Most modern automatic transmissions let you pick a gear if you really want to, either with paddle shifters on the wheel or a sideways +/- slot next to "D" on the gear lever.

You don't get the sensation of letting the clutch go at juuust the right revs, but hey, there are always motorcycles.

Whenever I try that it seems to overrule my shifts. Can’t go to first gear above a certain speed. Stay in a low gear too long and we’ll go ahead and upshift anyway.

Yep, the only thing that’s missing is modulating your front/rear braking split (and hence under/oversteer) with the clutch on the way in to corners.

Of course, front wheel drives can do this with left foot braking but I never got the hang of that.

> Of course, front wheel drives can do this with left foot braking but I never got the hang of that.

I used to do this in my mom’s Kalos. Super fun. Makes it feel like your car is on rails.

Motorcycles are seeing some movement towards DCT too.

Not really. They’ve been available for ages now but not much uptake. This happens periodically - there was an automatic Honda back in the 80s that also didn’t sell.

WHat has changed, at least in performance bikes (broadly stated) is autoblippers/quickshifters. A skill you could learn (clutch less shifts) of course but never as fast as these.

The Honda Super Cub was pretty cool, and it dates back to the late '50s. Apocryphally, it used a centrifugal clutch to free the left hand so the rider could hold a package while driving.

Interesting tech ... but empirically (at least in north america) didn't sell well at all.

Really? Honda's the only one I know of with the Africa Twin and Goldwing right now AFAIK. Are there more?

I thought we were slowing down due to the roundabout anyway? So that’s a different context than what you’re describing?

Yes I said overtake, not roundabout.

The related context is that automatics can’t predict what gear you’re going to need before you need it. This leads to a lag that doesn’t exist with manuals that automatics compensate for by having oversized and overpowered engines.

This is most noticeable when overtaking or driving on twisty mountain roads. One way people work around it is by tapping the brakes as a signal to the transmission to shift down.

Another way to notice this weird behavior with automatics is to see how much noise american cars make when trying to take off fast from a stop light. Lots of noise thanks to wide open throttle, not much acceleration because the (cheap) gearbox keeps shifting up and reducing torque.

We've slowed nearly to a stop for the roundabout, entered it when it was clear, and now need to put on some speed to get going again at the speed of the other traffic.