Learning Manual (Coming from Motorcycle)

spiff321

New Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
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4
Car(s)
Buick Regal!!
Hey guys,
Long time reader here, finally registered though. I want to learn/buy a car with a manual transmission.

I've never driven a car with a manual before but I do ride a motorcycle. While I'm no Rossi, I am fairly experienced and can operate the bike smoothly and have done a couple of track days. So basically what I'm asking is how well would being able to operate a motorcycle transfer over to driving a stick shift in a car.

I don't want to buy the car and then damage the transmission or destroy the clutch, so would you guys recommend buying a beater first or is driving a manual not that different from a manual on a motorcycle?

Thanks for any help.
 
Get a Miata as first car. it doesn't necessarily need to be mint. about '95/'96 Miata would be good, with the better 1.8l unit under the hood.
 
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Buythe cheapest pieve of shit you can find.

Driving stick is easy, infact I find it weird that some Americuhns have never driven anything other than an auto :D
 
^yeah what he said. Shit cars ftw!

besides, if it's cheap you won't mind if you break anything, and it'll be cheap to repair if something goes wrong.
 
Also, it is likely that the shit car is more difficult to operate because it is in bad condition. So if you learned to drive that one, you can drive pretty much anything else. But since a manual isn't difficult overall, you'll be on top of that quickly.
 
I've said this before and I'll say it again: Buythe cheapest pieve of shit you can find.

Driving stick is easy, infact I find it weird that some Americuhns have never driven anything other than an auto :D

Yeah, its pretty lame.
 
Driving a manual is easy. On the bike you learned that you need to clutch in smoothly, maybe even more so because of the pitiful torque.
I guess where most automatic drivers fail is that they actually have to remember to change gear and then just slam the clutch up and down. Sort of like how a manual driver on his first time with an automatic tends to slam with the left foot on the brake pedal like a clutch. You do that once or twice and then you got the hang of it.

Just try to switch gears while the engine is not running to memorize the hand motions required. After 2-3 hours of basic driving on a parking lot or wherever it's safe and you should be fine.
 
You could hire a car for a day and burn the clutch on that?

Heck knows hire cars get treated a lot worse than a stick-shift-noob going at it for an hour or two.

It just takes a bit of practise then it comes naturally.

Oh, and (even if we don't admit it) we all still stall now and then.
 
honda civic manual.


job done
 
Learning just the 'concept' of driving a manual doesn't take long, but to really know it well you need to drive quite a lot.
 
honda civic manual.


job done

Another vote. Go for an 05 Civic, very clean-cut gearbox, nice and snick-snick which is probably what you'll go after as a bike user. Light clutch with good feedback.

Perfect car to learn a manual and a coupe version in red or blue is not too embarrassing.
 
Only thing I worry about with a manual is hills.
 
Bit off topic, but I like you already.

"Car: Buick Regal!!"

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9mptYFDT0M[/YOUTUBE]

Welcome Buick brother.
 
Heel-toe, baby. Or a handbrake for the inept.

nope,not even that is win enough
just pop the clutch and drive off.

*disclaimer : relatively large quantity of torque required*

(my car can even do this without applying any throttle at all)
 
Heel-toe, baby. Or a handbrake for the inept.

I don't get manual cars that have a handbrake pedal.

I think a hired Renault once had that and some Mercs do?

Either way, I can't work out what kind of foot-contortion is needed in order to use a handbrake pedal, the clutch, the brakes and the accelerator all (roughly) at once.
 
Good point! Hence the reason why handbrake pedals are most often found on cars that sell almost exclusively in automatic trim. However, you are correct, there are manuals with handbrake pedals, and if you get one of those, you have to blame yourself for your choice of vehicle.
Handbrake pedals in general are just annyoing.
 
I don't get manual cars that have a handbrake pedal.

I think a hired Renault once had that and some Mercs do?

Either way, I can't work out what kind of foot-contortion is needed in order to use a handbrake pedal, the clutch, the brakes and the accelerator all (roughly) at once.

Most cars I see with handbrake pedals also have a handle that serves as the release, so that would cut a little bit of the contortion. Still though, the handbrake pedal is a horrible idea.
 
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