I tend to agree with most of the thoughts above. But as is always noted to each their own.
My father always wanted a motorcycle in the past, but as he get older he became more nervous about trying it out. One thing he said, if it came in an automatic, I would probably go for it. I tried to convince him that it was not hard, but he already had his mind set at that point.
I think the automatic would be a nice option and as it would probably help to get more into this wonderful activity, as well as keep some going without the need for a trike.
From my standpoint, I like the manual, and drive a manual car as well, which I would probably keep forever, if it was not for my wife wanting to be able to drive my car when I have my bike (as a result the next car will be an automatic on my side of the garage)
In synopsis, I think this would be a welcomed option on the bikes.