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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ question for you left handed guys out there ...
Posted by: SirAndy Feb 27 2006, 02:28 PM
i've got a question for you left handed guys out there ...
does it feel "weird" to have to shift with your right hand? 
i'm asking because i'm pretty much "ambidextrous" (both handed), i can write with either hand and use tools with either (yeah, yeah, i know, add lots of funny jokes here ...),
but when i drove a stick-shift in england, i was suprised that it felt somewhat more "natural" to shift with my left hand.
i had a hard time with driving on the wrong side of the road and i almost killed myself in a two lane roundabout, but i liked the shifter to the left.
kinda strange, huh?
Andy
Posted by: Aaron Cox Feb 27 2006, 02:30 PM
im the opposite....
im right handed... drove my uncles RHD mini cooper and it was wayyyy un natural.....
so if you reverse my experience... your right handed shifting should feel un natural.....
speaking of strange feelings....
i hear if you sit on your hand for 30 minutes, till it falls asleep.... it feels like a stranger.... -oops wrong thread
Posted by: jfort Feb 27 2006, 02:30 PM
I am left handed. I drove a manual transmission in UK one time. That took some concentration. Turning on to a street at a corner required concentration, too.
Posted by: Porcharu Feb 27 2006, 02:39 PM
Feels "normal" for me (lefty) - at least they don't move the pedals around in places that drive on the other side of the road, that would be hard to deal with.
Posted by: SirAndy Feb 27 2006, 02:39 PM
| QUOTE (Aaron Cox @ Feb 27 2006, 12:30 PM) |
| im the opposite.... im right handed... drove my uncles RHD mini cooper and it was wayyyy un natural..... |
well, i was born right-handed (if there is such a thing) but over the years, i taught myself to use my left hand.
now they're pretty much equal. i constantly switch between the two.
like, here at work, i have the mouse set up for my left hand, at home it's set up for the right hand (because the wife uses the computer too).
weird thing is, driving the left handed stick-shift felt more natural, which surprised me a bit ...
Andy
Posted by: Crazyhippy Feb 27 2006, 02:42 PM
I'm Right handed, and had a bugger of a time driving a RHD RX7. Damn left hand doesn't do what i tell it to 
BJH
Posted by: Mueller Feb 27 2006, 02:43 PM
i'm a righty....rented a "lefty" car in Ireland, took a few minutes to get use to shifting with my left hand....had the gas/brake/clutch pedal been switched, that would have been a PITA
Posted by: kdfoust Feb 27 2006, 03:06 PM
I'm a born lefty. Like most lefties you become more or less ambidextrious. Driving makes no difference to me at all from a controls standpoint. I do have to keep repeating "...driver go towards the center of the road, driver goes towards the center of the road..."
I do have a desire, no a NEED for a RHD Lotus Seven. I think that's a symptom of a mental illness that afflicts me not anything to do with being a lefty. 
Later,
Kevin
Posted by: bd1308 Feb 27 2006, 03:09 PM
i'm a lefty but i do most things using either hand. im ambidexterious.
b
Posted by: rick 918-S Feb 27 2006, 03:13 PM
I'm in my right mind (most of the ti.... well part of the time... ok maybe sometimes .) Never shifted lefty though. 
Posted by: bondo Feb 27 2006, 03:17 PM
My dad had a 51 Rolls that was RHD.. but it had a shifter on the right side of the driver.. wierd, huh?
Posted by: MattR Feb 27 2006, 03:18 PM
I had the exact same question, so my friend was driving his WRX around and I told him i'd shift. We drove around for a few minutes while he clutched and steered and I shifted. I didnt miss a gear, but it didnt feel right. I was thinking about where I was shifting, but in a high adrenyline situation where you have to react, I think I would mess up.
But I can only do one thing useful with my left hand...
... type
Posted by: Mueller Feb 27 2006, 03:20 PM
| QUOTE (bd1308 @ Feb 27 2006, 02:09 PM) |
| i'm a lefty but i do most things using either hand. im ambidexterious. b |
comes in handy when you are on phone talking to your girlfriend
"i've got the phone in my left hand, guess where my right hand is??"
Posted by: lapuwali Feb 27 2006, 04:05 PM
I'm strongly right-handed (I CANNOT write with my left), but I drove two different RHD Minis for several years, and generally had no difficulty shifting with my left hand. Switching between several cars, the biggest problem I had was remembering that the handbrake was on the right in my wife's car, since it's on the left in both the Mini and the 914...
Posted by: r_towle Feb 27 2006, 04:13 PM
| QUOTE (SirAndy @ Feb 27 2006, 03:28 PM) |
| i've got a question for you left handed guys out there ... does it feel "weird" to have to shift with your right hand? i'm asking because i'm pretty much "ambidextrous" (both handed), i can write with either hand and use tools with either (yeah, yeah, i know, add lots of funny jokes here ...), but when i drove a stick-shift in england, i was suprised that it felt somewhat more "natural" to shift with my left hand. i had a hard time with driving on the wrong side of the road and i almost killed myself in a two lane roundabout, but i liked the shifter to the left. kinda strange, huh? Andy |
Im a lefty.
Drove one stick over there....did not like it...basically I could not concentrate on the rest of the driving challenges, so I turned around, went back and got an automatic....
Funny story, we got lost on the way to a weekend golf thing years ago.
Stopped and asked directions...the lady tells us...go to the "magic roundabout" take a left...blah blah...
I asked what is a magic roundabout...she says...you will see...if you get through it without hitting anyone...its magic...
Basically a two way roundabout with mini roundabouts where every street enters...kinda like a circle with 5 roads coming in...
I sat there and laughed myself into tears it was so hard to figure out...
Finally, with no mercy the Boston driver took over, I went around the thing MY WAY...as fast as I could, and got out without incident.
I always hated the amount of car that is to your left when driving...near parked cars was the worst...I like taking cabs over there...
So, from a lefty, no I did not like it...because you have taught yourself to be ambidexterious, it probably makes sense to you....but then again,,,so does your hair...
Rich
Posted by: Headrage Feb 27 2006, 04:15 PM
I lived in England back in the '70s but had a U.S. spec MG Midget. I drove a buddys Mini once home from a bar and it was weird.
Posted by: Elliot Cannon Feb 27 2006, 04:43 PM
| QUOTE (MattR @ Feb 27 2006, 02:18 PM) |
| I had the exact same question, so my friend was driving his WRX around and I told him i'd shift. We drove around for a few minutes while he clutched and steered and I shifted. I didnt miss a gear, but it didnt feel right. I was thinking about where I was shifting, but in a high adrenyline situation where you have to react, I think I would mess up. But I can only do one thing useful with my left hand... ... type |
You sure that was a shift lever in your hand?
Elliot
Posted by: Aaron Cox Feb 27 2006, 04:44 PM
ALPHA made clutch and gas noises.... he couldnt figure it out....
Posted by: tat2dphreak Feb 27 2006, 04:55 PM
I asked my sister this question once... she's a lefty... but shifting isn't like writing, for example... since lefty was never an option to learn on, her learning to shift was no more foreign to her than it was to anyone... she's fine with driving a standard... she said she'd never even thought twice about it...
Posted by: SLITS Feb 27 2006, 04:59 PM
| QUOTE (SirAndy @ Feb 27 2006, 01:28 PM) |
| i'm asking because i'm pretty much "ambidextrous" (both handed), i can write with either hand and use tools with either (yeah, yeah, i know, add lots of funny jokes here ...), |
"How to avoid blisters on your hose - use both hands" by Sir Andy
Posted by: Elliot Cannon Feb 27 2006, 05:14 PM
Wait a minute... Andy's married?
Posted by: sj914 Feb 27 2006, 05:19 PM
I'm a lefty. Being in a right handed world forced me to learn to use things in a right handed way. The only thing I haven't mastered is writing with my right hand.
Posted by: SLITS Feb 27 2006, 05:20 PM
| QUOTE (sj914 @ Feb 27 2006, 04:19 PM) |
| The only thing I haven't mastered is writing with my right hand. |
Where is TBAMFH.....he used the word "master" and we all know what that leads to....................
blindness
Hey Elliot................
Posted by: airsix Feb 27 2006, 05:21 PM
Like tat2dphreak said.
It's really about conditioning. I'm a born lefty but I can do a lot of things right-handed out of necessity. You just keep doing it until you learn the dexterity. It'll feel natural after you've done it enough.
-Ben M.
Posted by: Cap'n Krusty Feb 27 2006, 05:51 PM
I'm a righty. I use tools with either hand with the same dexterity and strength, more or less. I shoot a rifle left handed, and it was really painful in AF basic training, because the M16 ejected into my sleeve. Burn city!. I cannot shoot right handed, and I've tried a number of times over the years.
I occasionally drive a RHD 356, and I become disoriented after I leave the car. Wierd. The Cap'n
Posted by: SirAndy Feb 27 2006, 05:51 PM
| QUOTE (Elliot Cannon @ Feb 27 2006, 03:14 PM) |
| Wait a minute... Andy's married? |
and she's in the (first) calendar too. twice.
once on the cover and also in the january pic ...
Andy
Posted by: Porcharu Feb 27 2006, 05:52 PM
| QUOTE (SirAndy @ Feb 27 2006, 12:39 PM) |
| like, here at work, i have the mouse set up for my left hand, at home it's set up for the right hand |
That's what I do - if I don't my right shoulder and my upper back give me grief.
Posted by: Elliot Cannon Feb 27 2006, 05:59 PM
| QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ Feb 27 2006, 04:51 PM) |
| I'm a righty. I use tools with either hand with the same dexterity and strength, more or less. I shoot a rifle left handed, and it was really painful in AF basic training, because the M16 ejected into my sleeve. Burn city!. I cannot shoot right handed, and I've tried a number of times over the years. I occasionally drive a RHD 356, and I become disoriented after I leave the car. Wierd. The Cap'n |
When were you in basic? July of 66 for me. Amarillo AFB. Sorry I guess I hijacked another one.
Elliot
Posted by: TimT Feb 27 2006, 06:13 PM
Im ambidexterous also... have drive shift cars in the UK and felt ¿just fine..
Posted by: d7n7master Feb 27 2006, 06:22 PM
| QUOTE (sj914 @ Feb 27 2006, 03:19 PM) |
| I'm a lefty. Being in a right handed world forced me to learn to use things in a right handed way. The only thing I haven't mastered is writing with my right hand. |
When I was in the 2nd grade, my teacher would hit my left hand with
a wooden ruler when she would see me writing with my left hand.
I went home & told my dad. He went to the school & had a 'lil talk
with the principal. The next day @ school my teacher was luvie-dovie.
No more ruler discipline!
When I got older, I got a job as a jet mechanic. I found that there were
jobs I had to do that required me to use my right hand because there
was no way I could get my left hand in there. After a few months I found
that I could use my right hand equally as well as my left.
I know it's a right handed world, but being left handed has always had it's advantages. I especially like being left handed when I play tennis.
My serve has hit righties many times before they could hit the ball.
The ball curves right into their body.
Gotta luv that!!!
When I broke my left hand I HAD to learn to write with my right hand.
At first my writing looked childish - but over the next 3 months I got pretty
good.
-------
Here's a weird one for ya; I got a guitar from my grandpa for my 13th b'day. I wanted one sooo bad! My g'pa was so awesome!
(I didn't know there were left handed guitars...)
I was just a kid. So I took lessons & learned to play right handed. To this day, I still play right handed. Today, some of my friends play guitar left handed.I've picked up their left handed guitars & tried to play. Nope.
I suppose I've conditioned myself to what I've learned.
Ambidexterious? Maybe. Conditioned? 4 sure. Then there's the "scissor" thing -
Posted by: drewvw Feb 27 2006, 06:34 PM
I am left handed. Feels normal to shift with my right. However, a buddy of mine used to work for VW and got his hands on a euro spec GTI last year. Felt almost as natural shifting with the left....
agree totally with the ambidextrious comments. I can throw a baseball both ways etc....
Posted by: Cap'n Krusty Feb 27 2006, 06:39 PM
| QUOTE (Elliot Cannon @ Feb 27 2006, 03:59 PM) | ||
When were you in basic? July of 66 for me. Amarillo AFB. Sorry I guess I hijacked another one. Elliot |
Got to Lackland in late April of '68. The Cap'n
Posted by: SoCal Driver Feb 27 2006, 06:43 PM
I'm a lefty too. After reading thru this thread I'm guessing that most people that are left handed are for the most part ambidextrous. My father said when he was a child he remembers using his left hand for everything then when he started school they forced him to use his right hand, not allowing him to use his left at all. I'm 26 and my father is 59, are most people in the same situation where they weren't allowed to use their left hand in school? And is that why the older crowd is ambidextrous while i'm heavily left handed? I never had a reason to learn to do things with my right hand. There are exceptions..... shifting, using scissors, playing guitar and golfing....but for the most part I do everything else with my left hand.
But to answer the origional question, shifting with my right hand is not weird to me since I had no other option. 3 years ago I did break my right arm and was in a cast for 2 months so i did learn to shift with my left hand when i got tired of driving my fathers spare car. Also a few months ago I did drive a rhd gti and shifting with my left hand took a little while to get use to, because I had learned to do that with my right hand.
I came across a saying not to long ago that I took a liking too.....
I may be left handed, but I'm alway right
Posted by: sj914 Feb 27 2006, 07:01 PM
When I was in the third grade my teacher never really cared if I was left handed as long as I could write correctly, but when she noticed I could use my right hand for things like using scissors, she used that as an opportunity to introduce the word "ambidextrous" to the class.
As far as drving a RHD I haven't had the opportunity to drive one. I have often wondered and tried to shift with my left from the passenger side (not really driving, but to see if it would seem natural) After about 5 minutes it felt natural like.
Posted by: kwales Feb 27 2006, 07:02 PM
I'm ambidextrous too..
Wrote with my right hand, threw with my left....
One day I'm in college writing equations on the board...
All the sudden I realized that I've done a board and a half of math with my left hand.... 
Asked mom and she told me I was a lefty but the teacher beat it out of me.... 
Found I can print but can't do cursive....
Next question is : how many languages can you speak since ambi's are left/right brained?
I'm at 3..... Andy is at least 2....
Never had a problem shifting and never drove Brit style...
Ken
Posted by: Cap'n Krusty Feb 27 2006, 07:09 PM
| QUOTE (drewvw @ Feb 27 2006, 04:34 PM) |
| I am left handed. Feels normal to shift with my right. However, a buddy of mine used to work for VW and got his hands on a euro spec GTI last year. Felt almost as natural shifting with the left.... agree totally with the ambidextrious comments. I can throw a baseball both ways etc.... |
That would be a RHD car, spec'd for the UK, Ireland, Australia, Japan, South Africa,and a few other countries. The rest of Europe drives on the right, just like we do.
Posted by: Elliot Cannon Feb 27 2006, 07:12 PM
I can throw with my right but I look like Aaron when I try to throw with my left.
Elliot
Posted by: smooth_eddy Feb 27 2006, 07:14 PM
I think us Lefty's just adapt. I have driven left hand drive, rt hand drive and an old tractor that was a center drive with the shift lever in the middle b/t my legs, on the tranny. As an electrician, I can use any tool including a hammer equally with both hands. It saves wear and tear on the body. Drill motors don't work well in the left hand though. They tend to twist out when the bit locks up. Eddy
Posted by: drewvw Feb 27 2006, 07:22 PM
So in conclusion....leftys rock! 
Posted by: "7" Feb 27 2006, 08:10 PM
| QUOTE (drewvw @ Feb 27 2006, 05:22 PM) |
| So in conclusion....leftys rock! |
Unfortunately, if U believe a recent study that stated that us leftiez live
appx. 7 years less than our r/handed buds.
2 me - I believe they're talkin' about the years I could have been better off
dead anyway. I never ever want to be a veg that my family/friendz
need to wipe my butt.
I'd rather see you in the next life - don't be late... (James Hendrix)
'nother leftie - duuuhhh.
Attached image(s)
Posted by: ClayPerrine Feb 27 2006, 08:17 PM
| QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ Feb 27 2006, 06:39 PM) | ||||
Got to Lackland in late April of '68. The Cap'n |
Wing wiper air scouts...... Lucky you two didn't shoot yourselves in the foot.....
Leave the shooting to the Army. We know how to do it right.
Posted by: richardmosselman Feb 27 2006, 08:36 PM
I'm a righty...but I golf and play baseball left handed Haven't driven a rt- hand drive yet,so don't know;but I do speak 3 langs?
Posted by: SirAndy Feb 27 2006, 08:42 PM
| QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ Feb 27 2006, 05:09 PM) | ||
That would be a RHD car, spec'd for the UK .... The rest of Europe drives on the right, just like we do |
almost all of europe is LHD ... Andy
Posted by: balljoint Feb 27 2006, 08:49 PM
| QUOTE (Cap'n Krusty @ Feb 27 2006, 07:51 PM) |
| I shoot a rifle left handed, and it was really painful in AF basic training, because the M16 ejected into my sleeve. Burn city!. I cannot shoot right handed, and I've tried a number of times over the years. |
You have a left master eye. I am right handed for writing and throwing a baseball, but everything else I do on the left side, including shooting. I have had some nice burn marks on the inside of my right elbow from hot shells, and I have yet to find a left-hand or bottom ejecting auto-loader.
I am also very jealous of you guys who can use both hands for everything. I would give my right arm to be ambidextrous.
Posted by: Aaron Cox Feb 27 2006, 09:18 PM
| QUOTE (balljoint @ Feb 27 2006, 07:49 PM) |
| I am also very jealous of you guys who can use both hands for everything. I would give my right arm to be ambidextrous. |
Posted by: GeorgeRud Feb 27 2006, 10:10 PM
I'm left handed and have had no problem shifting for all these years. I drove a car in the Cayman Islands one day, where they drive on the left side as in England. The RHD with left handed shifting wasn't so bad, but turning right at a four way stop with lots of traffic was a real treat. Try to figure out whose turn is next and which lane you need to turn into!
Posted by: PatW Feb 27 2006, 10:44 PM
I'm the only one in my family thats left-handed. No, aunts uncles or cousins too. 1st grade teacher tried to make me write with my left until my mom found out and read her the riot act. I eat, hold a pool cue and write left. Play ping-pong with both hands. Bowl right. Coudn't use a pair of sissors until a was 10. My right is my stronger arm Play most sports right.
Problem being left handed is with you get up in a unfamiliar house your natural instinct when you reach to turn on a lamp is to use your left hand but, you forget its on the right-side and end up knocking yourself out trying to turn it on.
Never tried to drive a right side car but, I think I could handle it, Maybe.
Woudn't mind having a left handed watch one of these years.
Posted by: plymouth37 Feb 27 2006, 10:45 PM
I am a lefty and used to work at a shop that restored all english cars. most of our shop and customer cars were rhd. after shifting lefty while running errands and test drives all day, driving home in a 914 was a truly disorienting experience! I am actually considering an rhd conversion on the teener, rhd just feels soooo good!http://www.356-911.com/modelinfo/914crayford.htm 
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