Yamaha launches Y-AMT: Automated Manual Transmission for Motorcycles; Check out how it works

Yamaha has launched its automated manual transmission for motorcycles, called Y-AMT. This new technology arrives to eliminate the use of the gearshift pedal and clutch lever, providing a superior riding experience, according to the brand.

The Y-AMT is, in its philosophy, similar to Honda’s E-Clutch electronic transmission system, which is already equipped, as an option, on the CB 650R and CBR 650R motorcycles.

The E-Clutch is a system that allows gear changes without the need to activate the clutch, but keeps both the clutch lever and the gearshift pedal for manual use, if the rider prefers this option.

Yamaha’s Y-AMT system is different: both the clutch lever and gearshift pedal are eliminated. To perform gear changes manually (MT), buttons were added to the handlebars, allowing the rider to reduce or increase gears.

According to the brand, “shifting by hand alone, as opposed to a foot-and-hand combination, is not only quicker but requires less thinking time, allowing the rider to hyper-focus on throttle and brake application, lean angle, body position and tyre grip levels to intensify the ride. It is for this reason that on Y-AMT models the shifting pedal will not be installed.”

Furthermore, the system has a fully automatic mode (AT), letting the bike’s ‘brain’ decide the right time to change gears. In this case, the system has two different modes for use: ‘D+’, for more sporty riding with gear changes at higher revs, and ‘D’, for urban and natural riding, prioritizing low revs.

Whether in manual or fully automatic mode, the company guarantees extremely fast changes, superior to the best ‘quickshifters’ on the market.

The Y-AMT system uses two electric actuators to operate the gearbox and clutch, and weighs just 2.8 kg, meaning it is light and compact to be installed on current motorcycles, requiring no changes to the chassis or engine width, preserving the original characteristics.

Note that Honda’s E-Clutch is an option sold separately and can be installed on a motorcycle purchased without it. As for Yamaha’s system, it will be a variant on the production line, with the bike coming from the factory with this feature. In other words, you will have a motorcycle with a manual transmission and another with a Y-AMT transmission.

Anyway, we believe that the first models to receive this system will be the MT-07, the R7 and the Ténéré 700.

photos: Yamaha