Last week I took a ride out to my motorcycle dealer, Adventure Power Products, in Isle De Chenes, Manitoba. I own a Kawasaki Ninja 1000sx, which, for me, is just about the perfect cross-country tourer. Plenty of power, all the accessories that I wanted, and a terrifically fun bike to ride, while being as solid as a rock on the highway.
I looked around the shop, which also sells Suzuki, Yamaha, and Moto Guzzi motorcycles, in addition to Kawasaki. Being familiar with the Japanese machines, and having ridden most of them at one time or another, in the corner I spied what to me looked like one of the most beautiful bikes I had laid eyes on.
This bike reminded me of my Honda VFR 800, which to me was the epitome of a sports tourer. Horsepower is about the same as my former VFR, but employing a V-Twin, with its unique characteristics that only Moto Guzzi motorcycles possess.
I asked the salesman if I could take a close look at the bike, and was blown away by the look and feel of quality. That bike was the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello. This is essentially new, from the ground up, Moto Guzzi is a striking piece of motorcycle engineering. The water-cooled, VTwin transverse V architecture combined with shaft drive (something I have always loved on motorcycles) produces 115 horsepower from its 1042cc engine along with 105 Nm of torque at 6750 rpm. It utilizes a hydraulically controlled wet clutch.
It possesses a six-axis IMU with four riding modes, cruise control, and a beautiful and bright 5-inch color TFT display combined with an Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 semi-active suspension (only on the S variant.) It also has the latest Moto Guzzi MIA Bluetooth for smartphone connectivity and it also has a full LED lighting package with cornering lights. The bike has a very comfortable seat height of 815mm, and I found the seat to be both supportive and soft enough for the long haul.
The ergonomics of the bike impressed me as well, with the pedals being both at the right height and angle for my 5’10” frame. With an upright riding position and adjustable pre-load and rebound on the suspension, I immediately felt at home. The windscreen is adjustable, but I’ll have to ride it to be able to see if the windscreen protection is adequate.
The S Model of the bike has a two-way quick-shifter, tire sensors, Ohlins suspension as well as heated grips. At an additional $2600 in Canada, it seems well worth the cost.
This is the first motorcycle with adaptive aerodynamics that changes deflectors and riding modes depending on the wind conditions.
To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. The fit and finish of the bike was the best I’ve seen. If there was a drawback on this bike, it’s only about the price, (although if one is quick and astute, you can have a 2023 model for about $3000 less than the 2024 model).
In Canada, the base Mandello model sells for $17,990 plus PDI and freight and the 2-30 liter panniers will cost you another $900.00 CDN.
I have already reserved the bike for a complete road test, as soon as the weather permits and will have a complete road test review, here, once I’ve completed taking the machine through its paces.
Moto Guzzi, in my estimation, is on the right track. And if this bike is the brainchild for future Moto Guzzi designs, they will be selling quite a few of them.
Thanks to MCNews.com.au for the photos and review information.
https://www.mcnews.com.au/2023-moto-guzzi-v100-mandello-review-specs/
Thanks for coming.
Ciao…
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