Once running, the clutch and throttle are just like those you are used to (mostly, though Indians can be different, and a few late vintage bikes still have 'lever throttles' instead of twist-grips). However, the gear change may be a worry. If you are used to Japanese bikes, a 1930s lever is likely to be on the wrong side, and will require some thought for a while - but you will get used to it, and even to swapping between that and the later bike. Ride cautiously though; it is in an emergency that you will forget and tread on the wrong pedals, so try to avoid emergencies for a while.
Unfortunately, the English system itself never standardised which way the gears go, so both 'one up' and 'one down' were widely used. Alternatively, the gearchange is likely to be a lever on the tank-side, Oh dear! But it isn't a big problem, and may even result in the rear brake pedal being back on the 'modern' side under your right foot. Even if you like a 'snap shut' throttle, rather than using the Amal friction adjuster to hold it open, the flywheels on old engines keep things turning, so taking your hands off to manipulate the gear lever isn't a big deal, once you have learned to find it without looking (and which way it goes, because that wasn't standard either). A blip of the throttle, for a downchange, will last plenty long enough to go for the gearlever, and only on really steep hills (like those in Cornwall) do you need to be really snappy, to get a downchange done before the modest speed has gone into reverse! Steep hills may also call for a bit of retard on the ignition, as do traffic halts, but most bikes will otherwise run fully advanced most of the time.
On the road it may feel slow, spindly, and odd at first, but all of that goes away quickly enough. The only other thing to note is the brakes, or in some cases, the lack of brakes. It depends on your model. Rudges had nice, big, brakes through the Thirties (after their poor ones of the Twenties), but on some other machines you will find more marginal brakes, especially on the front. This wasn't just cheese-paring by the makers. Tyre rubber wasn't made by Araldite then, and many roads were surfaced with horse excrement instead of tarmacadam. Front brakes frightened riders, so manufacturers made them modest, only growing bigger as speeds increased and roads modernised. Most bikes' brakes can be persuaded to pass the MoT (but watch this space, as the new computerisation may throw up some new problems - PUB would like to hear if you meet any), but they will never come up to modern superbike standards.
[page 3]