Surprise, Sur...

Active aero, liquid-cooling, semi-active suspension… the new V100 Mandello will have Guzzi traditionalists choking on their espressos…

Asurprise arrival at the celebrations of Moto Guzzi’s 100th year (see page 50) is this, the new Guzzi V100 Mandello. Though it uses the traditional longitudinal V-twin and shaft drive, there’s plenty of new tech including active aero and a new liquidcooled engine – a Guzzi first. One model has semi-active suspension too.

Besides liquid cooling, the 1050cc motor also features a four-valve head and instead of having the inlets at the rear of each cylinder and the exhausts thrust out into the breeze like all Guzzi V-twins before, the V100 has the intakes on top of the cylinders and the exhausts below.

This is exactly what BMW did when the R1200GS went liquid-cooled in 2013, and as professor Jamie Turner mentions on page 26, one of the reasons for the change is the layout allows the use of double overhead cams driven by chains (instead of push-rods). It would also mean that Guzzi could incorporate variable valve timing like BMW’S GS and Harley’s Pan America, which both use the technology to keep a healthy midrange while hitting big peak power figures and passing emission tests. There’s certainly enough room under the humongous rocker covers. Bizarrely, despite releasing official photos of the bike, Guzzi won’t reveal any technical information until the launch in November.

There have been leaks from the factory, however, which reveal the new V-twin has a 96mm x 72mm bore and stroke, which suggests

Guzzi aren’t aiming for huge power figures – Harley’s

1252cc, 145bhp Pan America, for example, has the same stroke but a 105mm bore.

We’re betting the V100 will be 115 to 120bhp, with a traditionally bulging midrange.

The active aero is the first seen on a production bike.

The two small deflectors either side of the tank pop up to deflect wind, though it looks suspiciously like a gimmick as they can’t add a great deal of weather protection.

The electrically adjustable screen looks good though.

Other bits are par for the sports tourer course: TFT dash; semi-active suspension option; quickshifter; vast seat; Brembo radial calipers. It could be great.

‘There’s plenty of new tech including active aero and a new liquid-cooled engine’