The Honda Insurgent 300 is, in some ways, the right newbie bike. It is mild, low cost, and compact; its seat peak is approachable and its energy is definitely metered by even the shakiest of nervous beginner arms. It is no surprise that bike programs throughout the nation love the little Insurgent as a coaching instrument, and as such many new riders will use one as their first-ever bike. However, in a rustic the place driving stick is on the decline, the Insurgent 300 has at all times had one barrier to entry: A guide gearbox. Now, although, that is going away because the Insurgent 300 lastly will get Honda’s E-Clutch system.
In fact, we’re not shocked that the littlest Insurgent is getting the E-Clutch. NHTSA information confirmed the U.S. would get a second variant of the bike method again in February, and those self same paperwork mentioned we might get the Hornet 750 and CB1000SP. When these two hit our shores, it adopted that the Insurgent line would get its rumored updates simply the identical — particularly after Honda confirmed an urge for food to place the E-Clutch in compact cruisers, with the Japanese-market Insurgent 250 getting the identical therapy earlier this 12 months, it is solely pure that we see the tech on our Insurgent 300.
Cruisers are approachable, and E-Clutch much more so
I’ve truly ridden Honda’s E-clutch earlier than, on the a lot bigger Honda CB650R bare bike. It is a bizarre system to get used to at first, however solely at first. You choose it up fairly rapidly, remembering to not pull within the clutch at crimson lights however understanding that it is an possibility for tight U-turns. The E-Clutch appears like an odd center floor between a full guide transmission and one thing like Honda’s personal dual-clutch gearbox, out there on the larger brother Insurgent 1100, however it has its place. It is simple to choose up, simple to trip round on, however offers you all of the precision of a clutch while you want it.
Motorcycling is a improbable and environment friendly option to get round, however its broad enchantment has at all times been restricted by how few automated gearboxes are supplied, particularly within the U.S. the place driving stick is uncommon and getting rarer. Now, new riders nervous about studying to feather a clutch needn’t shell out for an NC750X or one thing electrical. A clutch-optional entry-level bike has the likelihood to massively develop the attain of motorcycling in the US, and that is one thing we must always all have a good time.
