2010 Aprilia Mana GT 850

When the first Aprilia Mana 850 appeared, its versatility was immediately obvious. After all, the Mana has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) just like most scooters do, making the machine a snap to ride for newbies and car-crossovers.

But now, in GT 850 guise, with a fairing, adjustable windscreen, ABS braking and available luggage, the realm of usability has expanded even farther. With its torquey new-generation 850cc 90-degree V-twin and sophisticated electronics, the Aprilia Mana offers real flexibility for anyone with a variety of transportation needs.

Commuting, recreational riding, and now, even touring are all within this machine’s repertoire. The multi-mode drive programs—including fully automatic rain, sport and touring settings in addition to a manually controlled seven-speed program—dovetail neatly with the bike’s balanced package.

In its Touring mode—one of three “Autodrive” modes selected by a button on the right-hand switch housing—the Mana provides fully automatic propulsion in a seamless fashion. You just twist the grip and off it goes on a flutter of V-twin exhaust sound, stepping off firmly and accelerating at a fairly deceptive rate.

You don’t have to worry about being alongside assertive car drivers at traffic lights because there’s no way you can botch your launch. Without a clutch to worry about, outstripping cars simply requires a big handful of throttle. The automatic clutch engages smoothly, and the bike moves off briskly.

Many people have compared the peculiar relationship between engine sound and velocity on CVT-equipped vehicles to a slipping clutch, but it isn’t quite that. There is a peculiar extension of the normal engine buildup, but since there’s no loss of power between engine and rear wheel, clutch slip doesn’t really describe it.

Because of the CVT’s built-in control strategies, there is no tachometer fitted, nor is one needed. When you select the Sport mode, the engine runs at a higher speed in every situation, spinning closer to its 76-horsepower peak (reached at 8,000 rpm) for stronger response.

That’s okay for spirited riding, but it sounds a little busy to us, and in those circumstances we’d rather switch to the fully manual sequential mode, where the computer offers seven speed ranges in a very fair approximation of a regular gearbox. Except, of course, that there’s no clutch to work, and you shift at full throttle (with either a conventional-looking foot lever at the left or with a fore-and-aft switch at the left hand grip).

In the sequential mode, the Mana will rev to its limiter in whichever of the seven ranges you’re in, cautioned first by one, then two yellow shift-warning lights. At the Mana’s level of tune, there’s no real reason to redline it other than to prove it can be done, but we like that the bike provides an honest representation of a manual gearbox.

Shifts are amazingly fast, and lose very little time between bursts of acceleration. The third fully-automatic mode in Aprilia’s so-called Autodrive set is called Rain, and it softens power delivery for obvious reasons. Most remarkable about this clutch-less bike is the carefully calibrated low-rev operation. You soon find yourself performing U-turns and other low-speed maneuvers by just gently rolling into the throttle.

There’s no danger of ever stalling the bike. In fact, when slowing down, the Mana will run against engine braking until just above a walking pace, then smoothly disengage its clutch. Mildly tuned it may be, the Mana’s 850cc SOHC eight-valve twin is not slow. Wind it up and it drops the traffic off in short order.

Freeway cruising at 80-plus is pretty effortless, and you’ll get tired (from the windblast) before the engine does. The Mana also handles nimbly, with very quick response available from the moderately wide tube handlebar. Actually, the leverage is so good and the response so quick that one soon learns to be soft and gentle on the bars.

The non-adjustable 43mm inverted fork is fairly compliant, and the single offset rear shock has a remote spring preload adjustment knob along with rebound damping adjustment to help set the bike up for specific rider weights as well as for carrying a passenger.

The Mana’s only cornering deficiency is its relative lack of ground clearance. The side stand on the left side touches down before the left footpeg feeler at pronounced lean angles, which seems incompletely thought out to us. But other than that, the Mana is a pretty nimble piece, responding quickly to steering inputs, holding lines accurately, and demonstrating good stability.

The brakes aren’t bad either. Twin radial-mount four-piston calipers up front straddle 12.5-inch rotors, and while they resemble Brembo equipment, the calipers are believed to be supplied by a Taiwanese factory. Nonetheless, the brakes bite strongly at moderate lever pressure and feel entirely adequate to the job. And, of course, they now have ABS to prevent potentially dangerous wheel lock up.

Other than the noisy side-stand contact, the biggest problem riding fast, for this tall tester, was a comparatively cramped riding position. Being taller than average, the space problem is exacerbated by the stepped seating arrangement. Another of Aprilia’s middleweight naked bikes, the Shiver, has a contoured seat which allows some seating position variation. On the Mana, you sit in the niche provided, and it’s not always optimal for tall riders during sporty riding.

But one can tolerate less than ultra-sporty handling in such a versatile model. The GT 850 is comfortable for both commuting and touring, with a reasonably supple ride on most surfaces. The undulating concrete slabs of L.A.’s freeway system has the short-wheelbase Mana hopping like a frog in places, and I could hear my breathing jolting out in gusts as the motion pumped my diaphragm. But that’s true of many short-wheelbase vehicles on the same roads.

This is a good-looking bike, we think, with a dramatic profile and well balanced volumes. So it’s a pleasant discovery to find useful storage space under what most people fondly imagine is the fuel tank. Aprilia claims that the cavity will store a full-face helmet once the faux tank-cover is popped (by a switch on the bars, and it will as long as you place the helmet in the correct position. Which is with the shield facing upward.

But the top case that came with our test bike did even better than that, swallowing two helmets with a little space to spare. There are side cases available too, to maximize the Mana’s freight-hauling potential, but we liked the top case solution because the bike retains its narrow footprint for agile lane-splitting that makes life so convenient here in California.

Even without the topcase, the tank compartment provides a lot of space for a rider’s stuff, and there’s a handy lighter-socket power supply in there. Having some stash space on a motorcycle helps you forgive the Mana its small vices. And maybe also helps forgive how awkward it is to fill the underseat 4.2-gallon fuel tank. Perhaps it’s the vapor recovery sleeves we have on Californian pump nozzles, or maybe it’s just stupid design, but I seemed to waste about a cup of gas at every refueling stop.

Which makes the unsightly vapor-recovery carbon canister tacked onto the bike an even more contentious feature. But speaking of gas, the Aprilia designers were kind enough to provide a trip computer along with the multi-modal CVT. It’ll tell you your instant fuel consumption rate and your average miles per gallon (over 40, for us), along with average speed and the highest recorded speed. But it won’t forecast how much further you can go with what’s left in the tank.

Range is probably the single most useful bit of data that trip computers can provide, but it isn’t in the Mana’s repertoire. So, even with all those willing little electrons at your service, you still have to figure your range by the trip meter. Not a really big deal, since the Mana has considerable charm on its side, along with the versatility described earlier. It’s an imaginative leap into the future, catering to a rider that needs a daily commuter as well as something suitable for a little light-duty touring and even a spot of low-intensity canyon carving.

As a jack-of-all-trades, the Mana GT 850 does everything pretty well. Still, judging from responses to the bike from the community, opinion is polarized. Some like the concept; some hate it. In itself, that’s not a problem. But priced at $11,599, the Aprilia Mana GT 850 is more expensive than just about all of its marketplace rivals. For many, that may be a problem more difficult to overcome than the strange (to some) scooter-style transmission.

Nonetheless, with its useful cargo compartment, the available luggage, the easy-to-use nature of the bike, and its sensible balance between performance and economy, the Mana GT 850 offers a combination that is not available on any other motorcycle. In this case, unique is good.

Beginner Riders

We would not expect beginners to pay the kind of premium necessary to get on a relatively exotic Italian machine like this one, but the CVT would certainly make the task easier. The provision of a Rain mode in the ride-by-wire system would likely prove useful for riders unsure of themselves on high-output bikes, and the anti-lock braking system is an invaluable safety aid to riders of all experience levels.

But we’d still suggest a cheaper, lighter motorcycle for riders at the beginning of the learning curve.

Intermediate Riders

This Aprilia will probably suit intermediate riders perfectly, equipped as it is with the various electronic systems detailed above. Having a broad operating envelope, with moderate chassis and steering geometries makes the Mana an easygoing machine for every-day operation.

Expert Riders

The GT 850 might not have the power, the ground clearance, or the close focused sporting character to satisfy hardcore sportbike adherents, but experienced riders will have few complaints about using the Aprilia in the day-to-day situations for which it has been adapted.

The bike has reasonable comfort levels and fair wind protection for long trips, along with the optional luggage to make those trips possible. The fuel consumption is tolerably low, and the open-road performance is adequate. The CVT makes commuting a snap, and the bike’s compact dimensions and relatively low mass lends easy handling in constricted urban environments.

Possibly of more significance to experienced riders is the Mana GT 850’s unique personality. Some people may find it peculiar, but hardly anyone would consider it boring.