Best road bikes: Aprilia Mana 850


Specifications

The engine is four-stroke, with a displacement of 839.3 cc. Cooling of the productive element is carried out by a liquid cooling system. The engine produces 76.1 hp. The fuel system operates via a carburetor. A modern electronic ignition system is installed, with two spark plugs. The engine is started by an electronic system. The gearbox is universal. It is possible to switch from automatic to manual driving mode. Switching speeds can be done using the control pedals and on the steering wheel. A metal chain is used as the main gear.

The bike frame is a durable steel structure. The shock absorption system consists of rear shock absorbers with adjustable stiffness. An inverted telescopic fork is installed at the front. The braking system is presented in the form of a double-disc brake element at the front and a single-disc brake at the rear. Disc brakes are made of stainless steel. Front and rear tire sizes respectively: 120/70 ZR 17″ x 3.50 and 180/55 ZR 17″ x 6.00.

You can also see Off-road tires for motorcycles

Main parameters of the bike: length - 2088 mm; width - 800 mm; height - 1270 mm. The fuel tank holds 16 liters of gasoline.

Aprilia Mana

During the struggle for the palm in the category of the most “motorcycle” maxi-scooter, the Piaggio concern decided to go its own way and, in addition to the fairly successful Nexus, add a very unusual hybrid to its lineup.

Story

In 2006, Aprilia brought a prototype to Milan - a motorcycle with a motor and transmission from a scooter. The device aroused serious interest, and already in 2007 the first production cars saw the light of day. The motorcycle had a rather original design, a gas tank under the seat and a full luggage capacity in the false tank.

The main feature of the motorcycle was its power plant: a two-cylinder engine borrowed from the Gilera GP 800 worked in combination with an electronic variator. There was a gearbox pedal, but there was no clutch lever.

The motorcycle was in demand, and already in 2009 Aprilia showed a touring modification called Mana 850 GT ABS, distinguished by the presence of a semi-fairing, a central stand and an anti-lock braking system.

For what

The choice of such a motorcycle can be explained by several reasons. Firstly, it is amazingly comfortable in the city, where on a conventional manual motorcycle you need to change gears often: the Mana and its scooter transmission do not require the rider to strain. Both beginners and ladies for whom a manual transmission seems complicated will appreciate this automation.

The machine is quite agile, and the low center of gravity and relatively low seat make it an excellent candidate for a first motorcycle. However, despite all its “friendliness”, the 800 cc engine vigorously accelerates the Mana to quite “adult” speeds, so you shouldn’t relax behind the wheel.

Secondly, “Mana” is a truly bright and unusual motorcycle – both outside and inside. It's not just the CVT, but also the gas tank located under the rear seat, and the false glove compartment that can accommodate a full-size integral helmet. In general, such a car will definitely not go unnoticed at a party.

Thirdly, Mana, especially the GT version, will cope well with long trips. Good (for its class) wind protection and excellent suspension will brighten up any trip; the main thing is to insure against problems with the transmission by fully servicing it before leaving.

Choice

It seems that not a single Italian motorcycle is without sores. Mana was no exception: the main advantage of the device - the electrically controlled variator - is also its Achilles heel. Yes, on the Gilera GP 800 the same power unit works flawlessly, but the variator is a regular, centrifugal one. This means no problems with two speed sensors, plastic drive gears of the electrically controlled pulley and the drive pulley itself.

In addition, the motorcycle has a lot of electronics. For example, in addition to the engine control unit, a separate transmission control unit is installed. All units are connected to each other via a CAN bus, and in case of problems, it will not be easy for an ordinary electrician to understand the system and find the problem.

A motorcycle is generally very tied to service: for example, without connecting to a computer, the owner will only be able to change consumables - oil, filters and pads. Even a new variator belt needs to be “registered” in the electronics, otherwise, suspecting something is wrong, the motorcycle will go into the stifling Rain mode.

In general, you can only properly diagnose a motorcycle before purchasing at an official service center. There, by connecting to a computer, they will be able to see when the motorcycle was last serviced, and most importantly, assess the condition of the variator drive pulley. As a rule, with good care it lasts 30 thousand, but it is worth cleaning it every ten.

Another feature of a motorcycle with a CVT is the presence of a parking brake. Often, despite the presence of an indication on the dashboard, they forget to release it before the trip, so it is worth checking its functionality. The handbrake has a separate caliper, and, as a rule, forgetful riders simply burn the pads. You can see the problem with the naked eye, and if everything is in order with the pads, then most likely it’s just time to tighten the drive cable, and there’s nothing to worry about.

And the last thing worth paying attention to is the fork leg seal: it can leak when parked for long periods on the side stand. There is no need to be afraid of this, just include the work of rebuilding the fork in the purchase price.

Tuning

Despite its popularity in some countries, aftermarket manufacturers do not indulge in Manu tuning. In addition to universal solutions such as heated handles and reinforced hoses, you can install a pannier on the motorcycle. Central - of any size and manufacturer, but there is no standard mounting platform on the motorcycle, and many pannier manufacturers do not have it either.

The easiest way out would be to purchase a suitable platform from the original tuning catalog, where they will ask for about six thousand rubles. There are also side cases, and if they seem too bulky, then soft textile bags will come to the rescue.

In addition, rear wheel huggers and windshields are available for sale, and sliders or arches will help protect the motorcycle. The latter are usually made to order, for an average of 10–12 thousand rubles. As for the engine and transmission, there are even fewer possibilities for individualization: the entire list comes down to traditional “zero” engines, power commanders and straight-through engines. The latter, by the way, in addition to improving the sound of the exhaust, will help to throw off as much as 15 kg from the rear of the motorcycle.

And it’s better not to get into the transmission at all. Yes, there are Kevlar belts and centrifugal clutch tuning kits on sale, but experienced owners strongly do not recommend installing non-original components.

Where to look

It’s best to start your search for a motorcycle by monitoring the advertisements of private owners: there it is quite possible to find a live machine with low mileage. It’s not difficult to find a device even without mileage in the Russian Federation; many companies bring them from Europe and Japan, including on order. “Mana” is still produced to this day, but is not officially sold in Russia, so you will have to look for “gray” dealers and wait for the ordered device.

Epigraph like: Everything stated below is my personal imho and I do not make any claims to the “ultimate truth” in any way. Bnxvs

Prelude…

Despite the “promising” title, I’m warning you right away - there will be no bullshit. It's simple - I like the bike and I'm quite ready for all its features and possible shortcomings. So. I found the device to be quite good, in terms of condition, since the odometer showed only 1800 km. Naturally, such a mileage figure is usually confusing when you are dealing with equipment that is more than 5 years old. Most often, a question immediately arises for the seller: “Did you twist it yourself and how many times?” ))) However, in relation to Manet, everything generally looked less gloomy, since few people could “twist” an absolutely uncommon ECU from the Magnetti Marelli company, which is not very well known in our “Palestines”. I thought so... and called. And in general, I was lucky, oddly enough. The seller turned out to be a completely adequate guy, almost my age. An avid motorcyclist. His mana was “steamed” in the garage, since he was not the only one or even the second one. We talked. True, the story lasted for 2 whole months, because... We live at a distance of 1500 km and the question of who and to whom could finally go was quite acute... As a result, I got a countermark for free))) Well, it’s a big deal - it happens))) My “counterparty” got hold of a trailer for the occasion and, having loaded it, waved it into mine side on the occasion of more or less decent weather (it should be noted that summer this year is still 1.5 months of continuous rain). I will omit the details of the everyday plan and any design. I think everyone who has ever bought/exchanged/sold a car or motorcycle can tell a lot of interesting things on this topic. Se la vi.

Actually to the point

Mana is a motorcycle stuffed with electronics.
Moreover, the condition of this electronics is perhaps of paramount importance when choosing and purchasing this model. More on this below. Everything related to “mechanics” is, in principle, solvable, repairable, adjustable, etc. and so on. with the help of keys, hexagons, hammers and Kuzka's mother. Naturally, you should pay special attention to the condition of the fork, brake discs, and pads. I especially recommend looking at the parking brake - yes, yes, the Mana has one, it’s a variator. Significant wear of its pads (a separate caliper on the rear wheel, below) will tell you that the mileage on the odometer is not a fact that corresponds to reality (our people will still break anything if they want) or that the previous owner was a complete goofball and I rode “on a handbrake”, which is also the same “horseradish” that is no sweeter than a “radish”. It’s worth taking a close look at the radiator (the consequences of long runs are always “on its face”) and the lower edges of the side covers, as well as the running boards - aggressive driving along gullies will immediately leave an imprint on them so that you can’t erase them))) As for the electronics, everything is somewhat more complicated here . Full testing of the condition and maintenance of all motorcycle systems is only possible with special equipment... Gee, that's how I bent it! In short, you need a device. Yes, not just any kind, but only two options: 1) the so-called. PADS - Piaggio advanced diagnostic system (yeah, if anyone doesn’t know Aprilia is actually a division of Piaggio, which produces the corresponding dealer scanner and software for all its two-wheeled rattlers); 2) cool, super-duper awesome scanner (well, at least judging by the price) TEXA Navigator. Don't be scared!!! Actually, when purchasing, you don’t really need it (but we’ll talk about when it becomes necessary, and what alternatives are a little later). If, of course, there is a shopping center nearby with such wonderful personal belongings, then you should go there))) But the lack of such opportunities is generally not a problem, because Mana has a completely sane on-board diagnostic system that shows errors and other information without any scanner. Immediately on the bike's dashboard. This gadget is called “Service Menu” and is called by pressing the joystick on the left side of the steering wheel (above the turn signal switch) once to the left. The joystick supports swinging left and right (selecting options) and pressing (corresponding to OK). Immediately (so as not to search for a long time if necessary), the main need is the factory password for the diagnostic submenu (“Diagnostic”) -
12321 A small digression - when I examined the bike, I immediately noticed two things. On the dashboard, when the ignition was turned on, the inscription “Remember to insert your user code” proudly appeared, and after that the wrench icon was displayed. (the photos are not mine, I took them right away, and only then thought that it would be nice to write... in short, I’m getting stronger with hindsight) Yoper tiatr - what kind of bullshit is this. Horror, atas, catastrophe. It's not scary at all. Moreover, it’s very gutt (as a German would say)! The inscription quite opaquely hints that NOBODY has yet been honored to change the factory immobilizer code (by default), as prescribed in the user manual. Well, we have instructions to read “it’s a waste”... and it’s true that waste paper is waste paper in Africa too))) This is a very encouraging sign, since it indirectly indicates that no one was screwing around in the tidy and electronics with dirty and hairy hands, dripping on devices salivating and giggling disgustingly. Naturally, you shouldn’t get hung up on finding just such a bike, with the code not replaced. Not everyone ignores manuals. And even on your first visit to the offline service, they will change the code for you anyway and recommend writing it down/remembering it, because... it is necessary for flashing new keys (if lost, etc.). By the way, DO NOT FORGET to do this even if you change the code yourself!!! Be sure to write it down in a secluded place. As for the "wrench". Actually, this is a reminder of the need for scheduled service. Again, as is customary with us: we changed the oil, changed the filter, tightened this and that, lubricated it and the sabbath. And here are the pipes. The bike doesn’t know anything about this! More precisely the ECU (on-board computer). It’s like hemorrhoids - you can even push candles, even smear lard, but until a practitioner takes a look, you won’t know what’s going on (although now smartphones have come to the rescue))) In short, in addition to carrying out the service procedures itself (I highly recommend checking the manual for list of works) you still need to reset the reminder. More precisely, as it is called in the Mana diagnostic menu - “redeem a service coupon”. Do we remember the password for the submenu? No? But it’s time - 12321 It’s a pity that the Russian language is not in the menu (it’s not a problem for me, I’m friendly with English), so if necessary, Google translator will help you a lot.

Continued here...
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