Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello review: An aero-minded approach
With active aerodynamics and the brand’s most powerful engine, Moto Guzzi’s V100 Mandello is built for both fun and comfort
CHANCES are you know someone who rides a Harley, BMW or Ducati, or maybe a Triumph, like James Bond did with implausible skill in his last outing. Heck, maybe you ride one yourself.
But if you fancy yourself a budding member of the dare-to-be-different crowd, why not consider a Moto Guzzi? By dint of being a very good bike, the Italian brand’s V100 Mandello offers not just a chance, but also a reason, to stand out from your bike-riding pals.
The V100 Mandello’s name commemorates the fact that Guzzi has been building bikes for just over a century at Mandello del Lario, a ridiculously picturesque town on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy. It also signifies the brand’s intention to stick around for another 100 years.
Just as well that it’s chock-full of new technology, then. Unlike the laidback and agricultural Moto Guzzis you might be used to, the V100 has modcons like a full colour digital screen, traction control, an optional quickshifter so you can change gears without the clutch, and even the world’s first active aerodynamics on a motorbike.
“At the beginning of this project, we had a white canvas to come up with ideas,” Arturo Sansom, the product marketing manager for Moto Guzzi, told The Business Times at a regional press ride. One of those ideas involves the aero flaps on the V100’s tank that rise and splay out automatically at speed.
They deflect air, which apparently cuts pressure on the torso by up to 22 per cent to make long rides more comfy. “The idea was to have a bike that is fun, dynamic and agile, but also suitable to cover long distances,” Sansom said.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Friday, 2 pm
Lifestyle
Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.
All-new engine
The V100 also has an all-new engine. It’s still a V-twin, like in Guzzis of old, but technologically it is a huge leap forward. It’s the brand’s first water-cooled engine, so it’s quieter than the Guzzi norm, and with lightweight internal components it revs less lazily.
With 115 horsepower, it’s also the most powerful Guzzi engine, which sets the tone for an exciting time in the saddle. Sure enough, the V100 has loads of low-down grunt, and though it doesn’t yank your arms from their sockets, it rewards you for revving the engine by catching a second wind and using it to lunge at the horizon.
Rain-slicked roads kept me from pushing hard on my test ride, but the V100 feels like a reassuringly easy bike to flick through bends. More to the point, it’s comfortable. The seating position is spot on, the controls are light and easy and the engine is surprisingly smooth.
That doesn’t mean it lacks Guzzi character. It still rocks the bike when you rev it, although less so than in older models, and it still lets out a deep-throated chunter.
I can see myself doing long days on the V100, although Moto Guzzi is quick to insist it isn’t a touring bike. It certainly isn’t a sports bike either, and although it’s more wieldy than a hefty tourer, it isn’t quite as naughtily agile as a naked bike.
Perhaps it’s a new breed of bike, or maybe it’s simply a sweet all-rounder, and a good looking one, at that, with shades of 1980s boxiness in some of the styling details.
In fact, the V100 Mandello feels complete enough that you can probably skip paying the S$6,500 extra for the V100S version. Its active suspension, quickshifter and smartphone pairing ability are nice-to-haves, but the Guzzi is fine without them.
The one thing it won’t come with is the ability to garner that nod of recognition that comes with telling someone you ride a BMW or Harley. But brand snobbery has no place in a real biker’s heart, and as far as I’m concerned, anyone who thinks otherwise can go jump in a lake. There’s quite a lovely one not far from where the V100 Mandello is built.
Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello Engine 1,042 cc, eight-valve, V-twin Power 115 hp at 8,700 rpm Torque 105 Nm at 6,750 rpm Gearbox Six-speed with quickshifter Wet weight 233 kg 0-100 kmh 3.4 seconds (estimated) Top speed 215 kmh Fuel efficiency 4.7 L/100 km Seat height 835 mm Agent Didi Lifestyle Price S$38,300 Available Now
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
