New bike time!

[pete roper]

Well not actually *New* new but new to me.

For years I've been wanting a Mana GT. This is the model with the full touring fairing as opposed to my 'Plain Jane' NA model.

Well a couple of weeks ago one with a blown motor came up in Sydney for $950 so I bought it on a punt. Went and collected it last Wednesday and sadly, it's a shitter. Not worth me swapping the motor out of my NA into but only useful for spares. Not really a worry though as it came with a set of brand spanking new Sport Corsa tyres on it. They must of been put on the day the motor blew they're that new! That's half what I paid for the bike right there!

Anyway I decided it was time to stop shilly-shallying around and found this on Gumtree

Super clean, 40,000km and owned by an ex-customer of mine. Problem is it's in Perth so I have to get it shipped.

 

 

My Givi luggage off my NA will bolt straight on and I'll be set for my touring steed for the rest of my days!

It also means I can sell my Red Griso which was going to be set up as a tourer but the Mana makes far more sense.

[Pressureangle]

CVT *and* 7 speed sequential transmission? Can't have both, is it simply computer controlled positioning and holding of the CVT?

[pete roper]

Yup. The 'False Manual' mode simply moves the pulleys to one of seven positions/diameters and then the engine accelerates the vehicle until the next *Ratio* is chosen. In the full *Auto* modes the E-CVT simply allows the motor to wind to its maximum torque point, (In 'Touring'.) and then allows the pulleys to do the accelerating, (Up to a point.). With 'Sport' it simply moves the pulley take-over point up the rev range. 'Rain' mode is a sort of wimpy *Soft Cock* mode where turning the throttle doesn't seem to do anything much at all!

In all honesty I see little point in 'Sport', 'Rain' or the false manual option. I just leave it in 'Touring' and ride it like the huge 'Twist and Go' it is. The only good aspect of the 'Manual' option is that even in the full-auto modes you can use the selector paddles or gear lever to 'Change Down' ratios to take advantage of engine braking at higher rpm. Useful on steep hills etc.

Really though it's an absolute joy to ride in a relaxed manner. I've done some long, long days on both my NA in Oz and my GT in the US and got off feeling far fresher than I would of on a 'Conventional' motorbike.

As I've said before, like Griso a Mana isn't for everybody. That doesn't mean it isn't a damn fine motorbike.

Needless to say after saying I was going to leave it stock I'm already buying Andreani fork cartridges for it! I just can't help meself........

[alannn]

Glad to hear you got a good one too.

Pete, have you ever ridden a Honda DCT? To me it seems like a winner over the Mana CVT, but I've never riden either one. Honda makes a 750 parallel twin with DCT.

[pete roper]

The only Honda DTC bike I've ridden is the 1100, that was many years ago. It was blindingly fast and you could just *Feel* it was horrifically complex. It was utterly soulless as well. The Mana can seem a bit anodyne at times but the Honda was, for all it's blinding speed, just dull.

We don't get, and never have, the DTC 750 twin in Oz.

While the Mana is electronically complex the electronics are very reliable, my NA has given me no issues in 80,000km. The actual CVT transmission is very simple to work on, especially if you have the factory tools for belt replacement, (I do.) The reprogramming after belt replacement has now been sorted by the Guzzidiag crew so nobody needs to rely on a dealer any more for that!

[gstallons]

Just asking , does this CVT gear down as you slow down and does the bike slow down like when you gear down on a m.t. bike ?

[pete roper]

If you simply roll off the throttle it simply slows down with moderate engine braking if in one of the 'Auto' modes. If you 'Change down' using one of the selectors it will move the pulley to whichever ratio is appropriate but with a higher engine speed so you get more braking. Hit the shifter again and it will move the pulleys to a higher point again and you can do that until it detects that going 'Down' another ratio will cause a dangerous over-rev. When the TCU detects that will happen it won't shift any further and let's you know by sticking a bloody great exclamation mark up on the dashboard screen!

If using the 'Faux Manual' mode rather than there being a tacho there is a row of lights that illuminates across the top of the dashboard to warn you of the fact you're approaching the rev limiter and in the lower ratios as soon as they start appearing you'd better be ready to shift up as hitting the rev limiter with the throttle wide open can be, errrr? *Exciting* to say the least.

I have no idea really what sort of engine speed the lights actually start appearing at. Only thing I know for sure is that in fully automatic 'Touring' mode the engine isn't spinning very fast at all when you're just cruising along at 100-110kph/60-70mph and it's very smooth and comfortable. To make more rapid progress, for overtaking say, simply crack the throttle open and the engine and transmission take over and you'll quickly find yourself doing the old 'Ton' with little effort. If you want it to it will happily cruise at 90+mph all day but it's not its forte. Just bimbling along at that 65-75mph zone is super relaxed and pleasurable.
 

 

[audiomick]

14 minutes ago, pete roper said:

Just bimbling along at that 65-75mph zone is super relaxed and pleasurable.

Apart from watching out for the pork....

 

The German Autobahn has its good points.

[pete roper]

2 hours ago, audiomick said:

Apart from watching out for the pork....

 

The German Autobahn has its good points.

Well yes, but once again, at least over here, it depends which state you're in and also where in some states you are. In NSW in the area around me I can get away, usually, with that 65-75mph cruise easily enough. Open road limit is 100kph which is basically 62mph. Given the fact almost all speedos over-read by several kph and any tyre wear increases the discrepancy that  110-115kph indicated on the dash is close enough for Highway Patrol to generally leave you alone. Once you are further out west the open road limit goes up to 110 kph and cops tend to be fewer and further between anyway and I usually trundle along at an indicated 120-125. That may engender a headlight flash from any passing walloper but as long as you roll off a bit when you see them they'll rarely light you up properly and pull you over.

Victoria is a whole other thing. Traffic enforcement there is draconian. They'll gleefully ping you for 3kph over the limit and once they've pulled you over you won't be getting a warning. They're humourless bastards as well.

I've never been pulled in Queensland or Western Oz so I don't know what the go is there, or the Northern Territory for that matter. Tasmania the cops seemed fairly chill unless there has been a spate of mainlanders crashing and then they have a crack-down.

Really though the way I ride nowadays, even on the Griso, I'm unlikely to attract an enormous amount of attention. Apart from anything else I'm acutely aware of not only my own physical limitations in terms of skill and perceptions but also the consequences of me 'Getting it wrong'! Quite simply I think any crash serious enough to break a bone would probably be the end of me. I'd actually prefer to avoid that! If I really wanted to push the envelope in my dotage I'd simply book a track day. Everyone is going the same way, there's tons of run-off and should the worst happen there'll be an ambulance on hand to scrape up the pieces! Far better than trying to go fast on the road with errant stock, wildlife, pensioners towing caravans, trees and other road furniture just off the bitumen. Going fast there is like playing Russian Roulette with several of the chambers loaded! Sod that for a game of soldiers!

[audiomick]

21 hours ago, pete roper said:

Victoria is a whole other thing. Traffic enforcement there is draconian. ...

Yes, and that is where I grew up and lived until I came here in 1996, and where I spend a good part of my time any time I get back over.

 

As I have already indicated, I like the German Autobahn. In a lot of ways a lot more relaxing than the Hume Freeway, even if you have to contend with impatient bastards coming up from behind 80 km/h faster than you are doing, and you are already doing 170 km/h. Or you are doing that sort of speed, and some whacko doing 110 km/h pulls out in front of you to pass a truck (they are only allowed to do 80 km/h, even on the unlimited sections) because he can't wait 30 seconds to let you pass.

So you are very, very concentrated on the Autobahn, but it is still better than  constantly watching the speedo and looking for the bacon behind the next bush. On the unlimitied sections, apart from taking account of what the traffic is doing, you can just drive at whatever speed you and the vehicle are most happy with.

[guzzler]

Yep, every ride here demands constant vigilance regarding speed!!

And then sometimes a nervous wait for 2-3 weeks if you have a close call.

It does get old I can tell you.

Cheers

Ps Yeah, and the attitude from the ----wits who've swallowed the safetycrat koolaid  hook line and sinker just adds to the whole experience!

[docc]

Weekly now I make a 100 drive to see the grand-little-one.

There are thirty (30) speed zone changes. And many clever locations for "bacon behind the bush" lying in wait . . .

Occasionally, I get to take my motorcycle route over the ridges and along the river.  It takes longer, but is so relaxing. Not just the lovely curves and nice scenery, but the absence of regulatory stress. 

[audiomick]

9 minutes ago, guzzler said:

 the ----wits who've swallowed the safetycrat koolaid  hook line and sinker...

"Knock off five and stay alive".

[guzzler]

Meanwhile clowns with the attention span of a gnat on gear nod off at the wheel.....!

 

 

[Joe]

58 minutes ago, docc said:

Weekly now I make a 100 drive to see the grand-little-one.

There are thirty (30) speed zone changes. And many clever locations for "bacon behind the bush" lying in wait . . .

Occasionally, I get to take my motorcycle route over the ridges and along the river.  It takes longer, but is so relaxing. Not just the lovely curves and nice scenery, but the absence of regulatory stress. 

Docc 101, B roads to almost no road, many turns and twist never getting on a dreaded 4 lane road ever. GPS ridden off the beaten path, the long way home, makes for a good ride on a V11 Sport.