Shedman wrote: wouldn't know how to drive an automatic, its probably easy but I have never had the need or opportunity to try one.
In an automatic there is a go pedal, and a stop pedal. It has been years since people would get a manual licence in Australia so they could drive both automatics and manuals legally. Reason, they are now never going to own or drive a manual.
I would never own a manual car again. Been at least 35 years since I last owned a car with a manual transmission. Why would I want to keep working the clutch and gears in a car in heavy traffic. Its fun on a bike, but in a car, just a pain in the butt. AND a manual is more maintenance. Clutch wears out, and are expensive to replace. Modern automatics are virtually maintenance free, requiring at most the oil changed every 100,000 kilometres.
Shedman wrote: wouldn't know how to drive an automatic, its probably easy but I have never had the need or opportunity to try one.
In an automatic there is a go pedal, and a stop pedal. It has been years since people would get a manual licence in Australia so they could drive both automatics and manuals legally. Reason, they are now never going to own or drive a manual.
I would never own a manual car again. Been at least 35 years since I last owned a car with a manual transmission. Why would I want to keep working the clutch and gears in a car in heavy traffic. Its fun on a bike, but in a car, just a pain in the butt. AND a manual is more maintenance. Clutch wears out, and are expensive to replace. Modern automatics are virtually maintenance free, requiring at most the oil changed every 100,000 kilometres.
Here's the other side of the coin Freddy, I've been driving manuals so long that I think if I drove an automatic in heavy traffic certain body parts would get bored of having nothing to do so would eventually fall asleep BTW, who gets stuck in heavy traffic on a bike
hi shedman a interesting post and i guess we all started at some point ,im a driving instructor and i see all sorts i could write a book about how some people think gears should be used some very strange but i must admit by the end of a long day i think it would be nice to have a auto ,have you still got yours out ,david
The popular common cars in Australia when I learned to drive were all 3 speed manuals. Syncro only on 2nd and 3rd, not on first gear (assumption being obviously you'd only ever put the car into first gear when stopped). However, so under powered were these things, especially the worn out ones a 17 year old could afford, you routinely have to be able to put it back into first while moving eg. full of people on a steep hill. So forced to know how to double clutch basically the same time as learning to drive.
Another benefit of learning on these heap of shite, there was never ANY doubt when its was necessary to change gears.
hi freddy .ah the good old days yes you had to be involved with all the moving parts up front and even now so many years on there is something that excites us about that connection and a person would not ride a bike if changeing gear was a pain or a chore ,david
David Richard wrote:hi freddy .ah the good old days yes you had to be involved with all the moving parts up front and even now so many years on there is something that excites us about that connection and a person would not ride a bike if changeing gear was a pain or a chore ,david
David, sometimes changing gear on my Jap bikes really is a pain due to metalwork in my left ankle, my foot doesn't raise as much as it should so all of my left hand gearchange bikes have the lever lowered on the shaft. Riding my Enfield is pure pain free joy
David Richard wrote:hi shedman sorry to hear that ,what i ment was the the enjoyment you get from it ,was it bike related your foot , david
Yes mate, I was riding a bright red Z250B with lights on (always have done) on a bright sunny day, but a guy pulling out of a side road in a VW sirocco decided that he couldn't see me, this was in 1989. The crazy thing is that the guy driving the car lived next door to my future wife, who I didn't meet until 96
David Richard wrote:hi freddy .ah the good old days yes you had to be involved with all the moving parts up front and even now so many years on there is something that excites us about that connection and a person would not ride a bike if changeing gear was a pain or a chore ,david
You certainly had to be 'connected' to the moving parts on those old beasts, of you'd be leaving half the gearbox on the road or going nowhere with a broken rear axle. The main ones I owned were all 3 speed column shifts. When the gear linkages on the back of the firewall had worn, and you were a bit sloppy with the column shift H pattern you could find yourself stuck in neutral. You had to pull the bonnet, jump out of the car, run around and lift the bonnet, and give the linkages a shake to clear the jam, slam the bonnet down then jump back in the car. All this would be taking place at a busy traffic light turned green, with traffic behind you banging the horn. Ah! The good olde days. That don't make cars like they used too.
hi yes i can just imagine it cars littered all over the place ,,i did think a few years ago about buying a old classic car ,one i used to have back in 1980 a fiat 128 3p coupe ,a super car but then the reputation for rust was well known and guess what i couldnt find one ,you know what they say never meet your hero , its strange when you look at an old car then compare to a popular bike of the time the car does look old but not the bike ,cheers
BTW, who gets stuck in heavy traffic on a bike 
