[iheartrpm]

if you know how to drive stick, does it make the transition from riding alot easier?...i know riding and driving are nothing alike, but i mean the concept of shifting is the same. so is it easier knowing wen to shift because u know how to judge by sound, and u know how to be smooth off the clutch? or does it make any difference at all? and is shifting hard? like the actual action with ur foot? to me it seems like it mite be a bit tricky to get use to...

thanx. and payce.

 

[cam]

it all comes down to how well you can use your left hand. if you can pull the clutch in smooth, the rest is easy.
take a course, they;ll teach you all that shite

 

[slam]

yeah, driving a manual transmission car and understanding it well should help with the shifting of a bike to some extent.

there is, of course, lots of other stuff to learn anyways.

 

[Sully]

Being able to drive stick will give a bit of an advantage. Useing your left foot to shift up or down isn't hard at all, you just have to keep track of what gear you're in as there is no indicator. That and you can't shift from 1st to 6th all at once, you have to hit the shifter up once for each gear you want to go to. When I started riding in September I took lessons first. I had never drivin stick before so when I sat on a bike for the first time on a Saturday shifting gears and the clutch was all new to me. I took my MST a day later and road tested two days after that and passed both. But like Cam said, take a course, it's the best thing you can do for yourself. Best money you'll ever spend.

 

[Sykk_KiLL]

Take PRS...

 

[iheartrpm]

o dont worry im going to take a course, i just wanna know how everything works before i do it, cuz i think maybe itll be easier. but anyways thanx boys.

 

[jetshoes]

I have never driven a stick shift. I have no knee caps and can't make the left leg do the pushing motion necessary to work the clutch. This did not prevent me from learning how to ride a motorbike. It's been almost 20 years of riding for me, most of it wonderful. Learning to shift smoothly and co-ordinate the clutch and throttle was not a problem. Take a course and just do it!

 

[TeeTee]

It would definetly help with the use of the clutch. It wouldn't be that hard to pick up the hand use if you understand about friction points and how to bring the clutch to the friction point and work it in time with the throttle. As for gear changing? A little I suppose. Any gear change involves three simultanious motions. Well, OK, two on a bike if you go clutchless for some of them. But yeah, the patterns you learn in shifting a car aren't really useful on a bike other than the fact that you're used to smoothly doing three things all at once and in harmony.

Knowing how to ride a bicycle really well helps a ton as well. You can do a search on "counter steering" and go out and practise using it on a bicycle and that'll help a LOT.