2023 Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S E5 review

Moto Guzzi marked its 100th anniversary in 2021 and celebrated by recently releasing the V100 Mandello, the number reflecting both the years in business and engine displacement.

It has lots of thoughtful design features and it’s attractive too, with plenty of retro features harking back to the Le Mans era.

There’s modern stuff as well though, like a single-sided aluminium swingarm, and the engine forms a key structural part of the chassis, saving weight. At 233kg wet, that’s not bad for a shaftie.

The V100 is a sport-tourer, coming here in two versions – three if you count the limited edition $29k Aviazione Navale – but almost everyone has gone for the most expensive ($31,490) S version because it rides smoother on account of its Ohlins semi-active suspension.

There’s less dive under brakes too. The S variant also features a quickshifter, a first for Guzzi, a platform with Bluetooth facilitating navigation via the TFT screen, heated hand grips and tyre pressure monitoring.

Aero aids

All models, however, get something truly new in the air-deflecting flaps. It’s the first production bike to have them.

In unison with the adjustable screen which raises and lowers by 90mm, they’re said to reduce wind pressure on the rider by around 22 per cent when deployed.

What else for the V100 then? Up front the daytime running lights are shaped in the form of an eagle. The bike looks better with the screen down and when up it makes a bit of noise anyway. A bigger screen is available as an accessory.

And on that, Guzzi has cleverly designed pannier mounts into the frame of the bike. Simply remove the rear seat section, and clip them into place. The pillion gets chunky hand holds too.

Engine up to speed

Powering the pair is Guzzi’s new “compact block” engine, still a 90° transverse V-twin but it is up to speed for emissions regulations (EU 5) and features eight valves and twin cams.

The big slugs displace 521cc each. Engineers have worked to reduce inertia ensuring a prompt response while a counter-rotating crankshaft limits the shaft drive torque effect during acceleration and deceleration.

Power flows through a hydraulic multiplate wet clutch with anti-juddering system. Previous Guzzis have been prone to clutch slip, easily uncovered during performance testing. Not any longer; it’s stout.

Another unusual aspect of this modern engine is that cylinder heads are rotated by 90 degrees, increasing knee room.

There’s ride-by-wire electronic control, and four engine modes, Tour, Road, Sport and Rain, each with its own throttle response, TC and engine braking parameters.

This new engine is not only more compact than that of the V85 TT but also more potent, spitting out 86kW (115bhp) at 8700rpm and peak torque of 105Nm arrives at 6750rpm.

Guzzi reckons that over 80 per cent of twist is on hand from 3500rpm, which equates to just under 100km/h in sixth, so roll-on acceleration in top is solid.

The engine pulls away smoothly from as low as 2000rpm too, starting to kick in earnest from 3000rpm. We found in town that low revs suffice, 2500-3500rpm, while out of town 3500-4500rpm is great for cruisy progress. The limiter is set just above 9000rpm.

Guzzi rates overall fuel use of 4.7L/100km. We got 5.3, although that included performance testing. And on that front this does not disappoint. At the launch the V100 felt like the fastest Guzzi we’d encountered and the firm suggests a sprint time of 3.8sec.

We managed a best of just under 3.5sec. That blitzes what the V85 TT is capable of, and it’s a similar story for the 80-120km/h overtaking time, the V100 taking two seconds flat compared with three seconds for the V85 TT.

However, the quickshifter doesn’t always appreciate all this hullabaloo, refusing to upshift at high revs on occasion. Adding the clutch sorted that.

Pay the extra for the S

At the launch ride it was clear that the S was the go-to machine by virtue of its Ohlins semi-active suspension. Much less dive under braking and a more compliant ride as well.

On test, we felt initially it was a bit firm in the rear and had forgotten you can adjust rear preload by a knurled knob. Next time out, it was just like at the launch, the plush ride back while tracking true through lumpy corners. And, you can adjust the suspension on the go.

There’s Dynamic for sports riding and Comfort for touring. The TFT colour screen looks fine but the rev counter component is way too small, the numerals indecipherable.

On the go this is really fun to ride. We opted to sacrifice a bit of suspension firmness and ultimate cornering control for a more wafting ride because you get sick of riding machines that jiggle your eyeballs.

The riding position is just so, an almost ideal triangle, the knees not too flexed, the arms not too stretched. Despite the lack of sheer bodywork, like on a true tourer, the aero aids and transverse engine keep much of the wind off you, at least to about neck height.

With Pirelli Angel GT 2 tyres, this carves corners in fine fashion, ground clearance never an issue, direction changes easy without being too quick.

Think GT then, for a four-wheeled analogy. The compact engine and short wheelbase contribute here. It has solid resolve in the corners too, stable, lines easily modified with a little peg weighting.

The V100 could do with a bit more steering lock for manoeuvring around but hey, it’s Italian. And the transmission is hardly cooperative for the first few minutes of operation – it likes a prolonged warm-up period before the juices flow properly.

Still, the quickshift mechanism turns the gearbox into the equivalent of a twin-clutcher; shifts are almost instantaneous.

Is this the best Guzzi yet? To my mind, yes. I have a soft spot for the Moto Guzzi V85 TT as well, though they’re rather different machines.

But what this does is mostly everything at least competently and is a delicious mix of comfort, agility, safety, style and individuality.