Go to
www.ridleymotorcycles.com I saw their website some time ago. This company produces bikes with automatic transmissions, but the tranny is not what you think; instead of shifting gears, their bikes use CVT (continuously variable transmission). Essentially, this is a system in which 2 pullies (front/rear orientation) are used and these pullies vary their diameter continuously, thus maintaining RPM's in a peak performance range. One pulley represents engine output, the other transmission input. With the engine pulley small and the tranny pulley large, engine power is applied at low speed, while cruising speed is achieved through the evolution to a large diameter engine pulley and small tranny pulley. I've seen this in action but don't really know how the pullies change diameter. Magic I think!
