How many people have you taught to drive stick?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

It's less of a transition than you think- the pedals are still in the right places and the shift pattern is the same. After you get rolling the first time you forget there's a difference.

I know the pedals retain the same layout, but some folks do report having a hard time getting used to the shift pattern. BTW there were some old Skoda cars from the Iron Curtain era that had the shift pattern "inverted".

[JockoT]

I've never ever encountered a LHD vehicle where the shift pattern was any different from here with our RHD. Always been low gears to the left, getting higher as you move right.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

I just went through the Ford V4 applications, and the Saab Sonett III looks pretty good. 0.31 drag coefficient!

Why do I have to keep liking things that have carburetors?!?!?!

Because carbys aren't the mythically troublesome things people seem to think they are. I'm more annoyed by points ignition...Pertronix has been my friend

I think the wife's ready to try leaning manual transmission. Subject came up last night and it sounds like a straight matter of just...going out and doing it.

[JockoT]

Originally Posted by jcp123

I think the wife's ready to try it. Subject came up last night and it sounds like a straight matter of just...doing it.

I had to re-read that last sentence. I'd forgotten what the thread was and thought I had strayed onto something I shouldn't!

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by JockoT

I had to re-read that last sentence. I'd forgotten what the thread was and thought I had strayed onto something I shouldn't!

Now, now, this is a family friendly site

Fair enough though...probably should word that a wee bit more specifically.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Because carbys aren't the mythically troublesome things people seem to think they are. I'm more annoyed by points ignition...Pertronix has been my friend

When I first got my cbr 250, the choke didn't work. I got tired of it not working, so I tore into all FOUR carburetors trying to get the choke working. 8 HOURS LATER I get it back together. Still didn't work. I have had the carbs off that bike at least four times now, way too many. I need to go in there again to sync the carbs too!

Eventually I found out it was as simple as the carburetors not being aligned with each other, and the choke rod that goes through all the carbs would get seized up and not activate the choke.

My first car, a 2001 Nissan Maxima sat for 2 years and started right up with a new battery. Fuel injection for the win!

Never had to deal with points ignition. I've read about it, and I think I took a lawnmower engine apart that had points, but I have never had to work on that crap.

Four carbs is a pain, my new vfr 400 also has four carbs. And to think that I want a CBX 1000... SIX CARBS.

[JockoT]

I was brought up on Carbs and points. Never gave them a second thought. Just had to get tore in. SU carburetors were always a pain. Had a Triumph 2000 TC with twin SUs and I spent forever tinkering with them.

Points were never a problem as long as you removed the "pip" before trying to set them.

[freebeard]

Poiints start going out of adjustment as soon as you start the engine. I think the Pertronix Hall-effect module is beneficial for efficiency.

My 1954 VW 23-window bus had a dog-tooth on the crank pulley and the hole in the apron for a hand-crank, but not the crank-handle.

No problem with a Beetle, there is room under the open hood to wrap a leather belt around the generator pulley and pull sideways.

[jcp123]

Hmm, well, fair enough. I've basically had a set-it-and-forget it experience with carbs. Especially the Edelbrock/Carter carbs. Here in Texas, I had a summer and winter tune for it, more because I liked the excuse to tinker and opportunity to make somewhat routine visuals under the hood. Swapping metering rods took maybe 60 seconds per side.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Not that dealing with an old-school Diesel injection system would be "easy" at all, but since carburettors and ignition systems were also quite labor-intensive it might have helped so many farmers throughout the world whose first contact with an internal combustion engine was in a tractor to prefer Diesel engines. But anyway, at least until some 20 years ago, the combination of a Diesel engine with an automatic transmission outside the U.S. used to be quite uncommon.