The Clutch Lever Purists’ Last Stand: Ducati Just Pulled the Pin
- Jerry James
- Sep 3
- 2 min read
Don’t panic, purists. Your lever isn’t going anywhere just yet.
Some riders think technology is ruining motorcycles. Heated grips? Fine. Cruise control? Tolerable. But take away their left-hand clutch lever and suddenly they’re standing on a soapbox in the parking lot of the local diner, yelling at clouds like a leather-clad Grandpa Simpson.
Well, Ducati has officially thrown gasoline on that campfire of indignation with their latest move: developing a sportbike with an automatic clutch. Yes, that’s right—soon you’ll be able to sit astride a snarling Italian superbike and… not pull a lever to get rolling.
Somewhere in the distance, an old CB750 just wept.
The Purists’ Creed
If you’ve spent more than 10 minutes around a “real rider,” you’ve heard it:
“If I’m not feathering the clutch out of a stop, I’m not riding—I’m commuting!”
“Next they’ll put cupholders on Panigales!”
“My grandpappy kicked over his Triumph with one leg while smoking a Camel—none of this button-pushing nonsense!”
The clutch lever isn’t just a piece of hardware to these folks. It’s a symbol. A rite of passage. Proof that you, too, once stalled your bike in front of a full patio of laughing strangers.
The Horror of Progress
Imagine the scene: you walk into a Ducati dealership, heart pounding, ready to take home your dream Panigale. The sales guy says: “This one? No clutch lever. Just twist and go.”
At that moment, half the riding population faints like Victorian ladies, while the other half smiles and whispers, “Finally.”
Because let’s be honest—half the time we’re riding, that left hand is basically on unpaid overtime. City traffic, uphill starts, stoplights every 50 feet—it’s carpal tunnel waiting to happen. Ducati is just saying: “Hey, what if you focused on the fun part (going fast) and let the bike handle the tedious part (not stalling)?”
Resistance is Futile (and Funny)
The same folks who said fuel injection would kill motorcycles now own bikes with ride-by-wire, six axis IMUs, cornering ABS, and dash displays that look like NASA laptops. But ask them to let go of a lever and suddenly it’s “end of days” again.
It’s coming, friends. One day you’ll walk into a dealership, ask where the clutch lever is, and the young salesperson will say: “Oh, you mean the retro option? That’s on the hipster model next to the one with the fake kickstarter.”
Embrace the Inevitable
Here’s the thing—riding is about freedom. If that freedom means your bike helps you not stall, or gives your left hand a break, maybe that’s not the apocalypse. Maybe it’s just… convenient.
So, dear clutch-lever loyalists, keep preaching your gospel. But don’t be surprised when your buddies roll up on auto-clutch Ducati, give you a wink, and still beat you off the line.
Because technology doesn’t care if you’re grumpy—it just keeps moving. Unlike your bike when you stall it at the next stoplight. This article was the inspiration for this blog post. https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-news/ducati-developing-sportbike-auto-clutch/
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