the reason I ask is that this is a gilera ferro. Its not in full production yet and would likely be too expensive due to the serious sussies and wavy discs etc. thing is that this is the first serious step forward out of the dark ages for motorbikes. Its got an 850 engine with cvt transmission or pseudo manual. Both brakes are operated from the handlebars and it can be ridden either as a fuill twist and go or as a manual using up and down buittons on the left bar. the engine and tranny will very likely end up in the worlds largest scooter but a question mark hangs over the bike itself. Will bikers buy it? Or at least buy the idea if not this particular bike. The clutch is centrifugal but electronically controlled to give engine braking - something missing from traditional cvt. weight for the ferro is around 189 kilos and power is around 80 horsies. What do you lot think? Would you ever see yourself riding a twist and go motorbike with PROPER styling and PROPER bike handling and performance?

mmm, tough call that one, i'd like to think i'm open minded enough to give it a go, but i'd want to know the centrifugal clutch works as it should-i'm too long in the tooth on traditional bikes, i like downshifting b4 a bend, setting the bike up to take said bend in a gear i choose.i can see that it would open up the options for disbled riders a lot,providing the price was right of course & it certainly looks the dogs danglies
being the forum misery, didnt cvt arrive amid much hullabaloo in cars years ago-only to fizzle out?

If it looked like that, I'd buy it.


I'm a shallow as a puddle I am

looks a bit like a hornet with an SV engine ...dont like the headlight though... too much like the preying mantis things that some bikes have...

Wayne

P.S. remember that the last comment was my personal feeling and yes you do have the right to have such a headlight, and like such a headlight, but you dont have the right to come round and have a little 'chat' with me about my taste in headlights...


Wayne

Headlights aside Tiny one, Im more interested in the concept of automatic bikes - more the concept of cvt bikes and all the benefits this brings. Would you consider a cvt bike as opposed top a traditional geared bike regardless of the headlights?

FTR lets not confuse cvt with traditional autoboxes - a cvt system gives max torque for the throttle opening - this is why its used on weedy scooters to make the most of what fifty cc can offer - and do not chunk into another gear , its a seamless progression providing a virtual infinty of gear ratios.


wayne

If they did a 1300cc shaft drive version maybe but probably not. I must admit I've never ridden a twist and go but because of that I would at first be worried about grabbing a handful of brake and locking the back when instinctively going for the clutch . It would take a little bit of getting used to. Besides I enjoy being able to wake up dozy drivers by pulling in the clutch and giving a quick blip in their lugholes while they are on the phone

IF & its a big IF it works properly.

Id certainly consider it and if its low enough and light enough it would do Biker Gran a treat with her arthritus giving problems with her paws and the clutch....


BG!!!!!!... new toy time?

Dunno about an auto i've always tended to shun autos even when it comes to cars.
i like to feel or at least seem to feel like i have control over the engine and box.
I myself would rather be able to shift down a gear before entering a corner rather than use the brakes.

Having said that and all things considered i'd deffo give it a go if only just to say that i have.

However for a person in a position such as yourself zombie i think it's a great idea,big bike feel without all the mucking about with solenoid gear shifters.

As an after thought i really do like the styling headlight and all.

Its a good looking machine but they'd probably need to offer mass test rides. I think most people used to traditional machine we be a bit pessimistic. However folk coming from scooters and looking at bikes may have no such preconceptions.


I would be surprised if a look of the bike mags didn't pan it first, which would see it killed before many people had tried it for themselves. What the press say, still has a lot of clout with the buying public.

Me too


Its yummy!!

You been on the stella Dave, slurring your typing

H'm.

But I do like changing gear.....

And the clutch is light as a feather on my old SuperDream....

If I eventually go for a scooter I think I'm self-confident enough not to need it to be disguised as a bike.... that's my instinctive take on this one and I think I may be typical of the masses - that's a lot of re-education needed, and I don't know that the Gilera name - which is definitely associated with scooters - would do it.

Not for me thanks.

it looks constipated.

as you can tell a considered opinion...

the big hand ful of brake instead of the clutch, like ian sez would worry me too, i rode a bultaco once and couldn't get my head round the gear lever and brake been the wrong way round!
the concept of a auto does appeal as i'm a lazy git but i also enjoy playing with the gears spesh when the bike has a loudish exhaust!
it would be a shame if it gets cained by the press, however if it had been a honda, yam etc it would of had a better chance, the fact its a gillera will scare ppl off anyway
as for buying one probably not, like DP i'm set in my ways, if in years to come and others bike makers follow suit well maybe, it seems to me they should be aiming for the goldwing type of market, the touring boys would love it!

Thanks Ian, no drink.. I'm just at the tail end of a 60 hours week. I think its catching up on me.

Interesting. the changing gear before bends is not a concern as youd simply close the throttle and use engine braking to slow down a tad before powering out regardless of revs. My scooter already does this and it works well.

I have asked this question of lots of people and the general opinion is that they would have to try it and see if it works as well as a conventional set up.. This interests me as most people ride with the wrong gear selected for the speed/acceleration/braking or whatever they need anyway. If racers took this up everybike in the showroom would be cvt by the morning.

I have a vested interest in this sort of thing as it would make life a lot easier for others like me if there was more to choose from rather than scooters.I have always said that if win the lottery Ill take the 600 twin out of a honda silverwing and stick in a lightweight bike chassis. I dont think itll catch on to be honest because showrooms are full of bikers who spout on about how it would take away their control and how they like to be incharger of gear selection etc.
Even more interstingly is that we could see a variation on the idea sooner rather later as ducati are working on a kliktronic type gearchanger that would be built into the gearbox, operated with up down buttons on the bars and have an automatic clutch. I bet theyd sell. You could stick ducati on a bean tin full of dogsmuck and it'd attain cult status overnight however unreliable its electrics turned out to be.

A big vee-twin where you can't go Brmmmmm-Bahhhhhhhhhhh, Brmmmmm-Bahhhhhhhhh, Brmmmmmm-Bahhhhhhhhhhh changing down for a corner?





I think not

So that is what it's supposed to sound like.....

And while he's going Brmmmmm-Bahhhhhhhhhhh, Brmmmmm-Bahhhhhhhhh, Brmmmmmm-Bahhhhhhhhhhh , my little Hustler goes ding, ding, ding, dinggggggg up the inside and away

you mean you can actually make it go where YOU want it to?
Respect to FF

In the past I have had left hand gear change, R/h gearchange, one up the rest down and one down the rest up, all 4 variations in the garage at one stage

Occasionally I would kick the brake lever 'down a gear' .... oops, or pause halfway through a change and try to remember if it was up or down to go faster ... and then I bought a twist n go...

...the lever on the Left is NOT the clutch, repeat until you stop locking the wheel at junctions

But it only took a week or so to learn and rarely do I now 'change gear' on the scooter...

The hardest one for me is always the up/down swap and since Im gonna try and get the Ariel running again next year I might be in for a new set of pauses whilst I change gear...

Well, it's sort of a mutual agreement. Don't hurt me and I won't scratch you type of thing.

Like grabbing the dentist by the bollocks and saying 'We're not going to hurt each other, are we?'

I've only ever had one experience of CVT and that gave me a helluva fright. It was .... a Ford Fiesta. Got in started it up, selected reverse to take it out of the parking space it was in. Applied throttle ... nothing. Applied more throttle ... nothing continued to happen. Applied a tad more throttle ... found myself launched towards a rather nice looking Mercedes and just short of Warp 4.

Got the Fiesta stopped ... just. Selected drive ... applied throttle again (not going to catch me out again ya bugga) ... time continued to pass ... nothing continued to happen .. ok, a little more throttle and we find ourselves launched forwards at Warp 2 (getting better see?)

OK, so this was an early version of that transmission, and I was moving the car round for my Dad to have a go - he currently drives a standard auto.

I don't know about the bike, but the car was weird in that the revs stayed constant (uncomfortably high) while the car accelerated. Engine braking was minimal until it got the message you wanted to slow down. I have no doubt progress has been made, but I'd like someone else to iron out the bugs. I admire the company for being brave enough to stick the product out there. I bet people scoffed when BMW brought out a bike with a monoshock at the front .. oh hang on, they still scoff .... (just teasing .....)

On the other hand ... my bike can be ridden like an auto. It'll pull away easily in second gear, can break the motorway speed limit and give great acceleration and braking with very little wrist action. If I'm lazy, third will drop the revs to a more acceptable level but let's be honest, any bike over 500cc (ok maybe 600cc) will do this easily. On my country road commute I've generally found myself clicking up at least twice when entering the first red circled speed restriction.

Variety ... it's not just about the beans.

Slainte and Merry Christmas.

- Spud.

PS "Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated" - a wiser man than me.

I like the look of it, and with time could get used to the brakes and auto gear change. I have tendon and nerve damage in my left hand so clutches can be a problem. However Gillera, not a name i would prefer to own. I used to work in Fowlers Motorcycles on the parts counter, and Gillera was one of the most common makes supplied, parts were not good quality in comparison to other leading makes. Not only that but the prices were high. Even the mechanic team hated them and quite a few had scooters. Whether producing a big bike means they have put more thinking into build quality i don't know but i guess it's a case of try it and see.