BMW Demo Day: R 1300 RT ASA vs DCT — Adaptive Cruise Left Me Speechless

I went into BMW Demo Day to see what all the hype around BMW’s Automated Shift Assistant (ASA) was about. I did NOT expect to completely change my opinion about what technology belongs on a touring motorcycle. First, there’s ASA. As someone familiar with Honda’s DCT, I was extremely curious to see how BMW’s system compared. After actually riding it, I came away thinking BMW may have created something every bit as good as DCT — and possibly even better. But ASA wasn’t even the biggest surprise of the ride. That was Adaptive Cruise Control. I knew adaptive cruise existed on motorcycles, but actually experiencing it on the R1300RT was something completely different. Setting the cruise, coming up behind another vehicle, and having the motorcycle automatically maintain following distance — then accelerate back to the selected speed when the road clears — genuinely left me speechless. I think Adaptive Cruise Control could be one of the most significant advances in long-distance motorcycle technology in years. Traditional cruise control is already a huge benefit on a touring bike, but adaptive cruise fundamentally changes how useful it can be in real-world traffic. Instead of constantly canceling, resetting, accelerating and slowing as traffic changes speed, the motorcycle can manage that following distance for you. For someone who actually rides long distances, that isn’t just a gimmick. It has the potential to dramatically reduce workload and fatigue over hundreds of miles. Combine Adaptive Cruise with ASA, and the R1300RT starts to feel like a glimpse at where the next generation of serious touring motorcycles is headed, and it’s not even a full touring bike. In this BMW Demo Day test ride, I give you my real-time first impressions of the R1300RT, put BMW ASA to the test, compare ASA vs Honda DCT, and experience Adaptive Cruise Control on a motorcycle for the first time. I went into this ride curious about the R1300RT. I came back seriously impressed. Is BMW ASA better than Honda DCT? And is Adaptive Cruise Control about to become a must-have feature on high-end touring motorcycles? Let me know what you think. #BMW #R1300RT #BMWMotorrad #BMWDemoDay #BMWASA #HondaDCT #AdaptiveCruiseControl #TouringMotorcycle