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I’ve been riding their Mana since August of lst year. Really great bike. Plenty of power, easy to ride, fine pick-up speed, etc, smooth shifts – there’s in fact no shifts, but there are “fake” gear if you want to shift tiptronic style.

Afew downsides; very heavy for a first bike (dropped it a couple of times already), can’t use the clutch for low speed maneuvers, etc. Also, it drops to neutral automatically at low speeds, till you rev up again – I’ve learn to control that but giving it a bit of throttle just to keep it engaged when needed.

Again, I do like it quite a lot. Wished it was a tad lighter and lower, but that’s about it. The only other automatic bike I know of is the honda DN-01 (too expensive) and the VFR(?), which is actually clutchless but not automatic.

Find it hard to think about going standard… But maybe do it sometime for fun.

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On a side note, does the theft insurance work? I was wondering about that (never had a stolen auto in my life, so not sure what are the “catches” about it… But I do wonder the same thing – a couple of times I wondered about drinking and grabbing a ride back with a friend but fear leaving the bike overnight on the street…

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Yep, already did the driveway drop (literally a 3% incline, turned around to close the gate and heard to loud (and painful) blang.

The over confidence thing is about ride, It was a good wake up call to remind me to take it easy.

Thanks for the support guys. Kinda needed the pat on the back. Now back to riding. And anymore tips (and preaching) are more than welcome.

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Thanks for the story, Senzo – so, basically after your experience, and in general, did you use mainly brakes or engine breaking when in rain – bit confused on that and would like to know what is the best speed reducing technique you favor in wet / sliding surfaces.

Thanks!

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I do notice that. I was just wondering if with the back brake, as with the front, there are “levels” and how to best feel it. I usually break with both, and can’t tell whether I’m overbreaking the back or not… No biggie, just wondering I guess. On the front it’s pretty clear the amount of pressure and etc, the back isn’t.

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I test rode the shiver, which has it, and it made the clutch very manageable, despite it’s 90hp total. There are 3 settings.

Pretty light bike.

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I’m pretty new myself. I took most of the msf on a the virago V250. Very easy to ride, but wasn’t a fan of the foot pedals, although I’m sure that could be fixed.

I did test drive a v7 guzzi, which looks awesome, btw. And did test a ninja 250 and an aprilia shiver. the V7 of all those had a very “touchy” clutch – basically the only bike I stalled of the 4 I rode. And I stalled 2x. So do ride it before you buy it to check it out.

All the other ones felt fine, but I guess you’ll find out for yourself on the msf.

Enjoy!

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You can probably try the ninja at the MSF – here in LA they had both the hyosung and the ninja avaliable. I rode the ninja250 and a virago 250 in class and did like the 250 better – on the short time at the msf.

Ended up getting an aprilia, standard (which I guess is closer to the hyosung in sitting position).

Review wise, the 250 seems to take more laurels. The hyosung is def cool looking though.

Enjoy!

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I’ve took the MSF on a manual with no problem but ended up getting an Aprilia Mana, which is automatic. I also tried the shiver (aprilia), which is similar, but more powerfull and standard/manual.

Here’s my conclusions so far;

Pros;

-The automatic does make it more fun to ride (imho), being I don’t have to constantly clutch and concentrate too much on gears. I can shift if I feel like, but can let the bike to the work.
-The bike is def fast enough (around 50hp on the dyna, 70hp claimed – 850cc), yet the throttle is very user friendly, very easy to ride, not scary. It will go if you need to, but no freak outs yet.
-Looks great and has a nice storage compartment.
-Less user error as far as gear and clucthing. Which I think is a big pro. I learned to drive cars on manual and drove them for the first 5 years of driving. Did get into close calls due to learning to clutch, etc during the learning period. I also read stories of pros stalling on low speed when caught by surprise. So there.

Cons;

-It’s pricey. I got mine at a bit over 9k (all taxes and fees included) new. A 2010 model with abs (which I wish I had) probably tops at 12k. Again, I really wished I had the ABS.
-It’s quite heavy at around 520 pounds “wet” weight.
-Friction zone doesn’t exist, and sometimes I wish I had it. You can still engine break, though.
-Neutral under 12 mph. If you’re not rolling the throttle the bike will got to neutral at around 10mph. A gentle throttle will engage the 1st and give a bit of friction. Not the end of the world, but slightly strange.

All and all, I’m still a fan and enjoying it quite a lot. And do recommend it, but keep in mind I’m a newbie and maybe you should take advice from someone who actually knows what they are talking about

About me – mid 30s, 5’7″, 145′ pounds. Only about 450 miles under ny belt, most of them on the aprillia.

Hopefully that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers!

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Also allowed for test rides, after signing wavers, etc. They have aprilia, ducati, moto-guzzi, mv augusta. Nice guys if you’re in LA.

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I’m just starting myself, so don’t got a lot of advice, just a sympathetic nod… And one piece good advice from a experienced rider friend; don’t worry about being “rude” to the other cars. I’ve notice that, when I slow down, usually they keep their distance and show some respect… Use your horn as much as needed, go on the speed that’s comfortable for you, own your lane (stay smack in the middle) and check you mirrors to make sure no one is about to run you over, which they probably won’t (again, when I slow down they either change lanes or keep their distance…).

Another advice. Don’t let the fear take over – I notice I ride much better while being safe but without hesitating out of fear. Get some good protective gear, ride safe and have fun!

PS; I highly recommend knee and shin braces, along with riding boots…

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Great article. Again, basically everything I did wrong, mainly ront breaking. It did shook me up a bit later on – not at the time, but when later when I realized that little fall cause 2 weeks of pretty bad knee pain, on both knees… Got some knee protection and slowly getting back on it.

As far as balancing the bikes with the knees, does that work on a heavier bike? Mine is about 550′ (I sure wish I could shave 100′ of it)….

Thanks again!

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Full newbie here, got a 530 pound bike. Easy to handle at anything except of runder 10mph. Just dropped it on my knee last weekend and let me tell you, it did do a bit of damage at around 10mph. So, yes the weight although not a huge issue, is an issue when it matters (ie – in you legs)…. On the other hand, the extra power did feel good and safe. So there…

Riding on the MSF should answer a lot of questions. Also, you may be able to rent a harley. Expensive, but hey, why not try before you buy…

I’ll keep updating as I go on. Good luck!

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Feet were on pegs, I think it was just entering the gravel sideways and then applying brake to sopt. Although my speed was slow, the fall happened quite quickly – I just had no idea how the bike was going to react on gravel. And I guess all the lessons above are good.

“I wish rider training classes spend some time discussing these topics. Some discussion, visualization ahead of the time on what to do, and some short practices can eliminate a lot of these unnecessary surprises.”

Indeed. Also, I wish there was a “mechanic bull” version of a bike lesson so you could learn how to drop from a bike, etc… Silly but hey, in a way it was good to find out the bike’s weight and respect it at a slow gravel pace.

Also, it did make me look into knee and shin braces, along with maybe hip braces. No serious injuries, but a good wake up call to gear up (I already have boots and jacket with protection).

Thanks for all the input and any more is welcome. And I guess I’ll have to go back to gravel and learn it this weekend, now with more a more carefull touch… And protection.

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I was in the same position a month ago. Complete newbie myself so can’t give advice, however, I would say go on and sit and feel as many bikes as you can, and during the msf, ask the instructors to ride different bikes during the break. That should get you an idea of what you like. And they usually have the rebel and virago on the classes.

Btw, I ended up getting a heavier bike (mana850), and so far my impressions are; riding it feels great at 15mph and above, throttle control has not been a problem. Maneuvers at low speeds however are tricky, and I already dropped it once – which I probably would not have done with a 250cc. 500′ is a lot of weight to balance when you start going down. Just got it last week so that’s all I know for now. Overall I don’t regret getting the bigger bike yet, but def wish it was lighter… Oh well…

Again, I’m really new to it, so listen to the most experience guys advice (like wzero). just wanted to share my experience so far.

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