BMW’s latest rider aid for its upmarket motorcycles is a shift assistant which should make pulling away on steep hills less stressful. Even with a quick-shifter, which has become commonplace on several larger motorbikes in recent years, the rider still has to operate the clutch. The need to slip the clutch makes it harder when pulling away in traffic with the extra weight of a pillion passenger and luggage and also on steep gradients or rough road surfaces. Industry experts have said the move towards automatic changes on large touring motorcycles mirrors the growing popularity of automatic car…