Yamaha’s Y-AMT is set to get simpler
Yamaha is eyeing a simpler and more cost-effective design for its Y-AMT, with a new system boasting fewer moving parts.
Patents reveal that Yamaha is looking to simplify its Y-AMT, a move that could improve the pricepoint and herald the arrival of a more diverse Y-AMT range of bikes.
You may also like to read our feature detailing how the Yamaha-AMT system works and who it is for.
Launched in 2025, the Yamaha Y-AMT (Yamaha Automated Manual Transmission) became just one of several alternative gearbox systems that hit the market. Alongside KTM, BMW and Honda, Yamaha’s solution is more about rider choice than trying to force riders from manual bikes over to automatic machines.
And as systems go, Y-AMT is already quite simple. Two actuators take over control of the clutch and the gear lever, while a quickshifter handles on-the-move shifting. But Yamaha wants to take things further, as these new patent images show. Importantly, the update system still utilises a standard gearbox, and the changes are mainly related to the clutch that is used.
What Yamaha’s engineers have done is effectively delete one of the actuators, by designing a system that allows just a single actuator to handle both the clutch operation and the gear shifting. As before, the system is externally-mounted on the bike, making production easier and more cost-effective. Unlike the Y-AMT system we know today, the new one detailed in the patents would not be able to handle all operations on just a single actuator, as it would have to release the clutch and shift gears, potentially at the same time.
To get around that, Yamaha has leaned on a tried and tested centrifugal clutch to enable the bike to pull away and come to a stop without stalling. The clutch will disengage when the bike comes to a stop, and will re-engage once again at a predetermined engine speed.
Aside from the simplification of the system, the smaller package and fewer moving parts should mean it’s easier to fit on a great number of bikes, perhaps opening the door to smaller capacity Y-AMT models in years to come.
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.com
In This Article
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!