kind of OT, but i can push my shifter out of gear (any gear) without even pushing in the clutch... is this normal??

 

YES, you can do this with any manual tranny. Coming OUT of gear (without clutch) into neutral is easy. Just don't do it too slowly. Going into a gear without the clutch takes much more finesse.

 

hmm are you sure you can do that with any manual tranny? because before my S2K, i was the owner of the very first cover car for Import Tuner magazine, which was a manual CRX.... it had a built B18 and a 4-puck clutch, but it didnt allow me to pull the shifter out of gear without punching the clutch...

 

Then I'm guessing that when you tried this, your drivetrain was under heavy load, either accelerating or decelerating at the time. OR, since you had a "built" drivetrain, I suppose it's possible that there was some sort of clutch-shifter interlock although I seriously doubt that this was the case.
It takes nearly nothing to pull the dogteeth of one gear out of their "mated" gear. It would be like pulling a key out of a keyhole while both are spinning together. However, if you were to apply more pressure on the key either "with" the spin or against it, the key will be harder to pull out. If you apply enough "differing" force, it will be almost impossible and this is like the "heavy load" I spoke of.
Getting the key "INTO" the keyhole while both are spinning takes a bit more help.
People have been shifting without the use of the clutch since the manual transmission has been around, even this car. Although it is NOT recommended, it can easily be done if done right. So, logic only goes to say that in order to shift out of one gear and into another, you must first take it out of that gear and pass through neutral.

 

aaaah i see.... thats probably why it wouldnt pull out of gear... your analogies are great, BTW....