Modern Vespa

I have, at last, parted ways with my MP3 500.

On to the next riding adventure.

Ride safely, and more importantly, smartly.

88 (just turned 89 yesterday)

Cheers!

Keep those 2 wheels spinning. 8)

We will miss your insight.

Wayne B

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Alverderzane...

happy b-day and come back every once in awhile just to say hi.

88..Any words of wisdom about life?

Hey 88 - were you the one looking at the Aprilla Mana 850? If so, and if you end up getting one, please check back in long enough to let us know your thoughts. That bike has intrigued me.

89,

Happy belated birthday. Do drop in from time to time. We will most certainly miss your knowledgeable contributions to this forum, as well as your satire. I will probably also be seeing you over on the AF1 forums as I too am planning on purchasing a Mana, but I will be keeping the MP3-500, at least until the MP3-850 comes out.

Congrats on your 89th., and many more.
What is your next riding adventure??

Congrats on your new ride it sure is a sweet one. Ride on 88 now 89. That rules.

88...
I know it may be sacrilege on this forum, but I am seriously lusting after the Mana 850 as well...

Sat on one this evening at the local store...

I am literally begging them NOT to let me ride that bike...

Bye, Bye 89. Take Care.

Nothing wrong with that. Good chance I will end up with one down the road. Just have to start saving the money to buy, wife says I have to pay cash if I want one, so it takes a little longer to get.
I won't get rid of the MP3 though, it's just to nice to have for back and forth to work and other quick trips. Mana will be for weekend rides. We'll see, never know what else may catch my eye by the time I have the money saved.

Wayne B

I find a combination of the 500 and a GP800 works just great. So thumbs up to getting both Wayne.

Never say good-bye.
Take care.
You will be back!

I find the combo of MP-3/Tiger works great for this kind of thing. The Tiger is a bit expensive to service so no need to rack up miles on the commute to work each day, the MP-3 is the ride of choice for that. Have fun with the Mana 88(9).

Hey Neil:

Happy Bday, and don't forget us over here. I've moved on to the Burgman, but still enjoy coming over, and catching up with the MP3 chatter!

Thank you (royal) for all your kind thoughts.

It seems that every Aprilia dealer is willing to give away the Mana at dealer cost. I checked on one in the city today and it had been sitting on the floor since June of 08. I called 3 other dealers and all of them seemed desparate to get the bike off the showroom floor...all offered me the bike at dealer cost.

While I like the bike, the obviously limited American reception makes me cautious. Resale will probably be non-existent and it may be difficult to sell the bike after a year of use.

Hence, I am rethinking my decision: I am through with very fast bikes. I'm not sure why I was drawn to the Mana as I believe shifting is an integral part of the motorcycling joy.

The hunt continues..........

89

So many bikes to choose from if shifting is back in play. I knew I wanted a Tiger (well a BMW F800GS would have suited just as well but much more $$$) so I just had to find the right one. Keep us informed of your search, I'm excited to see what you end up with.

Satisfaction is a fleeting thing, and is known only to oneself. 8)

As you probably know, BMW is coming out with the mother of all sportbikes, with over 190 hp for a mere $13,000 and change. With the BeemerShop up the hill from you, that choice could be a no-brainer!!!!

Interesting and too bad, this seems a nice bike. Well, the audience around here would provide a good source for resale I think. Quite a few ( including me) that might be interested. Buy a red one if you want my money though!

+1 on Aprilia Red. Red is true Aprilia color!

Good luck on your hunt for a new bike 89. And as others have said please check back in here. You will be missed. Oh and thanks for the suggestion on the Fiamms. They work great! Happy trails!

I'd love a red bike...only problem is that Mana Red is really orange.

88

P.S. Read a very interesting track comparison between a Shiver and a Mana. Lap times were almost identical even though the Shiver has more torque and 20 more hp. The key to the Mana performance is that the transmission keeps the engine and transmission in optimum synch at all times. Loss of power/efficiency with a manual transmission saps peformance big time.

There is also an interesting thread on AF1 about bracket racing a Mana. It seems that the bike is incredibly consistent, almost without regard as to who rides it, and that is what bracket racing is all about.

They are getting rid of the Manas because the Mana GT is comming.

Yeah, you mean the one with ABS?

Yep, ABS and a small fairing.

When that ABS Mana makes it to US, we should see an awesome scooter-bike.

I wanna see
I wanna see
I wanna see

There is a photo of it somewhere on the web, I just can't find it anymore.

I dug and found! Mana 850 ABS details

You can see pictures of the Mana 850 GT here.

Here are two additional links...

http://tinyurl.com/09ManaABSGT1 and http://tinyurl.com/09ManaABSGT1a

Thats it. The last 2 posts are the GT. I want one.