Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello Review: Really That Good?

This is the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello, and I've been absolutely dying to get my hands on one. You see, it's a huge shift for Moto Guzzi, who in recent history had really been focusing more on the old-school, air-cooled, retro-style bikes. And yet, with the V100, they've built something that's bang up to date, with an all-new engine, top-spec components, and the latest techie gizmos. Now, it has taken us a little while to get hold of one, but in the meantime, the reception has been pretty positive, with some reviewers even going as far to say that it's the best bike they've ridden in 2023. So, does it live up to the hype? Well, today, we're going to take it for a spin to find out. And I've also got Tim with me today, who's a serial Moto Guzzi owner. How many have you had now? Three. Oh, fair enough. So, we'll see if this new, modern take can still do it for a Moto Guzzi aficionado. Is that fair? Yeah, I'm aficionado. So, what's new with the engine? Well, it is the same familiar Moto Guzzi layout of a transverse 90-degree V-twin, but with all the modern bells and whistles to give it modern-day performance. You've got liquid cooling for the first time on a Moto Guzzi production bike, four valves per cylinder with dual overhead cams, and a completely new 6-speed box and a new clutch with an anti-hopping or slipper action. Plus, on top of all that, the cylinder heads have now been rotated through 90 degrees, so that the exhausts protrude from the sides, helping to deliver. A compact engine, it's 103mm shorter than their V9 engine, but that still allows for legroom in behind. The good news is that it's still got plenty of that Moto Guzzi V-twin character. It's got that side-to-side wobble when you start it up, and you can feel it wobbling away when you're sat at the lights. There's no mistaking you're on a Moto Guzzi. As for the exhaust sound, it's a little bit more modern. It's got a bit of a bark. But it's still got the same fundamentals. And then out on the road, you've got that slightly abrupt nature of the shaft drive delivery, which might not be for everyone, but it is Guzzi-esque. What do you think of the sound, mate? Is it up to scratch for a Guzzi? Yeah, it's a Guzzi noise. Haha, well done. I'd say it's better than any other Guzzi I've heard stock. All this on-the-bike footage is shot with the incredible Insta360 X3 camera. So a massive thanks to them for sponsoring today's video. The wonderful thing about their 360 cameras is that you can just mount them wherever you want on the bike without being worried if they're set to the right angle. After you ride, you can simply download the footage to their desktop software or their easy-to-use mobile app, and then you can reframe it however you want in either landscape or portrait. You can even set keyframes to get some whizzy moving effects. And honestly, it's just so much fun to use and so creative that I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to capture and share their rides. So do check out the link down in the description below to pick up yours, and you'll also find a code down there for a free gift with every purchase. So once again, a massive thanks to Insta360 for their support. Now, the upside of all these changes is that it gets performance figures that are much more competitive in today's sports tourer marketplace. You've got 1,042cc of capacity, and from that, it makes 115hp at 8,700rpm, and a nice amount of torque, so you've got 105Nm right in the mid-range at 6,750. Admittedly, they're not earth-shattering, life-changing figures, but it does feel quite quick on the road. Certainly for solo riding anyway, it feels ample for blasting between corners, and it's still got enough of that character to make it a really sweet bike to ride. But it's not just an all-new engine. The whole bike has been designed from the ground up, with a new frame that they say was built to perfectly balance both agility and stability, so exactly what you want from a sports tourer. So you've got a tubular steel frame, which uses the engine as a stress member, and it's suspended on up-to-date suspension with a 41mm upside-down adjustable fork on this standard model, with an adjustable monoshock at the rear. Spend another couple of grand, and you'll get Ohlins' latest and greatest smart EC2.0 semi-active electronics setup, which will constantly adjust damping in real-time to give you the optimal suspension response, depending on the current riding conditions. Brakes are sporty with a pair of four-piston radially-mounted Brembo calipers up front, and a Brembo radial master cylinder at the lever, and so it should be pretty well set up for carving through some sweet bends. It really is nicely balanced. It feels intuitive. It's not too slow turning, but it's not too twitchy either. Lots of feel from the front end, which I like. I noticed that immediately when I got on this bike. And also, the brakes really do deliver on bite and power, at least at the front. It really does stop quickly, especially considering it's over 230kg wet weight, so it's not a proper lightweight, and it's just an all-round pleasant bike to ride that feels easy, but also with enough pace to keep you interested. Now, they've also made a big push on tech with this bike. There's the latest lean-sensitive rider aids tied into the riding modes, which you can edit through this menu. Personally, I found the traction control a little bit invasive in the sort of higher settings, but thankfully, you can switch it off in any mode. That made it feel a lot more natural, and the throttle response is really nice. And also, it does remember your TC settings when you switch it off and back on again, and it gives you a nice safety message to remind you. There's also cruise control as standard, and the S model gets a quick shifter and heated grips. But the big talking point here has to be these new adaptive aerodynamic flaps, which are the first time I think this has ever been seen on any motorcycle from any brand. So they pop out and pop back in based upon your current riding speed and riding mode, and you can edit that speed or switch them off through that mode editing menu. To me, it looks kind of cool and it is sort of interesting, but I can't say out on the road that I notice a massive amount of difference between them being out or in. What I do like, though, is this electronic windscreen in the down position. It's pretty much like riding a naked bike, so plenty of wind blast, and it cools you down, and it's, you know, fine in town. Put it back up, though, and it's really quite good considering it doesn't look that big. You get great wind protection across your body and torso up to around about your neck. So yes, we like this bike a lot, and you're probably wondering if there's anything at all negative or marginally critical that I'm going to say about it. Well, there is one thing that I don't massively get on with or I didn't straight away, and that's the ergonomics and the riding position. So being a sports tourer, it's got to be a bit of an all-rounder, a bit aggressive and a bit comfy. And so it just feels like a bit of a juxtaposition between the bars, you know, and seat, which are quite upright. The bars are far back and high, and the seats are 815mm, so it's not particularly tall. So you feel sat back and upright in your back position. But the pegs, to give it decent ground clearance, I guess, are fairly high, and so it feels a little bit cramped around here. You're a bit taller than me, though, mate. So how did you find the riding position when you're out on it this morning? I mean, obviously, I've come from an Africa twin, so I've got loads of legroom. I've got upswept bars. For me, this is like a really nice compromise. So it's not full sports position, but definitely sportier than mine. Really comfortable on that, especially, I think, for distance. You know, if you're doing huge miles, probably gets a little bit tiresome, but for most trips, perfect. So yeah, Tim's a little bit taller, but seems to find it more comfortable than me. So maybe it's just a personal preference thing, but you do have some options in the accessories catalogue. Thankfully, there's a low seat that takes 15mm off, or a high version that adds 20mm, as well as heating to keep your cheeks nice and toasty. So there should be something for everyone, and I think I'd be going for that tall seat to see if it feels a bit more natural to me. The only other chink in the armour of this admittedly fantastic motorcycle would be the price. You're talking £13,500 for the standard bike, and £15,750 for the S model with the heated grips, the quick shifter, the fancy suspension, and the Bluetooth connectivity as standard. Although admittedly, you do get some rather tasty looking paint options with that model. For reference, you could compare it to the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT. That does a similar job, and it's £12,499. Or you've got the Yamaha Tracer 9, which is, you know, it's a bit more sat-up and tall, but that one's £11,010. Look! Absolutely terrifying. The thing is though, with those kinds of bikes, although they do the job at a decent price, they're never realistically going to stir the soul the way the V100 does. This bike is a thing of beauty. Just look at it sat in the studio here. The lines are perfect, the single-sided swingarm, the way the cylinder heads stick out at either side. It's basically a piece of art on two wheels, and I don't think you could say that for some of the competition. Go on then, mate. What did you think? And no bias, like objectively, what did you think of it? Objectively, I think what I've said probably multiple times today is, for me, I've always loved Moto Guzzi. I get it. I know why it moves me. But there's always some kind of concession that you're making. Whereas with this one, I don't have to make any excuses for it. It justifies itself because it is that good. You said you'd buy one if you had the money. Hands down. Yeah, if I had the money, I would absolutely buy one of these. So it's a big tick from us. It really is that good. Providing you get on with the riding position, and also providing that you're willing to pay a little premium for the pleasure of owning one. As always, we'd love to know what you think of it down in the comments below, so do let us know. And if you're new here, hit subscribe to see more reviews like this. Many thanks for watching today, and we'll see you in the next one.