Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello vs. BMW R 1250 RS: Which Is Better?

Now this month we've been lucky enough to borrow and test the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandela. It's a bike that I've been massively looking forward to getting my hands on and it absolutely delivered. It's fast, it's fun and it's full of Guzzi personality. It's a brilliant sports tourer in a beautifully designed Italiano form factor. But a couple of months back I was out in Spain testing some of the new 2023 BMW bikes and I spent a day riding what I'd argue is the closest rival for the Guzzi, the R1250RS. Now this is another accomplished bike that's been refined over many iterations. So can the new kid on the block measure up to the old German guard? Or is the beamer just too good? Well in this video we'll go through all of the major review categories, score the bikes for each and then at the end declare a winner. But before we get started a massive thanks to Cardo for supporting the channel and sponsoring this video. They make the best motorcycle comms system on the market in my opinion and we specifically use their range top impact torque edge for which you'll find a 10% discount code down in the description. And it's rammed full of the latest features but in particular I've been super impressed with the dynamic mesh communication tech which means that up to 15 riders can pair with up to a mile between each. I also love that it automatically heals so if someone drops off there's no need to manually pair again when they catch back up. And then there's the sound quality the JBL design speakers are second to none and the noise gating on the mic is pretty much perfect so there's no annoying wind noise that makes you want to switch it off. Genuinely this is the headset I'd want even if they didn't sponsor us and so I'd thoroughly recommend checking out the link and the discount code down in the description below. So we'll start with the engine and these two bikes actually have many similarities in this field. Both having twin cylinders mounted across the bike with a cylinder head sticking out on either side and both use a shaft drive too but the BMW does get a bit of a performance advantage because it's got a couple of hundred more ccs of capacity so 1254 cc compared to the 1042 of the gutsy and it also makes use of their shift cam variable valve timing and lift system. This means that the engine runs on a less aggressive cam profile at moderate revs and that prioritizes fuel economy and low down grunt but then it can shift over to a more sporty cam using an electronically actuated pin and this one prioritizes top end power when you're giving it a bit more throttle. So the resulting performance figures for the BMW are pretty good so 136 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and a very healthy amount of peak torque with 143 newton meters at 6,250. Set that against the gutsy with 115 horsepower and 105 newton meters at fairly similar levels in the rev range and you can see that it's a fairly substantial step up to the BMW. Thing is though with the boxer twin and its even firing intervals it always feels a bit flat and the sound doesn't exactly stir the soul. So despite that performance advantage I think personally in this category I'd still give the point to the gutsy with its 90 degree v-twin. 115 horsepower feels plenty quick enough for some spirited solo riding and the vibes and the soundtrack for me are just far more engaging. That said if motorway cruising is a significant share of your intended use of one of these bikes then the smoothness and the extra grunt of the BMW might make it the better choice especially if you're fully loaded with passengers and luggage. Now like for like you can get a pretty similar chassis spec on these two bikes so there's a tubular steel frame wrapped around the engine as a stress member on both. You've got the shaft drive, you've got an upside down fork at the front and monoshock at the rear. Fairly sporty four piston radial brembo brakes up front and decent sports touring tires as standard. And then there's the option on both of them to upgrade to semi-active electronically adjustable suspension if your budget allows. So you can achieve you know a very similar spec but I think the difference between the two bikes comes down to the fundamentals. The motor gutsy is just a little bit shorter in the wheelbase and it's also about 10 kilograms lighter too and so it feels the more flickable and nimble of the two bikes. It still balances sport and touring quite nicely. It feels plenty stable enough for some longer distance cruising but it just has that snap and extra front end feel through corners and so for me it would make it the bike to go for. But what the extra size of the BMW does give it is a slightly more roomy feel in the cockpit which I think gives it the edge on comfort. It just feels like there's a bit more space to stretch out and that stability over distance maybe if you've got a passenger on board too it's just going to make it the more comfy bike. I also like the level of customization you get with it so the standard seat height comes in at 820mm but you've also got a very low option in the accessories catalog of 760mm or you can go up a bit if you want to be more tail up with the sports saddle at 840mm. Then there's the sort of raised clip-on style bar as standard but if you want to be a touch more sat up and straight in the sort of back position you can swap it out for 110 quid for the flat tubular bar that you get on the naked equivalent the R1250R. Then there's an extra litre of fuel in the tank as well so 18 to the 17 of the gutsy and so while there's no one big killer blow that magically makes it more comfortable there's just lots of little factors that I think will make it the better tourer. Now in defense of the gutsy it does get some different saddle height options as well you've also got a power windscreen which is really quite good and then there's the adaptive aerodynamic flaps on the tank which give you a little bit more wind protection at speed. You know I'd be perfectly happy on the V100 for a weekend away but given the choice of the two I think I'd always take the BMW. Now the gutsy brings some decent tech with a suite of riding modes that allow you to edit the power map and the traction control levels. There's the all important cruise control for this style of bike and there's also a quick shifter and phone connectivity module in the accessories catalog and there's the power windscreen and the aerodynamic flaps that we just mentioned. But really it's always going to be pretty hard to compete with BMW for tech and the R1250RS matches the V100 like for like but then it also has some extra goodies on offer like keyless ignition, extra riding modes, engine braking control, hill start control and an SOS button. Now granted a lot of those features will cost you a little bit extra but I also think BMW make the best TFT displays in the business with a physically large and easy to read screen but that's also well laid out and nicely designed. There's a lot more customization in there too in terms of layout and so for me it's easily the nicer bike to use in terms of the cockpit experience. Now styling is always going to be a big part of any buying decision and I think the BMW holds its own particularly with the 500 quid sport package which gives you the M Sport colored paint job. Now you can also spec up their option 719 billet parts on the engine cases and the levers and pegs and reservoir caps and there's even a couple of option 719 wheel choices with some milled detailing. I mean these extras do add a heck of a lot to the cost of the bike but if you want an RS that looks a bit special then I can see a case for it. Thing is though even with all that fancy stuff specced up I just don't think the BMW can match the V100 for you know design flair. This bike is really nice to look at in my opinion from pretty much any angle. It's got beautiful flowing lines through the bodywork, there's tastefully chosen color options, lots of nice details like the lighting front and rear and the gold wheels and the gold engine cases on the particular bike I borrowed just add a little bit of a pop of class. So for me no questions asked the point here has to go to the Guzzi. Now on to the price and you've got two levels of trim with the Guzzi. So the standard bike at £13,500 or you can go for the S model up at £15,750 and that gets you the two-tone paint options, quick shifter and connectivity as standard and the Ohlins Smart EC2 semi-active suspension. The R1250RS on the other hand starts at £13,140 or there's an SE version at £15,135 and that gets a lot of the same stuff so the quick shifter and semi-active suspension and also some other extras like a center stand, a daytime running light and a GPS mount. It is difficult to compare them exactly like for like but I think overall it looks like the BMW offers slightly better value and so it has to take the point. Now that makes it three points a piece which I think is a fair reflection. The BMW is slightly better at the touring side, it offers better tech and it's good on price whereas the Moto Guzzi has more soul, it's a little bit more nimble as well and it easily wins on looks for me. Personally I think I'd pick the Guzzi because I don't do a lot of touring but it would still make for a great weekend sporty road bike with the nice option to do the longer stuff occasionally. But as always I'd love to know which bike you'd pick so do let us know down in the comments below and if you want to see my full review of the V100 and you haven't seen it already then do click on the screen here and give it a watch, let us know what you think of the bike down in the comments. Also hit subscribe if you haven't already to see more head-to-heads like this. Many thanks for watching today and we'll catch you in the next one.