Coming back to the fold? Maybe?

[GreyGooseGuy]

So I bought a used V7 III Milano in 2020 -- my 19th bike, but my first, and so far, only Guzzi -- and shortly thereafter replaced it with a Kawasaki Z900. It just didn't have the handling chops for my kind of riding. Then a medical issue caused me to give up the Z and riding altogether until late last year, when I waded back in with a new Yamaha MT-07, which I like a lot. It's only missing shaft drive and cruise control...
So tomorrow, I think I'll head over to my local Guzzi dealer after work and take a look at the very appealing V100S their website says they have. If it's not too tall for me, I may have to find a way to scrape together the cash for one. Really like the idea of the "semi-active" suspension (but the base model's red paint and gold wheels are hot).
I'll be interested to keep up with the V100-specific content here if I do decide to go forward with this. Oh, and any V100 owner in the Denver area who would like to offer me the opportunity to ride his bike... well, I'd be all over that! 

[rocker59]

Here is the link to the V100 Mandello merged threadfest.

https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=112212.1500

Happy reading.

[rocker59]

An owner review thread:

https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=118560.0

[GreyGooseGuy]

Thanks. All reviews tend to be subjective, of course, but I appreciate it

If there are any V100 owners out there who have owned a late-model FJR -- especially the ES variant -- I'd love to know how the two compare in the twisties, at a 7/10 pace.

Welll... a guy can hope...

[Dave Swanson]

Just do it!  I love mine.

There is plenty of good sound clips on this video.  Run, don't walk to the dealer and get one.   

https://youtu.be/lkPQua22Shc?si=K6ZqDtwH4Gbm1nS1

[GreyGooseGuy]

Glad you love yours, but I can't afford to make a mistake. Before I bought the MT-07 I'm riding, I bought a Triumph Trident 660 that I had to sell at a loss six weeks later. Dealer wouldn't permit a decent test ride. I knew I'd bought the wrong bike by the time I got it home.

I doubt that I'll get a decent test ride on a V100 -- my local dealer is located in the heart of downtown. I've found that suspension/handling/ride is the most subjective thing. Somehow. I'll need to know that the V100 (probably the S model) will allow me to ride the twisties at a brisk pace but not beat me up on freeway expansion joints  before I'll be able to buy one.

[blu guzz]

I was looking at your stable of past and present bikes and the one oddball that stands out is that Milano.  It seems you like your bikes to be very throttle responsive.  The V100 may satisfy that for you.  I am 5' 8" with 29 inch inseam and could flat foot the V100 when I tried it so height might be good for you.  If you can get a discussion going with the dealer, they would probably offer you a pretty long test ride.  I didn't feel like the V100 truly came into its own until I was able to stretch its legs a little.  You should try to do the same.  It is a very different experience from the air cooled Guzzis, but some of the old Guzzi charm remains.  Good luck on your search.

[GreyGooseGuy]

I was looking at your stable of past and present bikes and the one oddball that stands out is that Milano.  It seems you like your bikes to be very throttle responsive.  The V100 may satisfy that for you.  I am 5' 8" with 29 inch inseam and could flat foot the V100 when I tried it so height might be good for you.  If you can get a discussion going with the dealer, they would probably offer you a pretty long test ride.  I didn't feel like the V100 truly came into its own until I was able to stretch its legs a little.  You should try to do the same.  It is a very different experience from the air cooled Guzzis, but some of the old Guzzi charm remains.  Good luck on your search.

Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately... I stopped by the dealer after work, and sat on one of the two S models he had. (He had no base models.) I have a 30-inch inseam, and I don't have a clue how you could possibly flat-foot the thing; I was on the balls of my feet. I would think that, if the shock preload was jacked way up, the dealer would have thought to look into that, but he didn't. I think part of the issue is that the bike is significantly wider between my legs than my MT-07. In any event... as appealing as the V100 is, and despite the enduring mystique the marque holds for me, we're not a match. I sold my last, beloved FJR because it got too tall, and too wide between my legs for me to feel confident on sandy surfaces.
Y'all enjoy your Mandellos! They're gorgeous!

[blu guzz]

I sat on a base model, perhaps that was the difference?  Have not sat on the uplevel model.

[Tkelly]

If the factory or a dealer has bikes at the National in OR they usually allow lengthy test rides led by fast guides.Short trip for you,check it out.