A round of applause for the ragazzi of Mandello . They ’ ve done very , very well . The V100 Mandello is the best Moto Guzzi ever built .
It ’ s not hard to put a button that controls the heated grips on the switchblock . Put another button next to it that deals with the screen . When you make me scroll through menus while I ’ m trying not to spear off a cliff , I ’ m gonna make a frowny face . None of that is a deal-breaker , to be honest . I ’ m not the kind of rider that spends any time at all frigging about with rider modes and buttons . I find one I like , and that ’ s where it lives forever . I would have enjoyed easier access to the grips and screen , but that just reads a bit like I ’ m a nitpicking sumbitch . The V100 Mandello is the bike Moto Guzzi diehards have been waiting for . And it will not disappoint . But it is also the bike that puts Moto Guzzi into the headspace of people who might never have considered buying one . They ’ ve heard the talk . They might even have met some submariners . But that ’ s like deciding not to consider a Harley because you ’ ve met HOG members . Moto Guzzi has built a bike for now . For the real world . For the roads we ride and how we ride them .
FULL DISCLOSURE I was given gifts by Moto Guzzi Australia ( Peter Stevens Imports ). I received a Moto Guzzi T-shirt , a pen , a key-ring , a water bottle , a Wolverine comic book , and a tin cup . Obviously , I would dwell among the cheaper whores if anyone thinks that ’ s gonna buy my love . Flying me First Class for two weeks of riding in the south of Italy ...? Well , that ’ s a whole other thing .
68 KIWI RIDER