An automatic motorcyle...

Check out that "2 Speed Gearbox" though... simple enough even for me :oops:

The 750 AT was officially imported (so I've been told by a guy who used to try to sell them) but was crap and lost a lot of power through the transmission, it was imported as competition for the Moto Grotty 850

Was the cb400 the one that looked like a custom version of the 400 superdream. My cousin had one of those. Its the only one I've ever seen.

BSA made a bike with 2 speed transmission, it was actually semi automatic pre select, it was called a Dandy, I ad one once, they were made between 1961 & 1963 as I understand. What you did was twist the gear change grip (yes hand change a la vespa) into 1st gear, when you wanted to move away you pulled the clutch in and it clunked into gear, you then set of in the normal manner, once underway you twisted the grip again then when you needed to change you just pulled the clutch in and out. effing strange things they were, suffered from an annoying problem fecking gudgeon pin kept falling out, it was a 2 stroke 70cc with a pressed steel frame with a bolt on set of leg sheilds, what was ahead of its time was that the whole engine transmission unit worked just the same as modern scooters, the cylinder was horizontal pointing backwards. Like most BSAs in the 60s it was a pile o sh!te  :down:  :down:

Yes as far as my mate Alan recalls they were all yellow and looked like the last of the sohc honda 750 Fs, not the one in the picture

BSA Dandy -



Oh no, it was a bigger pile of sh!te than that! - I had one too.  My brother had a bantam, it was much better!

Who let all the old gits in??

::  :D  :p

I think it's comendable of suzuki to be developing some decent form of automatic.  The criticisms are usually of power loss through the transmission and a lack of engine braking.  The power loss  - with a modern engine - could still produce a bike with enough go in it for most applications and the lack of engine braking can be sorted by clever electronics that detect the throttle position and compare it to engine speed to either hold a lower gear or change up a gear if economy is needed.  It could also mean that six 'virtual' gears could be produced from a constantly variable transmission with the option of locking it to manual selection.  This would be ideal for people like me in doing away with the clutch and footchange.
I reckon cvt with clever electronics is the way to go as under acceleration the cvt is always producing maximum torque and when up to speed it produices the highest gear possible so giving economy.  The elctrickery would come in the form of engine braking and manual selection.  the new burgman 650 is on the right lines  although it would be nice if these people would make bikes with this sort of stuff instead of just big scoots.