CarBrandLogos archive · Moto Guzzi · 2022

Moto GuzziMoto Guzzi V100 Mandello

The first liquid-cooled Guzzi, with aerodynamic panels that move at speed.

Photo: Zigdax · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Moto Guzzi history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

The V100 broke two Guzzi habits at once. It is the first liquid-cooled engine the company has built for a road bike, a 1042cc 90-degree V-twin with double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, and the first to rotate the cylinders rearward, tucking them closer to the frame so the rider's legs sit further forward.

2006Honda CBR600RR-profile · Rich Niewiroski Jr. · CC BY 2.5

Design and engineering

The other novelty is aerodynamic. Panels on each side of the tank deploy automatically above a set speed to redirect airflow around the rider, then retract when the bike slows. It reads as a gimmick until you ride into weather with it.

Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello · GIM - Giri in Moto · CC BY 3.0

In production

Named after Mandello del Lario, the lakeside town where Guzzi has built motorcycles since 1921 and where the V100 is assembled, the bike was launched in 2022 for the company's centenary. It marks the point at which Piaggio began spending real money on the marque again, and a more off-road-oriented Stelvio followed on the same engine.

Technical specification