Kymco Scooters Automatic, what else is Automatic?

[Syl]

As far as "Automatic" goes, I know Kymco Scooter's are. Seing many different types mentioned in the forum's, I am wondering what other names etc. are "Automatic? Of course the Automatic Kymco is the reason I went with Kymco but never checked on anything else. Why automatic, I have a bad (3 time) operated on left knee and for me "Automatic" is the only way to go. Too many sport's! Was Kymco the first to start with the automatic? I guess I should ask more specific also, are scooter's all more so "automatic"?

[jprestonian]

Just about everything new, with the exception of the Genuine Stella is automatic (CVT transmission, meaning no shifting/clutch).
Unless you find a Bajaj Chetak on the used market, or an older Vespa or Lambretta, it's all pretty much twist-n-go these days.

But most of the shifter-type scooters use the shift and clutch on the left handlebar. So, no leg involvement needed (right foot, for rear brake).
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[jprestonian]

Ooh!  Take that back!  The SYM Symba is a shifter (although technically a scooter, I tend to put it in with the mopeds, since it looks like a pedalless moped).
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[Hoolander2]

Yes, just about everything new in scooters can be considered automatic.  They don't have a true automatic transmission as a car or truck does.  What we have is called a Constantly Variable Transmission which has no gears -- just a couple of variable pulleys connected by a belt. 

99.9% of motorcycles have manual transmissions that you must shift. 

Here's one that has electric shift by left hand or foot.  Yamaha's FJR1300 which will set you back a pretty penny. 

[sidthesloth]

G'day Hoolander, a pretty penny alright, there is also Honda's VFR with a dual clutch transmission. The burgman is an interesting one in that it has a cvt but with electric control. It seems they have preset positions with the variator to act as gears in a standard transmission. I don't know if Honda and Yamaha scoots have this feature.

[Hoolander2]

And no, Kymco wasn't the first by any means.  CVTs have been around for decades and decades.  I remember mini-bikes almost 50 years ago had them.  Edit:  Oh yes, and golf carts, go carts, go-buggies and so on have CVTs. 

Just as a point of interest, I also remember Honda Car Division came out with a Civic with CVT in the early '90s.  Don't know what ever happened with that.  Don't know if it was a CVT in the sense we know.  It was called the Civic HX. 

[Hoolander2]

Hey!  G'day, Sid!    Yes, aren't those all interesting inovations?   One might say it's cheating to call a CVT an automatic transmission but -- it accomplishes the same end. 

[ts1]

DAF cars (i.e. Type 600, year 1958-63) were the first to use a CVT automatic (they had a double cvt, 2 belts etc.).

There are many kinds of automatic:
Full automatic (nothing to do for the rider),
semi automatic (rider changes only gear, cluth is automatic; i.e. Honda Super Cub, with more than 60 million bikes the top-selling vehicle of the world),
automatic with torque converter (i.e. Honda DN-01), CVT (most scooters), CVT & gears (Burgman 650), ...