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Aprilia Mana 850
About 95% of the cars on the road today have automatic transmissions. It seems that most folks would rather not shift for themselves, but the automatic trend is just now trickling into the motorcycle world. And this week our shiftless bike tester, Brian Robinson, has a two-wheeler for us that could start a flood. – John Davis
But don't call it an automatic-this is a Sportgear transmission, which works, ironically enough, just like a CVT automatic transmission with manual modes. What separates it from more traditional automatics is the ability to manually select gears not only with the push of a button, but also with the traditional left-side-mounted foot shifter. But I prefer to use the buttons, but due to their location, expect to hit the horn button a few times until you get used to where everything is. Four different operating modes include Sport, Rain, Touring, and SportGear manual which provides seven gear ranges.
Power is delivered to the rear wheel by a right-side-mounted chain. The unique styling of the Mana reminds me of some type of sci-fi insect ready to eat up the road and whatever else gets in the way, with its large eye-like headlight and mirrors that stick way up like antennae. Wheelbase is a short 57.6 inches, and overall weight comes in around 500 pounds. The two-piece seat feels a bit firm at first, but just about right after an hour or two in the saddle. The long, almost horizontally-mounted left side rear shock is attached to a dual-sided aluminum alloy swingarm which holds a 180 rear tire. Brakes are typical dual discs up front, single disc in the rear. They're not quite super-bike spec, but work great for anything this side of track days.
The 4.2-gallon tank is actually located underneath the seat, which makes room for one of the coolest features on this bike, and that is the large storage compartment where the traditional tank would be. Why has no one thought of this before? You could easily store a weekend's worth of gear in here. Plus, it's lighted and even has a power outlet for keeping your electronics charged. Riding the Mana 850 is certainly a unique experience. At the risk of losing my "man card," I'll say I really didn't miss shifting all that much, especially in traffic-congested riding. It's actually nice not having to remember what gear you're in or worry about downshifting to hit that small hole that just opened up in traffic-just whack the throttle and git-r-done. And don't forget, you are in neutral when the engine isn't running, so be sure to set the left-side-mounted parking brake. But the biggest surprise of all in the Mana 850 is the price, coming in at just $9,899. That may be a bit more than some of its mid-size sport bike competition, but none of them offer Italian style or a unique transmission. The Mana 850 is a well-designed, easy-to-ride motorcycle with enough unique features to make it stand out. Its automatic transmission is more than just a gimmick to lure scooter riders into the full-size motorcycle market. It's 100% a real, sporty motorcycle and if more manufactures follow Aprilia's lead we may all be doing a lot less shifting in the future.
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When you think of Italian motorcycles, you think of styling, big performance, and a big price to go with it. What you don't think of are automatic transmissions. But, this Aprilia Mana 850 might just change that.
On the power making side of the transmission is a fuel-injected, water-cooled, 839cc 90-degree V-twin that puts out 76 horsepower, sending spent gasses through a large stainless steel muffler that unfortunately mutes its Italian song a bit too much.
The big speedometer and digital readout glow red at night, and being an automatic, I guess they felt no need for a tachometer, though there are a series of shift lights across the top of the gauge pod that illuminate when you are in Sportgear mode.