All clutch duties are performed by a computer, which makes for surprisingly smooth and quick upshifts — downshifts even more so. The computer also pulls the clutch in when you come to a stop or when the motorcycle is in danger of stalling.
To ride away on the AE, pull the front brake lever and hit the starter button. To shift by foot (it's not a shift lever per se, it's a switch), just pull up like a "normal" motorcycle, you'll feel the gear engage and the handy indicator on the dash will show "1." Because the auto clutch doesn't need to fish around in the tranny, neutral is at the bottom of the shift pattern.
Or (and this is really cool) push a button on the left switch pod and shift by finger. To upshift, simply pull back on the little lever with your left forefinger and to downshift, either use your thumb on the lower rocker (which will probably hit the horn button the first few times) or just push the lever forward with the same finger. Slick. Once this button is activated, you can shift either with finger or foot — it doesn't matter.
At this point, just twist the throttle and ride away like any other motorcycle, but when upshifting, the system actually works better if you don't roll off the throttle.