What "problems" have owners had?

[818Guy]

I had the chance to see the Mana in person. I really like the bike.

I like it enough to consider it for purchase.

Therefore, has there been any "common" problems/issues with this bike?

I know it's a new bike to the market (at least in the USA) so there may not be many experienced. I'm not saying I would expect some but I'm using the Shiver for comparison where I've read about some issues owners have had in that forum.

I just always wonder how a bike will be when it's brand new for that manufacturer and to the market.

Thanks for any info. :cheers:


P.S. I currently ride a 2006 Yamaha FJR1300AE.

[pete roper]

Bloody problem I'm having is that it keeps raining, with some snow thrown in just to keep me on my toes! Not complaining, we've been in drought for years and this is the first good rain in at least five but I must admit it's giving me the shits as I was hoping to ride down to the coast tomorrow!:mad:

Pete

[818Guy]

ha... nice response.

I feel for you. Today in Southern California, it'll be around 85F and sunny. Wife and I are riding up to Paso Robles (wine country) for the weekend.

To quote Jimmy Buffet, "the weather is here, wish you were beautiful." ;)

[Deathace]

Known problems that I can say are more design flaws than problems with the bike itself are:

Side stand is a bitch to get out as you end up clumping ya leg on the footrest more times than you care to want to and the little triangle that you put your foot on to push the stand out could do with being a couple of inches longer.

The tank storage can be fiddly if you do not have the bars straight as it pops up and only opens about 2 3rds the way so you cant really do much and if you use it for the helmet then you have no chance getting it in with the bars over to the left. Another issue is the bars will scratch the lid if your not too careful.

The OEM tyres they put on my wifes are dunlop sportmax qualifiers and they are dreadful, highly recommend buying some different ones asap.

The bike is very top heavy so unless you have a fair bit of strength you will have problems moving it about and worry about dropping it the opposite side to the stand (more for the women here).

The suspension being on the side gets covered in all manner of road crap and a Hugger is definitely recommended from new to protect your shock and underside.

My wife also noted that when your riding at about 60mph the throttle seems a bit snatchy and if you try and pull it back a little to increase speed it just hits the power band and goes (she is in touring mode) but I think thats just a character of the engine/performance that she is not used to.

I cant think of anything else at present and like I say it does not stop the bike being a lovely bike just a few quirks to get over.

Russ

[nostatic]

My wife also noted that when your riding at about 60mph the throttle seems a bit snatchy and if you try and pull it back a little to increase speed it just hits the power band and goes (she is in touring mode) but I think thats just a character of the engine/performance that she is not used to.



Does the bike have a tri map, and if so, are you in S or T? On the Shiver sport mode can be quite snatchy while touring is smooth. Whenever I run 2-up I switch to T.

[00zero]

Side stand is a bitch to get out as you end up clumping ya leg on the footrest more times than you care to want to and the little triangle that you put your foot on to push the stand out could do with being a couple of inches longer.


What is production date on yours? From photos of the windscreen, your side stand looks totally different. Production date on mine is 05/08, and I have no problem putting the stand down. The stand ,besides being short, got way too much play (about 1 inch up-down when extended) at the hinging bolt, so the bike leans too much, and I believe that makes the bike feel a bit top heavy. My plan is to use shimming washer to eliminate the play and install a plastic "shoe" on the foot of the stand. I will let you know how that works.





The OEM tyres they put on my wifes are dunlop sportmax qualifiers and they are dreadful, highly recommend buying some different ones asap.



Would you be kind to give us some details on the Dunlop Sportmax Qualifiers and the dislike of them. I didn't find them that offensive.




My wife also noted that when your riding at about 60mph the throttle seems a bit snatchy and if you try and pull it back a little to increase speed it just hits the power band and goes (she is in touring mode) but I think thats just a character of the engine/performance that she is not used to. Russ



I have mine just a week with over 800 miles and didn't find any abnormality in the power band, I think it is very smooth and I do notes that is getting smoother as the engine is getting broken-in.

[Deathace]

What is production date on yours? From photos of the windscreen, your side stand looks totally different. Production date on mine is 05/08, and I have no problem putting the stand down. The stand ,besides being short, got way too much play (about 1 inch up-down when extended) at the hinging bolt, so the bike leans too much, and I believe that makes the bike feel a bit top heavy. My plan is to use shimming washer to eliminate the play and install a plastic "shoe" on the foot of the stand. I will let you know how that works.

Here is a picture of the side stand I notice from some pictures the stand just has the standard 2 inch tab welded to it and this would be fine but as you can see hers is a UK spec (I am presuming yours is for the US market with emissions and other changes) and it has a triangle section that you have to put your foot on.

http://www.deathace.net/gfx/mana_left_side.jpg



Would you be kind to give us some details on the Dunlop Sportmax Qualifiers and the dislike of them. I didn't find them that offensive.

Yet again you may be dealing with a different compound tyre in the US to that of the UK (dunlop have different compounds for our roads) the problem is they are really greasy in terms of the sticky compound, they take a fair while to warm up and they do not retain heat as well as other brands (bridgestone, michelin, pirelli) and when powering on she explained that the rear felt like it was sliding, when I rode it I found it to be true it doesnt slide but the not sticky stick makes it feel like the rear gives way a little before regaining grip, and this is at 50-60 mph so not exactly really fast speeds. I was away working until today but I am taking the bike to a tyre place tomorrow to replace them with Bridgestone BT-016's which are a lovely forgiving tyre and well suited to her riding style, I have them on my blade and they are great for stickyness.


I have mine just a week with over 800 miles and didn't find any abnormality in the power band, I think it is very smooth and I do notes that is getting smoother as the engine is getting broken-in.

As I said above she is in touring mode and still under her 600 mile service interval so I am not too worried I think its just newness and character of the bike.

Russ

[zaprudanec]

for 80% town and 20% open road
BT-016
front soft
rear midium

for 80% open road or more
pirelli dragon super corsa

[hank]

Here is a picture of the side stand I notice from some pictures the stand just has the standard 2 inch tab welded to it and this would be fine but as you can see hers is a UK spec (I am presuming yours is for the US market with emissions and other changes) and it has a triangle section that you have to put your foot on.


The UK Mille had a side stand that was different from the US version - the UK side stand was shorter and did not have adequate angle so the UK bikes were prone to tipping over if parked on a slight grade... or in a stiff breeze.

Check the respective part numbers and see if they are different...

[RichardU]

Just brought home my wife's new Mana yesterday.

Here is what we like most about it:
Engine/Transmission is great.
One of the best stock seats I've seen. Does not slide you into the tank.
Ergonomics are extremely comfortable both for her 5'8" and me 6'4".
Handling is fantastic. Stable yet nimble.

Here are the quibbles:
Puts out a good bit of heat, particularly on the right leg.
Low fuel light came on after a stop when there was still 2.5 gallons in the tank. Hopefully a fluke.
"Trunk" lid is slightly crooked. Hopefully can be straightened.

[Deathace]

Changed the tyres yesterday to Bridgestone BT-016's and they are superb a total transformation of handling and stability on the straights and more so in the bends, HOWEVER, I noticed something that I would like to bring up as a possible issue but one that I am unable to pinpoint just yet.

At around 90-95 mph there is what can only be described as a wobble, this is in a straight line and after the tyres were scrubbed in. The dealership we bought it from has stated that they have taken their demo mana to this speed and beyond without any wobble.

The only difference other than the tyres is the fact that my wife has the Aprilia screen on hers and the dealership do not, so I will be removing the screen and going for another ride to see if the wobble is there without the screen.

I just know they are going to try and blame the tyres being mismatched or not balanced but the Dunlop sportmax Qualifiers they supplied new are no different a size or profile to the 016's and they are designed for sports bikes/nakeds so the tyre itself is very similar. As for the balancing, both wheels were balanced before fitting and if they were out of balance there would be a problem a lot sooner than 90-95mph.

I honestly think its a problem with the screen buffeting the air and causing turbulence making the bike unstable. I will post more when I solve the problem.

Russ

[818Guy]

I had a similar issue with new tires on my FJR. It happened to me around 45mph. Had both tires balanced a second time and then the front a third time. Still had wobble. I then had the dealership put on my old tire in the front. Wobble was gone. Ending up being a "bad" tire in the front. *shrug*

Besides, why are you riding that fast (90mph) on public roads ?!?! ;)

And good luck with your issue.

[Rayzor61]

Deathace...........

What kind of windscreen is that and how much$????

[vespa]

I had the chance to see the Mana in person. I really like the bike.

I like it enough to consider it for purchase.

Therefore, has there been any "common" problems/issues with this bike?

I know it's a new bike to the market (at least in the USA) so there may not be many experienced. I'm not saying I would expect some but I'm using the Shiver for comparison where I've read about some issues owners have had in that forum.

I just always wonder how a bike will be when it's brand new for that manufacturer and to the market.

Thanks for any info. :cheers:


P.S. I currently ride a 2006 Yamaha FJR1300AE.

I have a brand new 2012 Mana with about 400 miles on it. I love it. I have ridden a Kawaski Versys, three different BMW F650GS, Vespa, and a Harley Davidson. Mana is my favorite...very easy to handle both while riding and when the engine is off. Only negative I think is dealership network/quantity and parts availability in the USA. My oil dip stick broke, or I broke it, and it took three weeks to get a replacement. Despite that, the fact the bike handles so well, is so versatile for computing and sport touring, and is just sexy, negates in my mind any negative...and every motorcycle has some negative. Aprilia and Piaggio are known commodities for a long time in Rutope, especially Italy. The quality is top notch, trust me. I would not get a Mans though before 2011....I think the 2009s have had issues from my search, and the newer models probably have had the kinks worked out with things...

Buy it...you will not regret it!

[oldspice]

You guys realize this is a thread from 2008, right?

And, Rayznor61, that's the OEM screen from Aprilia that you can't get in the States.

[dadsafrantic]

You guys realize this is a thread from 2008, right?

And, Rayznor61, that's the OEM screen from Aprilia that you can't get in the States.

that's ok, i'm from 1960

[pete roper]

The only real *Problems* I've experienced were, from memory, very early on I had the 'Gear' warning come up twice which seems quite common on new bikes and my WAG is that it is because the threaded part of the servo driven mechanism on the front pulley might tighten up a bit occasionally when the bike is new. If the servo motor can't move the pulley it gets detected and will throw up the 'Gear' alert.

Then mine suffers very slightly from the 'Stall from cold' issue. I'm sure it is related to the manifold gaskets as it only happens on really cold mornings if I start up and ride off immediately. If I start the bike and leave it just long enough to put on cold weather togs and helmet, perhaps with ducking back into the house to pick up something I will of invariably forgotten, it gets warm enough to seal the leak and I don't stall. I can live with that as removing the manifold
Ds looks like a shit of a job.

Finally my starter motor shat itself. This isn't, as far as I can glean, a common problem. Certainly this board isn't rife with tales of starters going wrong! Just bad luck.

Pete

[caseynashvegas]

The only real problem I have had is not being able to keep the girls from drooling over me and my sexy bike, makes the wife jealous.

[rw85m]

My son got into some gravel and that was it for the 2009 Mana. Loved the bike. Bought it new this spring and the odometer just rolled 3000 miles. He had his helmet and riding gear on and walked away with only a few scratches TG.