I spent a good while with a non-AT on Sunday and unfortunately couldn't scrounge a helmet to ride. My observations about the bike were fairly similar to those of others, in that the bike is a Honda, with all the pros and cons that it means. Great paint finish, comfy, smaller than the Tenere so it's the rough feel in size of the BMW and Triumph 800s. I was surprised that it was the exact same weight as the new VStrom, because the Honda felt much lighter and physically thinner. Both are just over 500 lbs and feel a lot less than the Tenere when stopped.
For a new model there were some pretty ugly welds and cost-cutting in details, including the little headlights and windscreen. I liked the instrument display, traction control integrated with the engine maps, and there is a button to turn off the rear wheel ABS, while keeping the front active. No doubt that it'll have Japanese reliability, a big following, and lots of aftermarket support. While the thing is going to sell really well and be heck on the VStrom market, the tube tires and chain are deal killers for me.
The guy who showed it to me is a riding enthusiast who works for the distributor, currently owns a BMW R1200GSA and could relate to the Tenere, knew I wasn't a potential customer, has been demonstrating and riding the AT and other bikes for publicity photos in his region, and I found him very candid. He related that performance-wise the AT is like a higher powered 800 BMW and it romps when off-road because of the power. When I mentioned my KTM 690, he really sparked and said the AT also likes to rev. He did note that with the weight, the AT can be a bitch in the sand till it has the right tires and you know what you are doing.
We talked about the DCT and we found we both had experience with Honda's Cross-Tourer DCT and big Suzuki scooters. His bottom line was that they are very different because the AT is generations more advanced. Comparisons would be like saying that driving an underpowered slush box economy car is the same as an auto-manual BMW sports coupe.
First and as TwinRider wrote, my guy said repeatedly said that you can leave it in manual, especially when sport riding. But for day to day commuting and general use that most people will do, his thought was that Honda really nailed the transmission performance. On the fly you can select the traction control and engine mapping modes to make it appropriate for rain, commuting in traffic, open country, etc. This will change the shift behavior too, and of course, you can still do occasional manual shifts when you want. Beyond that and for off-road, the transmission computer knows when you are going up or down hills, so it'll give you higher revs when going up and engine braking when going down.
btw - We in the US seldom appreciate the good prices we get when compared with most of the world. In his country the AT costs $15,500 for the standard transmission, before adding an expensive license plate, more expensive insurance, training for their licensing, etc.
I'm really looking forward to finally riding one!
