FLYING HIPSTER ON A MOTO GUZZI TRIBUTE

Here is a message for the Austrian manufacturer of a well-known energy drink.

You don’t need Red Bull to give you wings.

You see, the V100 Mandello, Moto Guzzi’s latest sports tourer, comes with an elegant pair on the side of the tank which pop out to keep your knees dry in the rain, and cosseted in a cocoon of still air even in a howling gale. Innovative – but then, so is the whole bike, created from scratch to celebrate the centenary of the company founded in 1921 in a factory on the shores of Lake Como where the bikes are made to this day.

It was rather appropriate, then, that I climbed aboard outside that very same factory on a cool, damp morning.

In front of me, the 5in TFT screen showed all I needed to know, including which of the four modes I was in – Pioggia, Strada, Turismo or Sportivo.

If you’re not as fluent in Italian as what I am, these translate as Soggy, Urban Hipster Dude, Born to Cruise and Hooligan.

I started in Urban Hipster Dude mode through the city streets, then out on the open road I switched to Born to Cruise, but to be honest didn’t notice a huge difference.

The aforementioned wings slide out seductively at 70km/h, or 43.496mph precisely, but I didn’t notice much difference when they did, to be honest.

Still, they look cool, which in Italy is the main thing.

Even in Born to Cruise mode, progress is gloriously swift and smooth, and with 82% of torque available from 3,500rpm, I could take uphill hairpins in second gear without even coming close to stalling.

Hooligan adds a thrilling alacrity to proceedings, although at the expense of an occasionally snatchy throttle and firmer suspension, so I’d go for Born to Cruise all the time, especially with a pillion passenger.

It weighs 233kg, but is so beautifully balanced that handling is light and agile. By now the rain had arrived with a vengeance, but progress was so sluggish in Soggy mode I was soon back in Born to Cruise.

And in spite of the rain, I was feeling splendidly happy to be riding a machine that is agile and sporty yet all-day comfortable, and with a gloriously smooth yet characterful engine, all of it adding up to a very fitting tribute to 100 years of Moto Guzzi.