electronic shift vs manual?

[senna01]

i am considering a new rts and am wondering the pros and cons of the electronic shift vs the manual,i have driven two wheel bikes all my life with manual shift and am looking for some input,also what is the rts like to drive vs two wheels,i really like the look of them and am seriously looking at buying one,again any imput would be welcome,thank you.

[docdoru]

welcome manual IMO.:D:thumbup:

[senna01]

i am leaning that way but,why do you think i should go manual? regards....

[NancysToy]

The decision of electric shift or manual is a very personal one. I, myself, would miss the clutch that most of my other bikes have, and shifting with my thumb would probably confuse these ancient brain cells. The choice is yours, and yours alone.

As to handling, it is different than the two-wheelers you have known. If you have ever ridden an ATV, you have the general idea. No countersteering or leaning the machine into turns. You steer the way you want to go, and lean your upper body or shift your weight into the turn. It is wider than a bike, so you have to account for that, and you won't increase the radius of the turn as much by cutting the corner. It takes some getting used to, but most folks adapt in a few hundred miles or less. I switch back and forth all the time with no trouble. You should also practice some avoidance and handling maneuvers outlined in the manual in a parking lot before you hit the road much. It helps a lot. Take a demo ride...or a couple. Neat machine!

[senna01]

thank you.i appreciate the imput,my wife loves the look of the spyder also and said she will ride on the back of it,so it looks as thou we will buy one,and i totally understand your thoughts on the manual...........lol

[timpani]

I was initially going to get the manual shift but changed my mind at the last minute. I am blown away by how nice the SE 5 is to drive although it took me a couple of day to stop reaching for the nonexistent clutch. I understand what Lamont meant when he said that he got spoiled when he drove the SE5. I love it!

[burg650]

I test rode both the SM5 and SE5 and decided to get the SE5, I liked how easy it was to shift and that I would not need to have my left foot in that position needed to reach the shift lever as I knew I would put some sort of a foot peg that would move my feet forward so it would be a more relax riding position. I have a friend who also has the SM5 and from time to time I ride his and each time I do it reaffirms my decision why I got the SE5 as I believe it shift so much smoother and is far more responsive and quicker but there is one down side the SE5 has that I wish it did not and this is I do not like how the system down shift for you and wish it did not but I have learn to live with this. I believe the decision on which one to get will be a personal choice as we all will have our own reasons why we ride a SM5 or SE5 and you should try both before deciding which one to get.

[TicketBait]

I ordered the SE5.

However I have been practicing on the Demo unit and it is fine, my shifting is not smooth and it doesn't come second nature yet. But the original Demo ride I took was on the auto and that's what I felt more comfortable with my limited motorcycle experience.

Since you have been doing it this way (manual ) for so long you might not wanna change. But I gotta tell ya the next fast car I get will be paddle shift too!;)

I think for touring that the paddle could be an added benefit in heavy traffic, but I have no experience to substantiate this.

welcome,to the forum.

[westgl]

Hi,

I drove both demo's, Semi-auto shift & Manual shift.

The Dealer said that they had been trained on how to ride the Spyder's and that there are two ways to drive the Semi-auto.

1. The first way is to shift into gear then open the throttle when it's time to shift close the throttle push the shift button and there you go.

2. The second way is the way I liked best, it is open the throttle and shift under power the brains for the shifting reduces the throttle to closed shifts then reopens it to the position you had it opened to.

I was surprised how quick & smooth the shifting was.

Westgl

[Wheeler~]

I purchased the SM5 thinking it was just something else that could go wrong. From what I've heard and read, the SE5 is the one thing that no ones had a problem with. I might have gone auto had I known that at the time. I'm happy with the manual transmission too and after years on a bike, I'm used to it being there. Like the hand break lever I still find myself trying to squeez every once in awhile.