Comments on: Aprilia 850 Mana Introduced

By: StaffWriter

StaffWriter — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:38:06 +0000

I like the concept of having an automatic bike. I don’t understand why having an automatic tranny on a bike is such a taboo subject. I have been reading motorcycle magazines and pining for a bike for almost a decade but haven’t got the confidence to learn how to ride one with a manual transmission nor do I want to go out riding a scooter, looking like an idiot (sorry scooter fans!). I think beginners would take very well to a bike like this and would enjoy the entire motorcycling experience much more without having to worry about changing gears and such. I may be wrong, since I do not ride and maybe I’m missing out on why the subject is so taboo since I am on the outside looking in. The Mana is dog ugly (while the shiver has a much more aggressive and angular look, which is pretty baddass) and would love for one of the Japanese companies (besides that big ugly Honda “C” model) to come out with an automatic transmission on a much sportier model, something like the Ninja 250. Something for a female beginner who wants nothing short of a sportbike full fairing look. I’d buy that in a heartbeat. In fact, I’d consider buying the Mana, despite its appearance, just to be able to enjoy a wonderful riding experience. Riders like guitargeek want to keep motorcycle riding exclusive, while the companies should expand their riding base to those who are intimidated by the whole manual transmission thing like myself. Ten years of yearning for a bike! I think I’ve earned it! Thanks, Aprilia! Next time, just drop that automatic tranny in a small sportbike package with a low seat height for about $6000 and I’ll buy it without hesitation.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:34:42 +0000

HangDog98 – I couldn’t agree with you more!! Although I haven’t been bitten by the racing bug yet, a test drive of this machine had me convinced 500 feet from the dealer. There are always going to be pessimistic views from those without first hand knowledge, and that’s fine. All I can say is if you see one at a dealer, ask if you can take it for a short spin. If you see someone on the road with one, good luck trying to convince them to get off it so you can try it

By: Hangdog98

Hangdog98 — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:44:12 +0000

I rode one for about 30 mins. I currently ride a ZX1100E with 130hp and a 6 speed box and I’ve ridden and raced for two decades. The funny thing is that the Mana’s 75hp is always there, I mean in Sport mode you are always ‘on the pipe’ and this thing just picks up with a twist of the throttle. The end result is that this bike can be punted along much faster than my 130hp Kawasaki on anything other than the autobahn. It took 15 mins to get used to but you soon learn to dive deeper into the corner, brake later, turn and get on the gas… HARD and the Mana is always at the peak of the power and stays there. On a regular sportbike gearbox there’s a whole lot more to do when riding fast along a mountain road. With the Mana, it’s point and shoot and feel the flow of the road. Bottom line? I’m selling the Kawasaki and buying an Aprilia Mana. I’m going to change the bars and CNC some rearsets, maybe change the color scheme for something more like Biaggi’s Superbike, but the fact is that I’m much faster on this thing. Let’s face it, gear shifting is already a computer controlled sequential operation on F1 cars and high priced exotics. This is definitely the future of motorcycle transmissions. I hope Aprilia releases a full fairing RSV style bike with this package.

By: Thomas Cat

Thomas Cat — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:44:00 +0000

Nah , ill stick to my Suzuki gsx250f Across, its got a boot and even though its 16 years old, it looks beter.
The auto is a good feature, but stick a fairing on it please, doesnt look good naked

By: Ken

Ken — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:59:15 +0000

This bike should sell if they don’t make it too pricey. I think they made it a standard to appeal to the largest range of riders. As compared to Honda’s hydraulic auto, magazine testers have been kinda critical of them in Honda’s atvs, whereas all the others use CVT. If you’ve ever ridden Can-am’s 800 Renegade with a CVT it comes come off the line very hard. I will definitely test ride one.