in the test), you can do up to 400 without refueling…
