Attn: Honda FanBois | GTAMotorcycle.com

Attn: Honda FanBois

I had one ...it was "okay"

...downsides was 6,000 rpm redline. Side cases small and not removable.

upsides ...torquey motor easy to ride, very quiet at speed, decent fuel mileage.
Shaft drive
I sold mine for a tidy profit as I'd had the itch to own one for a while.
If they put the VFR800 V4 in it ....what a wonderful intermediate tourer......

That price is very high. I bought mine for $3800 and sold for $4600 2 years ago.
They will all be US bikes.

••••

This a really interesting machine.

$_59.JPG

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-touri...50/1332807162?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2009/10/16/2009_aprilia_mana_850_cvt_motorcycle_review/
 
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I hate that motor in a bike. YMMV. Just when you get moving you bang into the redline. To be fair, I tried the NC700 which has a 6500 rpm redline and it looks like they pushed the redline on the NT to 8500 which should help a lot, but that's still low for a 700 (should be close to 10K). Should get amazing fuel mileage though.
 
thanks guys....still kicking myself
for missing out on that mint VFR in Ottawa
that bumble bee machine

that Mana is interesting....but auto trans...can't do it
still have an irrational want for a Caponord tho

keeping the old cruiser
but my upcoming mile-muncher to offset it
will be shaft drive
 
Don't diss what you don't know. You can shift to your hearts content with foot or paddle if you want and once you understand the turbine like feel of SECVT set up you don't want anything else.

There is a reason all top end sports cars come with automatic these days....it's simply better.

You THINK you love shifting, clutching etc until you don't have to. The Honda DCT is a a piece of crap by comparision.

There was a track rider's review of it and he said he never understoof how much tme and energy was wasign shifting and clutching and making sure he was in the correct gear as opposed to flat out ridingl

[video=youtube;noprqBzBRBM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noprqBzBRBM&frags=pl%2Cwn[/video]

and humungously good brakes.
 
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Wow, "you think you like shifting until you don't have to".
Might as well have "super duper" active lane monitoring, auto cruise control, etc..
Isn't this the point of riding a motorcycle?
To get you involved?
 
not necessarily. It's for the performance and maneuverability. If sport mode gives me the acceleration I'd get from dropping a gear or holding a lower one, it might satisfy.
 
Wow, "you think you like shifting until you don't have to".
Might as well have "super duper" active lane monitoring, auto cruise control, etc..
Isn't this the point of riding a motorcycle?
To get you involved?

It depends. For the track (if you care about the fastest possible lap times), the days of manual shifting are coming to an end. Most bikes are probably still manual just for economic reasons. Developing a cheap, light, high-performance, fun to ride automatic transmission is a huge expense that most manufacturers don't think is worthwhile (yet). Ultimately it may never be worthwhile to develop as the track is great environment for electric bikes (again, not commenting on soul, just the fastest way around).
 
In a track environment, you also use gear selection to limit output torque (e.g. staying in 3rd rather than using 2nd) in specific scenarios, e.g. exiting a corner. You don't necessarily want full torque available at that instant (leaned way over). Also, gear selection with known, consistent, repeatable gear ratios (unlike the fake gearshifts some CVTs give) and an engine that you can hear, allows an audio cue of the road speed. I don't want an automatic transmission in my race bike (or in any bike). I don't know how the electrics would deal with this ... they will be different, that's for sure.
 
Wow, "you think you like shifting until you don't have to".
Might as well have "super duper" active lane monitoring, auto cruise control, etc..
Isn't this the point of riding a motorcycle?
To get you involved?

Shifting, clutching has little or nothing to do with riding a motorcycle.
Why not diss traction control, wheelie control etc. even ABS

Believe me you are totally involved riding twisties hard
http://burgmanusa.com/forums/12-general-discussion/70658-high-praise-650-burgman.html

The Aprilla uses a refined version of the same ECVT as the Burgman 650 , better brakes and suspension on the Aprilla and lighter weight.


I don't want an automatic transmission in my race bike (or in any bike). I don't know how the electrics would deal with this ... they will be different, that's for sure.

and pure EVs are a whole nother issue.... eTT bikes are approaching the laptimes of the Isle of Man ICE machines....soon as like many other records - the ICE will fall to the EV.
VW EV just demolished the Pikes Peak climb.

Already the fastest production EV bike is the Lighting which is now in for a refresh which will likely bury any ICE challenger.

At 351km/h, the $US38,888 (about $A51,150) Lightning Motorcycle LS-218 is the world’s fastest street-legal production motorcycle.

The Kawasaki H2R may be the world’s fastest production motorcycle at 400km/h, but it is a track-only bike, not a street-legal version and it costs $A60,000.

Exit ..manual transmissions :D
 
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thanks for the suggestions MD
I think that Aprilia is a very neat motorcycle
and I have a soft spot for underdogs

the lack of transmission action isn't I suppose that big a deal
I was after all thinking seriously about a semi auto FJR
after my foot got mashed last year (reason why I have so many posts)

but I'm back to almost regular mobility
a naked bike like that Mana is not appealing for long days in the saddle

and now that it looks like I'm gonna make this northern BC position a keeper
I've bought a decent old hippie cage - Forester
as my 401 cruiser would be useless up here

so I'm thinking maybe logging roads and a tent trailer with kayak
may make more sense up here than a bike I could use for 3 months

I'm a stone's throw from the start of the Alaska highway
so maybe I'll get a bike just for that too, who the F knows
eh?
 
The trucking industry is in the transition phase between the traditional 10, 13 and 18 speed transmissions of current day and years passed, and is now leaning increasingly towards automatics as well - or technically, automated manuals, not a torque converter automatic like a traditional car has.

Companies love them because they can hire drivers with less of a learning curve (learning to shift them really is an art in itself), and they also think that they're superior in many ways. In some ways they are. They can be programmed to shift in the most efficient manner (maximizing fuel efficiency), avoid abusive behaviour such as shock loading the drivetrain, etc. I've driven them...in certain situations they are indeed awesome - no more clutch, no more gear hunting in traffic, easier on your arms etc etc.

But....they can't see the road ahead. This is where they fail. It's VERY frustrating when you're at the bottom of a hill or coming around a corner with an ultra heavy load on and the transmission decides to upshift into a useless ratio that ends up costing you momentum and speed. I've had it do exactly that and then have to dump down 4 or 5 gears (into basically bull low) to get the truck moving again.

Often the human brain knows more than the computer.

FWIW they can be spec'd with manual overrides that allow you to force the transmission to behave more like a manual and only shift with up and down toggle buttons on the control lever - this solves some of the problems, allowing the driver to take over control when needed. Unfortunately it's an extra cost item and it reintroduces some of the negatives (fuel inefficient driving being the big one) so companies don't like to spec the option.
 
Had a chance to try out my buddy's NC750XA recently with the DCT and while I can't stand the DCT due to the horrible gearing (think 3rd gear through an intersection) and the fact that even though I downshifted the transmission returned to previous gear (both D and S modes) the bike is great in traffic. Once I figured out the Manual control of the gears it's a much more fun bike (but with a very low rev limiter). I would definitely buy one if the price is right, as driving through traffic you throw it into A and let the bike do it's thing....out of traffic put it into M and have at it.
 

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