Moto Guzzi’s V100 Mandello review: Fast sport-touring with style only Italians can deliver

TUCKED away at the back of most bikers’ wishlist will be their dirty secret dream bike.

They might ride a Honda Fireblade and love talking about MotoGP.

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But when nobody else is looking, they will be sneakily spending their time browsing Harley-Davidsons – or in my case Moto Guzzis.

Some of the very best motorcycling experiences I’ve ever had have involved a Moto Guzzi.

It’s not always just about how these machines ride, it’s about the way they make me feel.

The Guzzi factory is on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como in a place called Mandello del Lario.

They’ve been there since day one of the company, back in 1921, and this year are celebrating their centenary.

I’ve been lucky enough to spend time there.

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The place oozes passion for motorcycling.

This V100 Mandello promises to provide fast sport-touring capability but combined with a sprinkling of style that only the Italians seem to be able to really deliver.

The across-the-frame V-twin engine is 1000cc. More importantly, it’s liquid-cooled which means we can expect proper power.

There’s a single-sided swingarm, allowing you to gaze upon the sweet rear wheel design – I see Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio here, do you? – and a shaft drive means no nasty oil off a chain to muck up the wheel.

There will be around 130bhp to play with, so it’s fair to assume the V100 will be loaded up with rider software trinkets.

THROWBACK TO ROOTS

Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension will take care of you while you glide to work in style.

To me, this bike could be powered by a massive rubber band and a lollipop stick and I’d still want it as much as I do.

The green paint you can see is a throwback to Moto Guzzi’s roots, when they had an excess of military-spec green paint which they used to paint the bikes they made in World War Two.

After the war, they carried on using it on their production bikes, knowing no two tins would be the same shade of green. How cool is that?

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