New AMT transmission being tested by KTM
Back in May of last year, KTM was reported to have been developing a new semi-automatic transmission that it plans to use in its future adventure bike models. Now, in the recently-concluded Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Austria, the Mattighofen-based manufacturer has for the first time in public eye revealed its clutchless prototype.
AMT – Automatic Manual Transmission
According to a KTM representative present at the Erzbergrodeo, “AMT stands for Automatic Manual Transmission… Of course, AMT means no clutch. What that means is you can ride the bike in full automatic mode if you want to. Or, you can switch a button on the right [handlebar] here, and that will leave you to change gears manually. You can do that with your fingers [via the switch cube] up and down, or you’ve got a gear lever on the left-hand side, and it’s really interesting seeing what it can do at Erzberg.”
Not Honda-DCT
Unlike Honda’s dual-clutch system (DCT) that’s been around for quite some time now, KTM’s AMT will use rocker arms, a centrifugal clutch, and a separate gear control unit (electronic actuator) to move the shift cylinder – which in turn will move the gear selector forks into position to engage the next cog. For this reason, KTM’s AMT also allows for a “traditional” shifter for manual shifting as opposed to a push button-only shifter on Honda’s system.
KTM is confident that the new AMT system will be suitable in real-world riding as it performed pretty well in the extreme riding environment that the Erzbergrodeo offered.
