More Morning Moto News - 2010 Aprilia Mana 850 GT & KTM IDM Contingent

The 2010 Aprilia Mana 850 GT ABS will be available very soon. It is seemingly the spawn of a Dorsoduro and a SportCity scooter - with its aggressive looks and scooter-like transmission giving it an odd spot on the motorcycle continuum. However, it still rides rather well and has some decent performance stats. Though it will never take out a liter-bike, it will certainly be a civil and long-serving companion which can take you just about anywhere...plus, ABS is now standard on the GT model in the US.

http://tinyurl.com/yf4g2mt

KTM has a very young line-up for the 2010 running of the German IDM 125c.c. class. Their ages are 13, 15, 16 and 17, yet they are among the best in their age groups. Each of the riders will receive support from the KTM factory, but they are essentially privateers. For all of the details of who and which team, please take the link.

http://tinyurl.com/yl6smhq

Jay Leno Livens Up Piaggio Group North American Dealer Meeting

That's right, Jay Leno was at the Piaggio dealer meeting this past October in Carlsbad, CA. Apparently, he kept the audience laughing while the 2010 model line was introduced. Of course, the real star of the show was the 2010 RSV-4 Factory and its little sister, the RSV-4R. Must have been a great event to attend...

http://tinyurl.com/yepq3ym

Another Aprilia Mana Riding Review - 2009 Mana 850 GT

This is, of course, the GT version of the Mana. It gets the hard-sided panniers and a nice windscreen in addition to the standard automatic transmission and push-button shifting. If you have read the review of the Mana, you will find many different opinions on how it all works, but there is consensus on the fact that Piaggio (Aprilia's parent company) is working very hard on their new technology. The Mana GT is a very civilized touring mount, according to the reviewer, and it really does have a good place in the world of two-wheeled transport. We used to wonder if it would fit anywhere specifically, and now we know!

http://tinyurl.com/ygdkaz6