My take on Aprilia Mana demo ride

[fnfalman]

I have put off test riding the Mana for the longest just because I was under the misconception that it's an overgrown scooter and kind of beeing poo-pooing it.

Well, Ed@AF1 insisted on my taking it for a ride while I was in town, so who am I to say no? I took it for a good two-days ride but not heavy twisties though. Just putting around town and hitting the freeway and backroads a bit.

Well, I was dead wrong. This is a motorcycle albeit with a weird transmission. Very natural sitting position for me, and confidence inspiring handling. Micah@AF1 said that other than the Leo slip-on, everything is stock. The suspension is well sorted & damped for my fat ass of 210-lbs. The 90-degree V-twin is making more of a Ducati-esque thumping noise but with the typical Aprilia growl instead of Ducati basse. At freeway speed, it was super stable with great directional stability ala my BMW Rockster. At low speed, the damn thing maneuvers like a scooter - awesome!!! Brakes are more than acceptable for the type of bike it is - very controllable yet powerful enough to stop hard.

Surprisingly enough, even without any wind screen I didn't feel any serious windblast even with the 110-MPH plus runs. It would make for a great commuter bike. It definitely has more flair than the SV650/Gladius/Ninja650R/Versys/Monster runabouts. Pretty good gas mileage too, around low 40s-MPG, I believe.

The Leo pipe looks sexy AND sounds sweet like a typical Leo pipe for V-twin.

My main complaints are very few:

1. Maybe move the pegs to the rear an inch or two. Minor discomfort for me. Very minor discomfort, though I'm used to the Tuono's rearset so for people who prefer a more innocuous ride, the Mana's pegs might be it for them.

2. The vibration is wayyyyyy too much when set to SPORT mode, especially through the left foot. My left foot went numb within a minute of setting the SPORT mode. TOUR mode is fine for all around.

Would I buy it? Yes, I would...except for the funds issue. I'm saving up for Tuono V4 but otherwise I would buy it just for grins and giggles.

Awesome runabout.