USA - Front brake = left hand?

[Clive George]

"vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tom Nakashima wrote:
> As far as confusing, I would say British shifting on a
>> motorcycle.
>
> Try working the shift lever in a car with your left hand. That can be
> harder to get used to than driving on the other side of the road.

Ah - that game, changing gears with the window winder (BTDT).

Yes, it's definitely harder driving a hired LHD car than ones own RHD one on
the continent. But not so much as to be awful.

cheers,
clive

 

[Clive George]

"Jambo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Tom Nakashima wrote:
>> As far as confusing, I would say British shifting on a
>>> motorcycle.
>>
>> Try working the shift lever in a car with your left hand. That can be
>> harder to get used to than driving on the other side of the road.
>
> It's surprisingly easier than it seems. I can now drive manual shifts in
> both American and European sides with ease, and learning to adapt to both
> took much less time than I thought.

Took me, ooh, about one shift to say "Hmm, odd. Oh well". There's no fine
control required for gear selection. If clutch and accelerator were swapped
that would be rather harder.

How much of this difference is because we're taught in cars with manual
boxes, and indeed mostly drive manual?

(American and mainland European sides are the same)

> The hard part in driving on the "other" side of the road happens when
> there are no other cars to follow - the "feel" of the road becomes strange
> and there is an urge to go to the side where one was used to.

Never got that. The only time I've seen problems is at junctions, where one
has to think a bit harder than normal.

One interesting artefact I've noticed is that when coming up to a junction,
I (and others) will get the left/right name wrong - ie "left" for the one
which doesn't involve crossing the road (usian right).

cheers,
clive

 

[vey]

Clive George wrote:
> "vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Tom Nakashima wrote:
>> As far as confusing, I would say British shifting on a
>>> motorcycle.
>>
>> Try working the shift lever in a car with your left hand. That can be
>> harder to get used to than driving on the other side of the road.
>
> Ah - that game, changing gears with the window winder (BTDT).
>
> Yes, it's definitely harder driving a hired LHD car than ones own RHD
> one on the continent. But not so much as to be awful.
>
> cheers,
> clive
>
>

Not awful enough for you? Well, how about trying to judge the distance
from "the other side" when in a car park and pulling into a space? Oops,
punched out a turn signal light, no problem until you see the bill for
100(!) pounds. That should be awful enough for you.

 

[Clive George]

"vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Clive George wrote:
>> "vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> Tom Nakashima wrote:
>>> As far as confusing, I would say British shifting on a
>>>> motorcycle.
>>>
>>> Try working the shift lever in a car with your left hand. That can be
>>> harder to get used to than driving on the other side of the road.
>>
>> Ah - that game, changing gears with the window winder (BTDT).
>>
>> Yes, it's definitely harder driving a hired LHD car than ones own RHD one
>> on the continent. But not so much as to be awful.
>
> Not awful enough for you? Well, how about trying to judge the distance
> from "the other side" when in a car park and pulling into a space? Oops,
> punched out a turn signal light, no problem until you see the bill for
> 100(!) pounds. That should be awful enough for you.

Is that the voice of experience speaking? Silly man No, I don't have
problems hitting things when driving - I take suitable extra care when I'm
in a strange car/country. Norway on ice is the most fun.

(of course if it's UK/US, it's probably not helped by the way we've got
smaller parking spaces too AIUI).

cheers,
clive

 

[vey]

Clive George wrote:

>
> Is that the voice of experience speaking? Silly man

Yes it is.

> (of course if it's UK/US, it's probably not helped by the way we've got
> smaller parking spaces too AIUI).

Do tell. I didn't have that trouble in other Commonwealth countries.

 

[Clive George]

"vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Clive George wrote:
>
>>
>> Is that the voice of experience speaking? Silly man
>
> Yes it is.
>
>> (of course if it's UK/US, it's probably not helped by the way we've got
>> smaller parking spaces too AIUI).
>
> Do tell.

Nothing much to tell - I believe we've got smaller parking spaces than
countries where land is cheaper (and cars are bigger).

> I didn't have that trouble in other Commonwealth countries.

You mean Aus/NZ/Canada, places with lots of space? Wouldn't surprise me.

cheers,
clive

 

[vey]

Clive George wrote:

> You mean Aus/NZ/Canada, places with lots of space? Wouldn't surprise me.

Even more than those. I've driven in 25(?) countries, maybe more, and
only five on the continent. The Bahamas was memorable.

 

[Clive George]

"vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Clive George wrote:
>
>> You mean Aus/NZ/Canada, places with lots of space? Wouldn't surprise me.
>
> Even more than those. I've driven in 25(?) countries, maybe more, and only
> five on the continent.

Heh - did 6 on the continent on the way back from hols this summer

> The Bahamas was memorable.

?

cheers,
clive

 

[vey]

Clive George wrote:
> "vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Clive George wrote:
>>
>>> You mean Aus/NZ/Canada, places with lots of space? Wouldn't surprise me.
>>
>> Even more than those. I've driven in 25(?) countries, maybe more, and
>> only five on the continent.
>
> Heh - did 6 on the continent on the way back from hols this summer
>
>> The Bahamas was memorable.
>
> ?
>
> cheers,
> clive

They drive like nut cases in Nassau. And they don't let up on the horn.
Left Turn, sound horn warning. Right Turn, sound horn warning. Pass,
sound horn warning. Start the car, sound horn warning. They drive with
one hand on the wheel and the other on the horn when not changing gears.

Memorable.

 

[Marty]

> Jon_C wrote:
> Well I just bought a bike after moving to the US and to my surprise,
> half way down a steep gravel driveway, discover that squeezing the
> left lever applies the front brake.
> Is this the way for all US bicycles? How do you cope if you ride a
> motorbike with the front brake on the right??

When I had a motorbike (GSXR750), the rear brake was applied via a foot
lever. The front brake via a hand lever. The other hand lever is the
clutch, the other foot lever is the shifter. You mees this up, you die -
so, you don't mess it up. I never found it to be an issue.
--
Marty

 

[Marty]

"Marty" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> Jon_C wrote:
>> Well I just bought a bike after moving to the US and to my surprise,
>> half way down a steep gravel driveway, discover that squeezing the
>> left lever applies the front brake.
>> Is this the way for all US bicycles? How do you cope if you ride a
>> motorbike with the front brake on the right??
>
> When I had a motorbike (GSXR750), the rear brake was applied via a foot
> lever. The front brake via a hand lever. The other hand lever is the
> clutch, the other foot lever is the shifter. You mees this up, you die -
> so, you don't mess it up. I never found it to be an issue.

And I rode both just about every day - when I had both - until I had
children and sold the GSXR for a minivan. :-(
--
Marty

 

[Jambo]

"Clive George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> I didn't have that trouble in other Commonwealth countries.
>
> You mean Aus/NZ/Canada, places with lots of space? Wouldn't surprise me.
>

Aus/NZ have smaller individual parking bays than the US.

 

[Michael Press]

In article
<[email protected]>
,
Jon_C <[email protected]> wrote:

> Well I just bought a bike after moving to the US and to my surprise,
> half way down a steep gravel driveway, discover that squeezing the
> left lever applies the front brake.
> Is this the way for all US bicycles? How do you cope if you ride a
> motorbike with the front brake on the right??

Not all. Mine are in the USA and the right lever
operates the front brake.

--
Michael Press

 

[!Jones]

On Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:11:18 -0700, in rec.bicycles.tech jim beam
<[email protected]> wrote:

>disconnect the switch on the key barrel! unplug the wires that go the
>the bleeper unit!
>
>buy the factory service manual for the vehicle, read the circuit
>diagram, go from there. unless your vehicle has some bizarre
>dependency, it's totally doable.

Oh, I don't doubt that a bit. I just expect it to be easy... like my
I prefer my women.

Jones

 

[Tom Nakashima]

"vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tom Nakashima wrote:
> As far as confusing, I would say British shifting on a
>> motorcycle.
>
> Try working the shift lever in a car with your left hand. That can be
> harder to get used to than driving on the other side of the road.

lol....I once had a BSA Goldstar, more confusing than British shifting and
the above was figuring out the Lucas electronics system.

The British had some jewels however;
British Spitfire
Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II
1965 Triumph Bonneville 650
1962 XKE Jaguar
the Beatles
Actor Robert Shaw; "ya know the worst thing about a shark Chief?... the
eyes, the black eyes Chief"
-tom

 

[Tom Nakashima]

"vey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tom Nakashima wrote:
> As far as confusing, I would say British shifting on a
>> motorcycle.
>
> Try working the shift lever in a car with your left hand. That can be
> harder to get used to than driving on the other side of the road.

Still waiting to hear from some of you Brits, that word; "Double Clutch"
-tom