The Best Automatic Motorcycles 2020

Giving up control isn’t something most motorcyclists do easily, especially when it comes to selecting your own gear ratio. But most of us doesn’t mean all of us, and if you’re looking for the unadulterated freedom you get on a motorcycle but the specter of shifting your own gears has kept you back, we’re here to help.

Below is a list of the coolest, most competent bikes on the road today that don’t require you to row your own gears. Some have trick computer-controlled dual-clutch gearboxes, while others forego gasoline and gears altogether in favor of electric direct drive. Whether your goal is to leap forward to a new tomorrow or just have one less thing to think about, your ride awaits below.

We picked the 2020 Energica Eva EsseEsse9 because it’s pretty close in power and intent to the Harley LiveWire and another electric we’ll discuss a little later. With a round headlight, classic lines, and upright seating position, this thing could be called a retro rocket or modern classic, but that would be doing its futuristic drivetrain a huge disservice.

Energica claims that if you ride the Eva EsseEsse9+ model gently, you’ll get 250 miles out of a charge. More importantly, you get nearly 150 torques to play with and an absolutely premium chassis to keep everything in check. There’s a reason Energica fields the entire FIM MotoE paddock.

Like the LiveWire, the 2020 Energica EsseEsse9 is a fantastic motorcycle that happens to be electric and happens to not need a clutch. It might not be traditional, but it is certainly no compromise.

Second on the list is Harley-Davidson’s genuinely exciting, genuinely gimmick-free LiveWire. The fact that it doesn’t have a clutch is maybe 50th on the list of things that set the 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire apart from other mounts in Harley’s stable and the rest of the bikes on this list.

It’s a truly impressive motorcycle that happens to be electric. What’s even more surprising is that it was forged in the belly of Harley’s Milwaukee headquarters, a place known more for bolting together antediluvian cruisers that beg for Punisher skull stickers than highly competent mass-market machines.

Yet, here we are, staring at a gorgeous, taut, capable 105-hp electric bike with 146 miles of range, a 60-minute charging time, and refined enough controls to keep you from whiskey-throttling yourself off the back of it at every stoplight. It goes, turns, cruises, and stops with the best of anything on the market right now, and it happens to not require direct input of fossil fuels. And it’s a Harley. Oh, yeah. And there’s no clutch or gears to worry about.

Honda’s effortlessly capable Africa Twin has been available from the beginning with a dual-clutch transmission, but for 2020 it’s available in two trims to cater to different sets of the adventure crowd.

The regular 2020 Honda Africa Twin is the familiar overgrown dirt bike that bowed in 2016. It has been updated over that time, but it’s the bottom line if you are looking to haul yourself to the farthest-flung corners of the world in enough comfort to be able to walk when you get there.

The 2020 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sport ES keeps that ethos and enhances it with a bigger fuel tank, electronically controlled suspension, heated grips, and an adjustable windscreen.

Couple all that comfort and convenience with a bar-mounted shifter button, and there’s no excuse to sit around wishing.

Maybe Patagonia isn’t calling to you, but you still need to get off the pavement every so often to stay sane. Once again, Honda has you covered with the 2020 Honda NC750X DCT ABS. The name’s a mouthful, but the plan is simple: To get you where you’re going quickly, efficiently, and with minimum fuss.

The NC makes an incredible beginner bike, thanks to its MSRP of just $8,899, upright seating position, easy power delivery, and the safety and convenience of ABS. If you’re not selecting the right gear for the next set of curves, you’re all the better prepared to keep your eyes and your mind on what’s ahead of you.

Even if you’re a veteran rider, the NC750X makes a lot of sense for a practical weekday steed. With 54 hp and 50 pound-feet of torque, it’ll keep you entertained anywhere you want to be, from downtown to the backcountry.

If long distances on vast expanses of paved roads are more your thing, there are a couple flavors of clutchless 2020 Honda Gold Wings to choose from. The Gold Wing Automatic DCT is essentially the base model Wing with a seven-speed DCT. It’s pared down by Gold Wing standards, but it is still a massive six-cylinder tourer with enough storage room to embarrass the Civic you drove in high school.

But if you need more storage, more comfort, and an added level of safety, may we recommend the 2020 Honda Gold Wing Tour. The Tour comes with another 50 liters of storage capacity, electronic suspension preload adjustments, a reverse gear, and walking mode to help you move its mass around. If you’re willing to dish out more than $32,000 for a motorcycle, the Gold Wing Tour can be had with an air bag for a level of safety you don’t see anywhere else.

Rounding out the electric streetbike options on our list is the 2020 Zero SR-F, which joins the Harley-Davidson LiveWire and the Energica Eva EsseEsse9 as a capable, premium two-wheeler that just happens to run on something other than gas.

In our opinion, the SR-F might be the best looking of the bunch, with compact, naked lines that call to mind the Honda CB650R. It’s tightly packed and muscular, with a short front end that looks as if it is just begging to carve through city traffic and make short work of tight intersections.

The Zero sucks down electrons a little quicker than the other two, offering 125-ish miles in mixed riding, but don’t let that deter you: It’s got more than enough zap to get you to the canyons and back, and provided your commute isn’t 50 miles one way, you should be able to make it to the office and back. With myriad charging options depending on where you live, the Zero’s Level 2 charging system should keep you rolling carefree.