[nitrogary]

Introduction

Hello

I picked up a 2014 Aprilia Mana 850 GT ABS for my good friend who does not stay in the same city.












Until he comes over and picks it up, I had it for a few weeks and these are my first impressions of the bike. He has an R nine T and was looking for an automatic / suitable bike for his wife. The idea is to do two-up touring where she can ride for some time as well.
His other option was an Africa Twin, but these days mostly 2017 bikes are available. The 17 AT is a previous generation bike and does not have as many features as the 18/19 bikes. The scales tilted against the Honda for two main reasons - price (expected to be in the vicinity of 9-11 lacs) and height (for a 5 feet 5 rider, the AT is slightly tall for comfort. We evaluated lowering links etc but he decided against it considering the change in geometry etc.
Other alternatives considered were maxi scooters - Aprilia SRV 850 etc. These are rare to find in India and understandably so.
I don’t think there are many options for automatic transmission bikes anywhere in the world and the more I think, the more I am convinced that this is a massive gap which manufacturers must bridge.

Disclaimer: Please be mindful that my experience is in comparison with the BMW R1200GS which is truly the best SUV you can buy on two wheels. So the likes are really excellent and dislikes should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Likes
Excellent, usable 850 cc, 90 degree V twin engine - making 75 hp, 75 Nm torque
The 7 speed CVT transmission is magnificent
Neutral, nimble handling, sublime chassis
Decent weather protection
That uber-cool storage space where normally your fuel tank resides
Turbine smooth, superbike level acceleration
Ability to focus entirely on riding - no worrying about being in the right gear and stalling the bike

Dislikes
This bike was 14.5-15 lacs OTR Pune when new. No wonder they didn't sell as many of them.
High turning radius
Hard seat
Lack of tachometer
Poor lights / illumination at night
Not very comfortable for anyone taller than 5 feet 10 and 90 kgs.
Slightly narrow handlebars

Complete booking & delivery experience with the dealership, - Extended warranties & service packages- On-road price & discounts
The bike, the seller and the buyer were all in different cities of India. Hence, the transaction was done over phone and electronic transfer. This is possible in today's day and age.
Thanks are due to BHPian HappySmiles. He has extensive experience with Aprilias having owned 3 and ridden the Mana, his views on the bike and connect with the service head made a lot of positive difference.

I am not at liberty to disclose the price but can say that it was a good deal and the buyer and seller would have walked away satisfied. This is a 2014 bike and has done only 2000 km on the odo. I wish the owner rode it more, it is a pleasurable motorcycle to ride!

The bike was delivered after a complete service and after replacing all fluids. On Tuesday, my friend confirmed that the payment was done and I was to get the bike for him from the showroom.
This is how it was. The 2014 Aprilia Mana 850 GT ABS.







Post Script: I searched the forum for any ownership review / test ride experience etc. There was exactly one thread from 2007 which I could locate when the bike was launched.
This is a (extremely) rare bike and having the opportunity to have it in my garage and experience it is not something one would get often. Hence I am trying to pen my thoughts for other riders out there who may be curious and interested in the Mana.

[nitrogary]

Riding experience

You can tell that as much as this is an exotic, it's a bike which is expected to deliver the goods for whoever asks and seeks saddle time with her.



Press the starter button and the v twin wakes up without a fuss. It is not loud, doesn't shake violently or anything.
There are 3 ride modes - rain, touring and sport. The manual mode will let you shift gears via the conventional foot shifter 1 down, 6 up - yes 7 gears as well as the hand operated controls like paddle shifters which are + / -

Conventional gear shifter


Paddle / button shifters




In rain mode, power and torque is restricted to 75% of max values and the response is slightly sluggish, however it's not bad.

A closer look at the engine


Left footpeg area


The V twin has two spark plugs which boost low end performance


The touring mode is best amongst all 3 and keeps the rpm and feel optimum. There is no tachometer so it's all based on how your butt dyno feels. The sport mode is not so much different than the touring mode and it does keep the bike in one or two "gears" lower resulting in higher engine rpms which are immediately felt. It’s a vibey engine in sport mode and I used it just to try how it feels. Same for the manual mode - I don't see anyone using this regularly on this bike.
The only exception is - downshifts are permitted at all times and it could help in braking. The bike is so refined that I don’t see myself or anyone regularly doing this with the intention of saving your brakes. They are very good and its best to use them generously.
It's launch is exactly like a scooter - start the bike and twist the throttle to go forward. One excellent safety feature is that the engine will shut down if someone blips the throttle with the side stand on.

The flip side is that you cannot rev out the engine to show off to your friends unless the bike is on a paddock stand lol!

The bike is capable of easily achieving close to max speed as advertised. I will not mention these speeds to maintain forum guidelines. It is most comfortable between 80-120 kmph range. That's where wind blast is in control.

My biggest surprise was how easily I was able to adapt to the unusual nature of the bike - no gear shifting and no clutch. So the left side is more or less fully occupied in focusing on riding.

Having said that, the brakes are conventionally placed - front, hand operated and rear, foot operated. It may not be a bad idea to move the rear brake to the left hand (like all scooters). They are Aprilia branded, but I am guessing they are Brembos. They have strong braking power with dual channel ABS. However, they lack progressive feel and are slightly woody. I like my brakes to give nice even feedback and the BMW GS that I have excels here.
They were virtually new and I could see the brake pads and discs were not used at all. I noticed that the brakes were just getting bedded in.



Parking brake
The bike comes with a special parking brake which is a cable operated brake. There is no way you can park the bike in a gear on a slope. So the risk of it rolling off the side stand is very real. Hence this is an absolutely essential feature. You can see the small brake which is activated using this brake here along with a regular brake.


Parking brake disengaged


And engaged


Both suspensions are made by Sachs, which means they will be top spec and good quality. Front is 43 mm upside down and rear is adjustable for damping and stiffness. I am yet to experiment around the suspension setup, but there does not seem much to fiddle around with.



Sorry about the poor image.




Alloy wheels
Tires are currently stock and need replacement as they are manufactured in 2012. However, they have covered very little kms, so I am ok to ride with them a little carefully. Recommended tire pressure is 2.5 bar (36 psi) and 2.3 bar (32 psi)



My first ride (other than bringing it home) was with two really special bikes - a Tuono 1100 V4 and a 675 Daytona. They both were extremely surprised with the pull of the Mana GT as it was very quick. Riding in traffic was no hassle either as the bike is beautifully balanced and I could zip around heavy traffic hassle free.









Giving this bike back to the actual owner might be one of the hardest things I have had to do!

[nitrogary]

Continued..

When you sit on the bike this is how you are welcomed



Special features.

The bike comes with two interesting features. One is the storage space where you'd normally have a fuel tank. And the fuel tank is located below the pillion seat (just like a scooter).



This can be opened with a button on the left had switch (which says open) and a flap which is below the pillion seat





Inside the storage, you have a battery tender connector



And a storage light with a 12v charging port



It gobbled up a Schuberth C4 modular helmet!



View from further



Refueling the bike



Fuel cap looks just like the one on my SR 150.


The seat opens only with the key in its slot at the back





With the seat up




Lights

As usual, stock lights are barely sufficient at night. But are much better than most bikes I have seen.



Ergonomics

You'd be cramped if are you are any taller than 5 feet 10. This is a medium sized bike. Some pics of me on it for your reference

[nitrogary]

Here are some more pics for your viewing pleasure

My garage for 2 weeks.. 2017.5 BMW R1200GS Pro, 2014 Aprilia Mana 850 GT ABS and 2016 Aprilia SR 150.





On a morning ride when my friend wanted to ride the GS and I was on the Mana















The day finally arrived for my friend to take it. He is super happy with the bike. The gamble paid off.





On the voyage home..













Thanks for reading
Will try to keep the thread updated with progress of the bike.

[surjaonwheelz]

Excellent find and the bike is a keeper for sure. I read up some reviews and buzz around the Mana GT on the internet after you shared pictures of the bike.

It seems it was written off as a maxi-scooter alternative, being automatic along with the storage and gas tank swapping locations! But it was greatly accepted later due the sheer convenience as a tourer. There are still some quirky bits around.
- No neutral (N)
- Parking brake lever
- No tachometer

Next time your friend is in town let's go for a ride or we can ride to meet him in his town!

One thing I wanted to share is the exhaust header of the lower cylinder seems precariously low as per our conditions. Some custom bash plate can be installed to protect it.

Thanks for sharing, I'm sure many of us here doesn't even know such a bike existed.

Cheers,
surjaonwheelz

[//M]

Lovely thread nitrogary.

The first time I saw a Mana 850 in flesh was at the Aprilia showroom in Pune, back in 2014. It looked very quirky to me, probably because of the combination of a CVT, massive storage space instead of the fuel tank, a meaty looking exhaust but on the left side, fuel filler under the seat - things that I had not seen on a motorcycle ever before.

Also, the Mana didn't gain much of my attention thanks to a gorgeous Aprilia RSV4 APRC Factory sitting pretty on display at the Pune dealership, right next to the Mana 850GT.

However when I read more about the motorcycle, I realised how perfectly it bridges the gap between a maxi-scooter and a motorcycle. Your beautiful write-up and the detailed pictures do prove this to a great extent. The Mana looks like one of those most practical motorcycles out there. Some riders seek speed and handling, some seek comfort, some seek go-anywhere ability, some seek appeal, I am sure there would be a lot of riders who seek practicality in a big bike. The Mana delivers just that !

Thanks for sharing this wonderful thread. Makes for a great Monday morning read.

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by nitrogary

Introduction

Hello

I picked up a 2014 Aprilia Mana 850 GT ABS for my good friend who does not stay in the same city.

Post Script: I searched the forum for any ownership review / test ride experience etc. There was exactly one thread from 2007 which I could locate when the bike was launched.
This is a (extremely) rare bike and having the opportunity to have it in my garage and experience it is not something one would get often. Hence I am trying to pen my thoughts for other riders out there who may be curious and interested in the Mana.

Beautiful write up and thanks for sharing the experience with such a rare bike. When launched I remember I was wondering how an automatic motorbike with conventional hand/foot brake controls would be. So you have also found that a lil vague

As for headlight, if the Aprilia does not have the BMW type Canbus system, I think the headlight can be easily remedied with a higher output LED bulb so as not to overheat the holder with a conventional higher wattage bulb.

Wishing the owner and his better half many many safe & enjoyable miles of riding.

[nitrogary]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Excellent find and the bike is a keeper for sure.

Next time your friend is in town let's go for a ride or we can ride to meet him in his town!

One thing I wanted to share is the exhaust header of the lower cylinder seems precariously low as per our conditions. Some custom bash plate can be installed to protect it.

Thanks for sharing, I'm sure many of us here doesn't even know such a bike existed.

Cheers,
surjaonwheelz

Thank you Surja! We will definitely get some chance soon enough to see the bike again.
Very interesting point about the pipes being exposed below. I didn't feel it was low in ground clearance. I have seen Ducati's with similar layout - mostly the Monster.

Originally Posted by //M

Lovely thread nitrogary.

The first time I saw a Mana 850 in flesh was at the Aprilia showroom in Pune, back in 2014.

However when I read more about the motorcycle, I realised how perfectly it bridges the gap between a maxi-scooter and a motorcycle. Your beautiful write-up and the detailed pictures do prove this to a great extent. The Mana looks like one of those most practical motorcycles out there. Some riders seek speed and handling, some seek comfort, some seek go-anywhere ability, some seek appeal, I am sure there would be a lot of riders who seek practicality in a big bike. The Mana delivers just that !

Thanks for sharing this wonderful thread. Makes for a great Monday morning read.

Thanks so much for the encouraging words Arunabh! Means a lot coming from you
The bike is a delight in terms of finding all midways and gives you the best of everything. I believe that it is a marketing failure more than a product failure. Aprilia should have just sold it as a regular bike and not promoted it as something "novel" or unique. As much as it is unique, people should have been allowed to discover it themselves.
Had Aprilia focused on showcasing its strengths - practicality, handling, just relative ease of operation, etc they would have done better. Instead they tried to sell it as something different and then people had higher expectations off it.

Originally Posted by Haroon

Beautiful write up and thanks for sharing the experience with such a rare bike. When launched I remember I was wondering how an automatic motorbike with conventional hand/foot brake controls would be. So you have also found that a lil vague

As for headlight, if the Aprilia does not have the BMW type Canbus system, I think the headlight can be easily remedied with a higher output LED bulb so as not to overheat the holder with a conventional higher wattage bulb.

Wishing the owner and his better half many many safe & enjoyable miles of riding.

Thanks Haroon! I was comfortable with the bike immediately and my muscle memory very quickly adjusted to no clutch lever and no foot operated gear shifts.
You are correct about the bike not having a CAN-bus (la BMW) so the headlight can be upgraded or even aux lights may help.
Yes I feel moving the rear brake up in the left hand is a wise move and both feet are free for control and you are feeling more like riding a scooter / non-geared machine.
I guess Aprilia wanted to remind the user that this is still a motorbike hahaha

Here is a close up of the rear brake hydraulics



A correction for the keen reader about a mistake that I made in uploading the pics in my earlier post. I have wrongly labeled the rear brake lever as the gear shifter lever. Here are the correct pics.

Please observe that the rubber mounted horizontal rod is adjustable on both levers. It is off center and can be rotated to adjust for your boot size and height of the toe box on your shoe. ADV bike riders will relate to this problem. Adv boots are really rigid and have a massive toe box. Its hard to get your foot under the lever for an upshift - especially while standing.

Gear Shifter



Rear brake lever.

[coriollis]

Wonderful thread Gary! As always your attention to detail is fascinating. Thanks to you, I am getting to see the bikes as I never saw before.
And that morning ride on GS was too good.. You were nowhere to be seen on the Mana and I had tough time catching you up. Thanks for that ride Gary!!

Lovely lovely review of the most understated bike I have seen.

Cheers
AB

[swapnil.awate]

Nice and crisp write-up.
One of my teachers used say - the best friend of a science student is the question ‘Why?’.
The chief designer of Mana has taken it seriously and questioned every conventional automotive practice to come up with unusual but effective product.

[raghu.bramha]

Wonderful thread @nitrogary. I am genuinely in awe of such a beautiful bike, and to be honest i was unaware Aprilia had this bike in their portfolio [Most people would not know as Aprilia made a fleeting visit to India and bailed out]

You have to credit the Italians. That simplistic design on Mana won't win any beauty contest today, but i am sure people might have appreciated when it was first released.
It certainly is quirky, i mean even the exhaust is on the left side i don't know how all these unusual features affect the touring capabilities. I mean, if you are in a remote location, how on earth will average mechanic fix this bike. I get nervous just thinking about it. But if you are a bit of a DYI person then might not be big issue.

I would love to own such a looker. Many may not appreciate it, but uniqueness sometimes just takes the focus away from greatness.

Enjoy your time with the bike. And keep it with you as long as you can. Looks like these classics are next to impossible to come by in our country.

[Shanky_1002]

Lovely write up! Honestly I was not aware about Aprilia having a motorcycle like this in their line up, only other automatic options popularly known were Honda Africa twin, Gold Wing and the VFR 1200 (discontinued). It seems like a quirky machine at first but I suppose the stress free touring abilities make up for it, also it does seem like a distant cousin of MV Agusta Veloce keeping a low profile, a rare find I must say.

[nitrogary]

Thanks for the encouraging words all!

Originally Posted by coriollis

Lovely lovely review of the most understated bike I have seen.

Cheers
AB

Yes, that morning ride was excellent despite being a very short one. Indeed the bike is really understated. On the GS, you don't feel the need to go fast at all!
I won't be surprised if the Mana is faster in corners than bigger and more conventional faster bikes.

Originally Posted by swapnil.awate

Nice and crisp write-up.
One of my teachers used say - the best friend of a science student is the question ‘Why?’.
The chief designer of Mana has taken it seriously and questioned every conventional automotive practice to come up with unusual but effective product.

Agree 100% here.
I remember reading a presentation from Aprilia marketing team. The focus from the engineering and project head was to make this as practical as possible without compromising on the Italian flair and elegance.
I love products which go outside the boundaries of "conventionalism" and yet deliver a superior experience. The Mana was just that. Its a breath of fresh air in today's world of conservative products where the only parameter which matters is bottom line.
Having said that, I feel the reason this bike didn't sell as much is marketing itself. They should have just tried to sell it as a motorcycle with some nice features and let users like us discover the beauty of the bike! Word of mouth and real world reviews could sell a lot more bikes than just advertisements.

Originally Posted by raghu.bramha

Wonderful thread @nitrogary. I am genuinely in awe of such a beautiful bike, and to be honest i was unaware Aprilia had this bike in their portfolio [Most people would not know as Aprilia made a fleeting visit to India and bailed out]

I would love to own such a looker. Many may not appreciate it, but uniqueness sometimes just takes the focus away from greatness.

Enjoy your time with the bike. And keep it with you as long as you can. Looks like these classics are next to impossible to come by in our country.

Thank you
I enjoyed riding the bike for a few hundred kms. When I took delivery, it had just done 2000 km. I didn't want to add too many kilometers on an otherwise unused bike.
It is indeed quirky with several unconventional items and is indeed a sexy bike to look at.
The thing that I love most about it is it's such a sleeper! Totally blows you away.
Regarding maintenance, its a relatively simple machine. There are no temporary fixes to electronic failures anyway. I'd guess the CVT is going to be fairly reliable.
You know what - the Mana is like that girl from school who you never paid much attention but only to realize that in college she's amazing! And not just attractive, she's a lovely person too to know.

I am guessing there are less than 10 sold in India, so it will be difficult to find such an example again. I already have dibs on this one so get in line please

Originally Posted by Shanky_1002

Lovely write up! Honestly I was not aware about Aprilia having a motorcycle like this in their line up, only other automatic options popularly known were Honda Africa twin, Gold Wing and the VFR 1200 (discontinued). It seems like a quirky machine at first but I suppose the stress free touring abilities make up for it, also it does seem like a distant cousin of MV Agusta Veloce keeping a low profile, a rare find I must say.

To be honest, even I wasn't very aware of the Mana before this. I only knew that they sold the Mana and Shiver when they launched the bikes some 10-12 years back. Never saw one before this either.
I have started enjoying riding automatics - the Africa Twin is just stunning and gives the GS good run for its money. India has a great potential for automatic bikes and hopefully manufacturers keep that in mind.

Cheers!

[raghu.bramha]

Originally Posted by nitrogary

You know what - the Mana is like that girl from school who you never paid much attention but only to realize that in college she's amazing! And not just attractive, she's a lovely person too to know.

Ha ha ha you've nailed it with that analogy . Several of my college friends fit that description perfectly, but like Mana, i don't have one

[nitrogary]

15 month update

Bike has 5k more added to it in the last 15 odd months. So odo stands at something like 7-8k km which is still very low for a 2014 bike.

My friend has added some panniers and few cosmetic changes which he loves to do. As always, the bike is stunning and shares the garage with a gorgeous BMW R nine T scrambler. It continues to impress us every ride and has been flawless and fun.

Here's some pics from various rides. Enjoy!