Watchamacallit?

Written by Condorman

April 23, 2009

Have you seen Honda's new DN-01?  It's a mid-way point between a motorcycle and a scooter, with the looks of the former and the function - including a fully automatic transmission - of the latter. Some like it, some hate it - many have no clue what to think of it.  So, let's take a look at it.  It isn't shaped like any scooter you've ever seen, that's for openers. This was done to address what may be the biggest single issue most bikers have with scooters - and that is that they look like scooters.  Fun to ride, maybe - but don't let your buddies see you doing it.  But the DN-01 could be a new adventure-touring bike at first - and evensecond - glance. Normal bike-looking twin-tube steel frame, 41 mm progressive forks with 4.2 inches of travel, single-sided Honda Pro Arm swingarm with mono-shock rear and 7-setting preload adjustment; drilled rotors and monoblock calipers riding on 17-inch snowflake mags with sport bike-like 130/70ZR-rated rubber up front and 190/50ZR-rated rubber in back. Semi-cowled fairings with CBR-style cat's eye dual-beam headlight up front. Chromed headers and exhaust can.  Fairly serious stuff. Other than a lower-than-usual seat height (27.2 inches) it all looks perfectly...regular.  Don't ask, don't tell - that seems to be the concept.  And it won't give you away when the light goes green, either. Partially exposed behind the plastic is a 52 degree, water-cooled OHC twin with throttle body fuel injection and enough power to stay with a Mustang GT in a quarter-mile drag (low 14s) and a top speed around 120 mph.  That is much quicker - and a lot faster - than any traditional scooter. In fact, the DNO-01's performance is on par with some of the fastest bikes of the '70s, such as Honda's legendary CB750. And it's right there with current mid-large cruising and touring bikes.  Real bikes.  The one way it will spill the beans on you is when others notice there's no clutch - and no shifter peg. The keystone of the DN-01 is Honda's super trick HFT hydromechanical automatic gearbox. It operates like an ATV in that you just roll on the throttle to get going. Power is transmitted seamlessly from the 680 cc twin through shaft drive to the HFT - and from there to the rear wheel. It features two fully automatic modes - Drive and Sport (with the latter delivering sharper acceleration feel) as well as a driver-controllable, push-button manual mode for shifting through its six forward ratios on your own. If you've had a chance to drive a recent model performance car with an automatic transmission and F1-style paddle shifters, it kinda works like that.  And that's not all it does, either. Come to a stop at a red light and you can either let it idle in gear, or tap a button for neutral if you feel like twisting your wrist and goosing the throttle a little - just like a real bike. The HFT is completely maintenance-free, too.  In addition to its unusual tranny, the DN-01 comes standard with linked brakes and ABS - plus a cable-actuated parking brake (since there's no "gear" to leave it in, this secures the drivetrain - just like an automatic-equipped car). It has a 4 gallon tank and gets 50-plus MPGs on the highway. You can ride this thing all day - or cross country - thanks to the relaxed seat position and easy-on-the-legs integrated floorboards. (One fly in the pie is the lack of sidebags or major storage cubbies - but aftermarket suppliers such as Corbin are sure to step in here.)  The whole thing weighs almost 600 pounds and costs $14,599 - big money for a big bike. Er, scooter. Or whatever the heck it is.  And there's the rub.  If it's not really a bike, then do you need a motorcycle license to ride it? How will it be categorized by insurance companies? Will it "dumb down" the two-wheeled world be encouraging marginally skilled riders to give it a go who would otherwise be kept off the saddle by the forbidding presence of a clutch lever?  It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.  For the moment, the DN-01's high price (about 3-4 grand more than a top-of-the-line sport bike) will limit its potential buyer pool. But give it time. Honda (and others) are certain to adapt similar technology - especially the trick HFT automatic transmission - to other, less expensive models. As that happens, the currently sharp dividing line between motorcycles and scooters is going to blur.  Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on what you think about the DN-01. Comment?

 

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