O.K.,
Serious question.
Are there any members here who do NOT know how to drive a manual (stick) shift car?
I always assumed that anyone who rode a motorcycle could and did drive a stick shift car, until I was playing poker last weekend, and the subject came up. Two of the players who had bikes(a Harley, and a goldwing) had never driven a stick shift.
Is this common?
Part 2;
If you can/do drive a stick, which did you learn first, car or bike?
Discuss
Quote from: Bun-bun on January 06, 2009, 11:15:19 AM
O.K.,
Serious question.
Are there any members here who do NOT know how to drive a manual (stick) shift car?
I always assumed that anyone who rode a motorcycle could and did drive a stick shift car, until I was playing poker last weekend, and the subject came up. Two of the players who had bikes(a Harley, and a goldwing) had never driven a stick shift.
Is this common?
Part 2;
If you can/do drive a stick, which did you learn first, car or bike?
Discuss
Mother taught me a couple weeks ago to drive a manual shift car. First time ever for me. I learned on his Jeep Rubicon.
Learned on an 84 Subaru GL. So car 1st, then bike. Save for 1 car I had no input in, all my wheels have been manual.
Quote from: JBubble on January 06, 2009, 11:16:22 AM
Mother taught me a couple weeks ago to drive a manual shift car. First time ever for me. I learned on his Jeep Rubicon.
I thought you were on the east coast?
Quote from: JBubble on January 06, 2009, 11:16:22 AM
Mother taught me a couple weeks ago to drive a manual shift car. First time ever for me. I learned on his Jeep Rubicon.
Did you find it easier to learn than the bike?
Were you able to take the bike experience and apply it to the Jeep?
was bored the first night at MSF course (in PA). They spent HOURS on feathering the clutch - and afterwards hubby and I realized it must be that many people (especially under the age of 30) do't drive a stick shift car.
Learned to drive a stickshift car first, then automatic.
taught older sister to drive a stick shift (she's got 2 years on me!)
Work at a place where we have service trucks - and lots of under 30's come in for an interview and when asked if they can drive a manual transmission, they say yes. But when asked if they can drive a stick shift they say no. If an automatice means you don't shift, what do they thing a manual means?? Dumb as dirt.... [bang]
Quote from: factorPlayer on January 06, 2009, 11:23:37 AM
I thought you were on the east coast?
Why so you ask? Does it matter?
Quote from: Bun-bun on January 06, 2009, 11:24:54 AM
Did you find it easier to learn than the bike?
Were you able to take the bike experience and apply it to the Jeep?
I don't know if its easier to learn on the bike or in the car because my experience in the Jeep was influenced by what I learned on the bike. I did find it very easy to learn on the bike. In my head, shifting stuff is done with the left side, acceleration and stop is done with the right. I know this is not completely accurate on a bike due to engine braking and other things, but it made it simple for me.
The bike experience did help in the Jeep cause I knew about finding the point on the clutch where the engine engages.
I learned on a bike 1st, 11 years old on a TS185. Totally too much bike for an 11-year old, but I survived and had fun. I tried to teach my ex, but she goofed a shift and someone honked and she sat in the middle of the road crying and screaming "I can't do this" but wouldn't get out and let me drive.
1st car was a stick too, so is my truck. My fiancée can, but doesn't like to drive the truck, it's a bit scary for someone to learn on.
JM
well i guess i learned on a bike first my old mans kawisaki 100g4 enduro dirtbike, then came along my first car an 89 pontiac firebird with a stick, only ever owned one auto only cause the price was right now my truck is a stick and i wont ever go back
Learned on a car (a Yugo no less! the local shady body shop had one as a loaner when my bad ass '82 Corona wagon was in :D). Taught myself. I mean, who cares if a Yugo gets make the beast with two backsed up? I had a couple of automatic cars from the ages of 16-23, but for the last 11 yrs I've bought nothing but manuals. Wouldn't get another auto unless it was an all-out luxury car, which I probably wouldn't want.
It did help in learning how to ride a bike because I understood friction zones.
I've had about as many cars as boyfriends in my many decades of driving and dating â€"
both of which having gotten progressively better and all but one or two were manuals. [evil]
The first was a '76 VW Beetle. But then there was also the Farmall H tractor we had
back then too..... the Dodge Power Ram Snow Commander, the subaru that was so
rusted you could see ground through the hood and floorboards, the Nissan Pulsar, the.....
Fun to reminisce! About the cars anyway. ;D
Forgot about tractors... I was shifting a 3-speed gearbox on a 4-speed axle before I was driving a car ~
JM
Learned on a car first in Driver's Ed in HS. VT requires a certain # of hours on a manual to get your license.
First car I drove outside of HS was a Ford F100 pickup with a 3 speed on the column.
IMO, driving a manual car first would help make learning a bike easier, but learning to shift on bike would not translate as easily to a car.
Quote from: DesmoDiva on January 06, 2009, 12:18:17 PM
<snip>
but learning to shift on bike would not translate as easily to a car.
Yup, I had to think about it when I was learning on the Jeep. I kept thinking that my left hand should be doing something...then I realized it was for flipping Mother off (oh, and steering of course). [thumbsup]
car first
learned on a late 1970's dodge van
3 on the tree
around 12 years old at the time (me)
I learned about the importance of feathering the clutch for the first time on the riding lawnmower. It's better not to get wheelied off going uphill when you need to downshift to make it. :o
I learned in a car at 19 in a 1999 Subaru Impreza L.
I learned on the M900s at 25.
Quad first (about 7-8 yrs old), then truck when I was 15. I don't like automatic vehicles. I've had a manual all but the first year I drove and whenever I drive an auto now I feel kinda bored - like I should be more involved in the driving experience.
Learned in a Mack R Model when I was 7.
I had to stand up to run the clutch. [laugh]
Have a couple of antique Jeeps.
The first Jeep didn't have brakes when I got it.
That didn't stop me from driving it around off-road though. It just makes you better at downshifting and more aware of your surroundings.
The other one, I had the clutch linkage break once and had to drive home with no clutch. That really helps make you aware of rev-matching.
I learned on a car first - early 90's Ford Ranger when I was 15
Then the motorcycles second - Buell Blast at 24... I bought my M620 for my 25th bday 3 months later [thumbsup]
Car first at 15. It was a '76 Dodge 1/2 ton 2 wheel drive POS pick-up. If you could drive that stick, you could drive ANY stick! [roll]
The only thing that transferred IMO was the understanding of how a clutch works, and the need to slip it.
There was a lady in my MSF class that had never driven a clutch of any kind. Actually, I'm not even sure she had ever heard of or seen one. After taking off from a start (using the clutch) she kept stalling the bike when she stopped. The instructors had to explain to her she needed to pull in the clutch when she stopped. [roll] She failed the class.
I learned to drive at 16 with a stick Subaru in the middle of winter. To date, I can still hustle a stick shift like nobody's business and have never lost control of a vehicle in bad weather/winter. Good foundations are very important to being a good driver, and I think it should be mandatory to learn how to drive manual to fully understand car control.
80cc honda dirtbike when I was 8yo then learned the wheel version at 15yo.
I learned how to drive an auto....then i stopped driving after about 5,000 miles of weekend trips. Then I learend how to ride a motorcycle and soon after, I spent less than 2 hours of my life driving a stick car for fun. Wasnt hard, but i wasnt smooth at all and stalled plenty at first. Could never get reverse though. and i havent driven a car or even sat in the driver seat since i moved back to NYC 2 years ago.
THe whole idea of the clutch on the bike was new to me, but i didnt have any problems, but i think it varies with person to person. Some people cant multi task all their body parts at the same time and the operation of a car is opposite handed. Left foot and right hand are connected. vice in a bike its left foot left hand.
I think its safe to say i could only operate a stick if you stuck me in an open area and said drive. or you put a gun to my head and said go.
Bike first
Yamaha 360
I learned on a '66 Corvair 4-speed a few years ago...
What a hunk-o-junk.
Manual cars today practically shift themselves, with all this synchro-meshes and shit...
My ladies minicooper has an Aisin agitronic tranny... best of both worlds, super fun.
I learned to drive on a manual transmission and to this day, I am uncomfortable in an automatic transmission car. I just can't get used to them and hate driving them.
I learned on a 1980 Mercury Bobcat and a 1979 Mercury Capri. The Bobcat had such a heavy clutch with a touchy feel that is demanded concentration to pull away from a light without stalling it. It also had zero power, so it became an exercise of bringing the revs up, letting the clutch out to the friction point, holding it there for a fraction of a second as I depressed the gas pedal and gently releasing the clutch.
When it came time to ride the bike, it was simple, no fuss, and easy. It all seemed very natural at that point.
Can't remember if I had ridden manual 4 wheelers and dirtbikes before I drove a stick car (Toyota pickup at age 14). First 3 cars were manual-4th is now an auto (my attempt to be responsible). Next car will probably be manual.
BTW, the CVT transmission Yamaha 4 wheelers are great (but I certainly don't mind a clutch).
80 something toyota tercel 5 speed first still own manual truck. Drive wifes auto and constantly reach for stick [roll], she thinks its funny.
82 Chevy S-10 at age 14 with a 5-speed
80 Suzuki GS250 at age 18
I drive an auto now....but it's a company truck and I don't pay for it so I can't pregnant dog. much.
Learned to drive a stick, an old farm truck, at 11. (1975) Drove and an auto in HS and then the first car I bought was a stick. Have never owned otherwise. Learned to ride in 82.
Sticks rule. [thumbsup] Sucks that only one of four vehicles in my stable has one ('96 Mustang GT).
First car I ever drove was an early '70s VW Beetle, 4-speed of course. 14 years old. :)
lots of jeep stories here...
same for me. i learned on my friends 94 YJ then i got my 97 wrangler. have had manuals ever since...
Learned and got my first driving license with a stick shift. I once owned an automatic (was dealing with lots of stop & go traffic at the time) but never again.
One of the nice things about renting a car in Europe vs the US is that you can actually get a stick (actually it is usually the norm). [thumbsup]
Knowing how to drive a manual definitely helped with learning the bike.
Today on a 2004 IHC Bus... *STOMP STOMP STOMP* (on the gas pedal) freakin' downshift already *grabs auto shifter and throws it from 4th to 2nd (where I was trying/it needed to shift to).
'Nuff said.
JM
My first car was a three speed column shift, no synchro on first gear. In no time at all I was double clutching into first so I could power slide that anemic six around corners. I have only recently learned to deal with an automatic transmission.
Learned to drive in my aunt's nissan pulsar...age 6. Drove my grandfather's jeep pickup at age 8. Didn't get my first bike(a 1976 yamaha mx80) until I was 12. Learned it in 10 minutes on Christmas Day riding with my dad sitting behind me telling me to "SLOW DOWN!! You're not EVEL KENEIVEL!!!" That bike was stolen about 2 yrs later. Still miss it to this day. Every car I've owned except two were manuals. First car, Mom and Dad's 1987 ford escort station wagon- Manual no less! First car I bought..1966 VW beetle that you could Fred Flintstone it to get it to stop because of all the rust in floorpans, miss that one too... Currently Driving a 2007 Mazda 3(zoom-zoom) manual of course.
Ha, I learned on a tractor first. ;D
Then dirt bike, then car.
Tractors rule plus you can steer with your feet. [thumbsup]
I learned to drive manual on a '76 VW Scirrocco from the back seat while my dad was teaching my sister. Learning on the car is much easier because you don't have to worry about balance and can focus on learning how to slip the clutch. Learning to match revs is also easier in a car since when you mess up you don't lose your balance.
stick all the way...
not sure what i learned first, but they were both around the same time. i started riding my kx60 when i was 8, and i know i drove my parents jeep cherokee around that same time. i didnt actually "learn" the stick in the jeep, but was taught again when i was around 15 before i got my license.
the last ex couldnt drive stick when we met, but now she can. i taught her within 6 months of being together in a car i just purchased (about two weeks after the purchase).
as far as cars ive purchased, they have almost all been stick, except a few. i like my jeep (mostly offroad toy) to be an auto because when you stop a stick car halfway up a really steep hill climb its a pita to get it moving again.
I never thought about it before. But I guess I learned how to ride a motorcycle before I learned how to drive a car. My first Car had a 3 on the tree.
I learned stick in a 1960 something Rambler with a 3 speed column shifter. That was a tough car to drive. Starting on a hill was pretty exciting. My first moto-like shifting was a 250 quad at Pismo Beach. That was fun.
I messed around with a manual a couple times in a farm truck but never learned a thing.
In my MSF class I was having a hard time taking off until a father there explained the clutch gas thing.
After that I had it down. I can drive a manual car but I am sure I would stall out a couple times before I got it for sure.
You guys kill me,
I spent 30 years building, fitting and road testing stick shifts for a well known auto manufacturer over here in the UK and i don't under stand this yearning you guys have for automatic transmissions. [coffee]
Quote from: geoffduc on January 07, 2009, 11:54:19 AM
You guys kill me,
I spent 30 years building, fitting and road testing stick shifts for a well known auto manufacturer over here in the UK and i don't under stand this yearning you guys have for automatic transmissions. [coffee]
i think that it is more likely a lazyness thing, and it is way easier to multitask with an auto; talking on cell phone, putting on make up, shaving, eating breakfast, or any other crazy thing that people do while driving when they dont need all four limbs to drive a car. myself i dont like driving anything other than a stick. i always find myself stomping that imaginary clutch and grabbing that non existant stick :-[
learned on an automatic, but had a stick shift montero in the famly so learned how to drive that soon after.
had a stick shift car for a while but had to get an auto bc it was cheaper.
the whole thing about not being able to drive an auto, yes you can, you may be a control freak but you can. its easy, gas and brakes... [laugh]
but defeinitely a good skill to have when you are in europe.
Learned to drive an auto at 15, got my license on my birthday, took the Motorcycle Safety Class the next weekend and learned to shift on a little tiny 125cc bike, learned to drive a stick after that in a 1982 Diesel VW Jetta. NO one in the motorcycle class believed that I hadn't ever driven a stick of any kind before. I never killed it until the last day of the three day course. Now my wife and I only drive manuals (and I ride the bike.)
The stick helps my wife to pay better attention while driving, she has mild A.D.D., not really abig problem most of the time, and the manual helps while driving sometimes.
The Doc
Quote from: sbrguy on January 07, 2009, 06:36:11 PMhad a stick shift car for a while but had to get an auto bc it was cheaper.
Doesn't seem right. ???
Being a limey it's the norm to drive with a stick shift and on my visits to the states i allways ask for a manual transmission at the airport car rental desk, and boy do you get strange looks from the person behind the desk.When i get out of the rental office i usually sit in the car and watch other english drivers load the trunk and get their families and themselves into the rental car and drive off. Well you will be amazed how many pull away in 1st and then go to change gear into 2nd, the car almost stands on its nose as they hit the brake instead of the clutch pedal :-[ it soon becomes 2nd nature, but boy it sure wakes you up after 9 hours stuck on an airplane.
I'm not usually sadistic but having done it ones self it just makes me laugh ;D ;D