I’m very close to convincing myself I want to buy one of these bikes. The one I want is an 850 GT ABS, and it will have a restrictor kit fitted for 33bhp (it’s a throttle kit, cost about £150 to fit). I’ve seen one in the flesh and loved it - getting a test ride for me is hard (because I can’t actually ride one without the restrictor kit yet!) but I’m pretty sure I’ll be happy riding it. What I would love is to be able to talk to someone who actually rides one day to day, maybe meet up over a coffee somewhere and chat, perhaps even ride pillion (although I’m the first to admit that riding pillion scares the living hell out of me - how do folk handle not being in control??!?!).
So, if you ride (or have previously ridden) a Mana, please let me know
Out of interest. Are you interested in this bike because it’s an automatic?
If that’s what it is, then keep in mind that gears aren’t very difficult and your choice will be much larger.
One thing to keep in mind with the Mana (and Shiver) is resell value. Either of those bikes don’t sell well at all, so the second you ride it out of the showroom, it’ll loose a huge amount of value.
The main thing that puts me off a Mana is the terrible problems friends I know who have the Gilera GP800 which shares exactly the same engine and transmission have had with reliability, spares and support. One friend has had the engine in bits in a main dealer since August. Not the last August, the one before. The dealer can’t get parts. Another person had the crank shaft shear in two. Both bikes were under the original warranty. Maintenance costs are huge, because the belt based auto transmission has to be removed to replace the chain final drive so be mindful of the big 18,000 mile service. I have heard costs for this service of nearly £1000. Not saying I wouldn’t buy one, but it would need to be very cheap, and I would want to make sure I had a good knowledgeable and reliable mechanic who was familiar with the Mana near by.
Are you sure? I didn’t think there was such a thing as an “automatic licence”. It’s worth checking out.
I was only asking/saying because I went from a geared scooter (PX) to a bigger bike, and I was a bit worried about the gear thing taking a long time. I just booked an hour with a local training school and it took me 15 mins to get the hang of it. I never looked back.
I heard similar things about the mana reliability. Particularly the earlier ones apparently had some issues with electronics as well.
Then again, follow your heart, that’s what bikes are all about.
I’m sure, and there is! I passed my test on an automatic, and have an automatic license. There are reliability issues with lots of bikes … we’ll see how it goes. Spanner in the works: I just found out that the new Honda 700cc engine (that’s been put into their new scooter) is also going into a naked CBF-like bike with the DCT from the VFR1200A. More details in November apparently, for sales from next Spring. Wonder how much one of those will cost new…-simon
Thanks Num, yes I’ve already spent quite a while reading that! More positives than negatives from what I can see (there and elsewhere), it looks like it’s just what it’s claimed to be - a real motorcycle but with an automatic box. More to go wrong of course, but the same is true for most “newer” things, you don’t not use the latest technology just because it’s the latest technology and might go wrong!
One of the things I really like is the storage where the petrol tank would usually be. Why does that not appear on any other bike? Surely it’s not an “automatic bike” thing, right? Seems like a clever idea…is it because of weight distribution or what?
Most conventional bikes minimise weight so dispense with storage. The Mana is deliberately aimed at people like you who are moving from scooters and are used to helmet storage so provides it.
Fair enough :-). Actually I’ll probably have a top box to keep the helmet in, but I do admit I’ve gotten used to having a whole bunch of things in the bike - waterproofs, warm clothes, lock and chain, torch, tools, and various bits of “stuff”! If I get the mana I’ll need to get top box and panniers to be able to go away for the whole week like I can with the scoot…
Sort of agree on scooter/storage thing, but you would be hard pressed to beat some bikes once fitted with a top box and (even slim line) panniers.
As an Aprilia owner (not a Mana) i would say the spares prices take a bit of stomaching, so you soon learn to sort out alternative suppliers for the routine bits. Probably stuffed if the transmission goes wrong though.
Having ridden a loan Mana, it’s effing awesome.
If I needed one I well might, but it would be interesting to see what the Japanese are offering next year before committing.
Indeed, I think I’m going to wait and see what Honda are actually going to release. Talking to the guys at Honda today, the rumours are that there is going to be an automatic version of the CBF700, using the engine they’ve put into the new scoot. If that turns out to be true, that’s got to be competition for the mana for sure!
It’s hurtin’ riding a 125 though. I might end up trading this for just a bigger scoot (that can actually do motorways meaningfully for now), and then longer term get a 2nd bike for fun (as I always planned). That 2nd bike might be a mana or new CBF700 in auto - or I might just do the manual test at last as everyone keeps saying I should
In December 2008 Clive Hamilton from west Yorkshire passed his bike test on an automatic scooter. “I did this as I just wanted a larger capacity scooter for the commute. I now see de-restriction coming up and fancy something bigger still, enjoying my riding and wanting to ride socially too, getting away at weekends with my wife etc… “ He said.“My eye is on an Aprilia Mana 850. But I’m concerned that my auto licence would be an issue, I contacted DVLA and they gave me a typically ‘grey’ answer. They said ’ you will need to enquire with the manufacturer of a specific vehicle to ensure that it is an automatic motorcycle’. As these bikes have a manual option, though no clutch, where does that leave me? My insurers said they would be happy to cover me on a Mana, but they would say that I suppose.
”Can I ride a Mana? What about the Honda VFR1200 with dual clutch box for the future? These bikes with auto boxes are becoming more common, so does an auto entitlement cover them for certain? If DVLA could give a list of bikes they consider ok, that would be a great help. I don’t want to have this debate with plod at the side of the road…”
Clive’s licence should show classification 78: “Restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission”, but he’s not limited to small capacity machinery. The twist and go market has expanded in recent years and his choice includes Yamaha’s TMax and the Gilera GP800, which has the same 850cc engine as the Mana with luggage capacity and a 100mph cruising speed.
But he can’t ride a Mana because it has a manual option, like the VFR1200, meaning that their legal definition cannot be as a pure auto.
Other bikes he can ride include the three-wheeled MP3 range like the Gilera Fuoco, the Yamaha Majesty 400. and the Honda SH300 or the FJS600 Silver Wing.
So according to that you’d need to take a manual test before you could ride either the Mana or the VFR1200.
The info in the MCN link is a pile of crap. Dabbsy got it very wrong, the DVLA have confirmed on the phone that I could ride the Mana (or any bike that doesn’t have a manual clutch, including the VFR-1200 with DCT).
A UK auto license allows you to ride any bike that is capable of being operated without the user applying a clutch to select gears [1]. Even if the gears are manually selected, like a Honda C90, as long as the clutch operates automatically the bike is auto for UK licensing purposes. A further example of this is the Suzuki Burgman 650 which is definitely twist and go, but also has a power button which automatically changes the gearing down to give a boost for overtakes. Despite the user being able to down shift like this the bike is classed as an auto as is any semi-automatic system, including pre-selectio nsystems.
It matters not whether the vehicle has a fully manual option, or whether the rider uses that option. What matters is if the vehicle is capable of being operated without using the manual option. As such the Mana and the VFR1200 are rideable on a UK auto license.
Note this is not true of auto licenses in all countries - however if the UK license is recognised abroad (like it is across the EU) the UK license will allow you to ride bikes that meet the UK definition of auto even if the definition of auto is different in the country you are riding in.
[1] The definition i nthe Road Traffic Act is IIRC “vehicle with automatic transmission” means a vehicle in which either-- (i) the driver is not provided with any means whereby he may vary the gear ratio between the engine and the road wheels independently of the accelerator and the brakes, or
(ii) he is provided with such means but they do not include a clutch pedal or lever which he may operate manually,
(and accordingly, a vehicle with manual transmission is any other class of vehicle);
