existential issues with my Harley around that time . I did not need to add wild Italian despair to my fuming hatred of Milwaukee . And so there I remained . I did not succumb to the lure of the submariner , but I did manage to ride a whole heap of Guzzis in the following years . Mandello did things differently . That was obvious . That was the appeal , after all . And to my mind , the factory would remain on a kind of strange motorcycle side-road , cloaked in an amazing history , adored by its adherents , but somehow unable or unwilling to build a bike that appealed to the non-submariners among us . Until now .
WINGS OF CHANGE The V100 Mandello is unmistakably a Moto Guzzi , but a Moto Guzzi unlike all that have gone before . That signature engineconfiguration remains , but the heads have been spun through 90-degrees , and it ’ s now liquid cooled . I had always thought the transverse-twin engine to be a thing of great beauty . And hanging the pipes out the side of the heads rather than arcing out the front is a huge styling departure – even though it makes great engineering sense . It ’ s still a good-looking motor . And Guzzi has ensured a few traditional styling cues have been retained , like the sidecover gills , tank profile , and tail-light . You ’ ll also note the LED running light is Guzzi ’ s soaring eagle logo – a very cool touch .
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