The Stick Shift

In 2020, on average, between 30% - 40% of all cars sold were automatic transmissions. In 2025, that figure has jumped up to somewhere between 60% - 70%. In western countries like the US, automatic transmission rules the roost. Over 90% of all new cars sold are automatic transmissions. In the US, cars with manual transmissions are for racers, off-roaders and some hardcore enthusiasts only. In fact, with the advent of EVs, manual transmissions are increasingly becoming obsolete. Even in India, which has been a market where manual transmissions dominated, automatics have grown exponentially (from 20% in 2020 to almost 40% in urban markets in 2025). It's easier, more convenient and with the advent of CVTs (continuous variable transmission), doesn't really impact your mileage. A no brainer right?

I learnt driving/riding when I was 18. That's a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Since then, I've always used a stick shift for cars and the good ol' five speed or six speed gearbox for my motorcycles. Occasionally, I have driven the automatic transmission. Occasionally . . when I've rented a car or a moped on vacations. But by and large, I've stuck to my guns. Given that I am an early adopter of new technologies in almost everything, I am puzzled by my own reluctance to move to auto-mode! I was using a computer before they became ubiquitous in computer labs in school. I was using Linux before it became cool with Android. I had switched from watches to fitness trackers long before their readings became reasonably accurate. For a long time, this one remaining bastion of low-tech usage puzzled me. 

Recently, I've started to realize why though. It's not about tech at all. it's about sanity in an ever changing world. It's about a level of control that you might be missing everywhere else in life. I discovered this coincidentally, on one of my rides. To explain that, I will have to take a step back and also explain a bit about the experience of using manual transmission. Surprisingly, this is necessary as more and more people (especially young adults) have simply never used a stick shift or ridden a motorcycle with gears. The transmission (also called a gearbox) is basically a set of gears of different sizes connected together. The transmission's purpose is to transfer power from the engine to the wheels through the gears (simplistically speaking). The low gears (1st and 2nd) use a small input gear from the engine, connected to a large output gear to the wheels. This combination delivers high torque and low speed. Greater pulling force to get the vehicle moving. The high gears (5th and 6th) use a large input gear from the engine, connected to a small output gear to the wheels. This delivers low torque but high speed since the input gear has to move fewer times to turn the wheels. 

Keeping the technicals aside, as a driver/rider, two things are very important for shifting up or down successfully - the rpm and the speed. If you shift too fast at low speeds, you'll stall. If you shift too slow at high speeds, you'll redline. Both bad. And how does one know what's the optimal time to shift gears? The newbie rider is taught that certain gears have certain speeds that you must shift at. You put in 2nd gear around 10 kmph, 3rd gear around 20 kmph, 4th gear at around 40 kmph, 5th at 50 kmph and 6th beyond 60 kmph. For the most part, that holds true. That's good enough on flat roads, for average engines. But the higher you go up the displacement ladder; that doesn't really hold true. On slopes, the numbers change. And the better you get at riding, you know when to shift by the sound of the engine and the rev range. Every engine has an optimal power band; an rpm range when it delivers power and torque most efficiently. And the engine makes a different sound in this optimal rev range. It's a throaty purr. It's a satisfying fullness. For want of a better term, you can feel the engine is happy! At this rev range, the engine delivers the best mileage and yet gives optimal output. You know you've slid out of that "optimal zone" by the sound. You know you're back in the sweet spot by the sound. 

Why am I rambling on about the sound? Because that level of control takes time. It takes skill. They say you should never learn on a new machine. You are going to destroy a new machine learning it. So true. It takes time to get accustomed to each vehicle's rev range and the sweet spot for each gear. The more vehicles you ride/drive, the easier you find it. But till you get there, it's a lot of stalls and redlines and failed clutches, for which the engine is paying the price. 

For me, gears are control. They signify skill. Skill that I have acquired over two and a half decades of driving and riding. Today cars have CVTs, they have hill assist; motorcycles have quick shifters, they have ride-by-wire technology. But with each of these advancements you give over control to the vehicle. When I straddle my motorcycle or get behind the wheel, I do it to ease my stress. I do it as a form of therapy. If I am not in control atleast behind the wheel or on the handlebars, it's not therapy. In an increasingly volatile and constantly changing world, It feels safe knowing that I decide the pace atleast when I am driving. I decide when to shift up, I decide when to shift down. In the saddle, I know I am an expert. I am humble enough to respect the power, but skilled enough to control it. Humble enough to know it's dangerous out there on the road, and skilled enough to still ride out for hundreds of kilometers. 

I realized all this on a ride. When I was shifting up the twisties. That sweet sound got me thinking. This is not about the tech at all. It's about the last remaining bastion where I still have the feeling of control in a chaotic world. I know that given the convenience, an "upgrade" to the automatic transmission is inevitable. But I also know that if I want therapy, it's going to be manual mode that'll give it. Some things just never change.