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We try out Moto Guzzi’s all-new V100 Mandello S from the official international press introduction in Italy.
We try out Moto Guzzi’s all-new V100 Mandello S from the official international press introduction in Italy. (Piaggio Group/)

Earlier this season, we test rode Moto Guzzi’s 2023 V100 Mandello S from the official international press introduction in the Mandello del Lario region of northern Italy. This is an all-new sport-touring rig for Moto Guzzi. Moto Guzzi has manufactured motorcycles out of its factory on the shore of Lake Como for more than 100 years. The 2023 V100 Mandello S ($17,490) is the first truly new and modern Moto Guzzi that we’ve seen in the company’s recent history.

Looking back a few decades, this V100 most resembles, in our minds, the Griso eight-valve that Guzzi offered. We loved that motorcycle and always wondered when it would get a revamp or a refresh. Although this V100 Mandello is positioned a little differently, it’s actually very similar in application.

The 2023 V100 features an all-new, water-cooled transverse-mounted 1,042cc V-twin. Unlike a traditional V-twin in which the engine is mounted underneath you with the front cylinder facing forward and the rear cylinder facing back, this engine is mounted sideways. The pistons are on either side of the motorcycle, much like a boxer twin from the Motorrad factory. But instead of the pistons working at an opposed angle, this is a V angle.

Moto Guzzi has done a number of really important changes to this iconic powerplant. First, the engine is significantly shorter than before. Those old, air-cooled Guzzis have long transmissions. Moto Guzzi was able to shave 4 inches off the depth of the engine from front to back. The cylinder heads have also been reconfigured. Historically, it had the exhaust aimed out from the front of the motorcycle. Now they are positioned at a 90-degree angle and exit from the side. The V-block is still positioned in a 90-degree orientation. Other improvements include dual chain-driven camshafts and adjustable ride-by-wire throttle.

We love that this 1,042cc engine offers loads of character. It still has a degree of Guzzi’s signature longitudinal rumble but it is less intrusive than past Moto Guzzis. The counterrotating crankshaft does a lot to make this motorcycle very nimble. This bike weighs 514 pounds with a full 4.5 gallons of fuel, but when we were riding around the shores of Lake Como, you would never know that this motorcycle weighed so much. It is very nimble and apt to change direction.

The roads in northern Italy are small and narrow. Typically you wouldn’t want to operate a 500-pound streetbike on these types of surfaces, but the V100 Mandello S, it offers excellent handling. We rode the up-spec S model, which adds $2,000 to the US MSRP. For that extra two grand you get semi-active Öhlins suspension and heated grips. There are also some nice styling touches that make that motorcycle stand apart from the base $15,490 motorcycle.

The Öhlins semi-active EC 2.0 suspension that a lot of high-end bikes employ nowadays performs well. It takes all the fuss out of having to adjust the damping of the fork or shock. You set it, you forget it. Of course, the suspension is tied to each of the four riding modes—Rain, Touring, Sport, and Road. Each setting delivers a different ride quality. We prefer the Sport riding mode. It offered the most intimate throttle response, and made that V100 really fun to ride on the back roads around Lake Como.

Ergonomics-wise we appreciated how narrow it felt between our legs. Even though it’s a 500-plus-pound bike, it doesn’t look or feel that large. It’s nice and compact from front to back and fairly narrow in terms of width. It’s a good urban touring bike. It’s the type of bike that you can be comfortable on and still have a good degree of maneuverability in the city, yet if you wanted to, you could fit the OE accessory hard cases ($849.50) and go on light touring missions. The electronically adjustable windscreen is a handy feature with adequate range of adjustment.

The aerodynamic features include louvers that open when you are at speeds over 45 mph in the touring setting. These louvers are designed to reduce the turbulent air inside the cockpit, and reduce the amount of precipitation that comes in the cockpit when riding in the rain. It’s also worth noting that when operating the vehicle in Rain mode, the louvers are open to deflect some of the water off your body. We think it’s a neat concept. The louvers open and close very seamlessly and certainly look cool. It’s a very neat feature, but the actual application of them? It’s kind of silly to us. I don’t think it really made much of a

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By: Adam Waheed
Title: 2023 Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello S Review
Sourced From: www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/moto-guzzi-v100-mandello-s-review-2023/
Published Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2023 17:54:15 +0000

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Prizefighter: A custom Ducati Monster 600 built for a Turkish actor

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Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom Cycles
The Ducati Monster is widely credited with saving the Italian marque in the 90s. Part of its success lies in its minimalist brawler aesthetic—and part of it lies in the fact that Ducati has always offered the Monster in myriad engine sizes at varying price points. If you couldn’t quite spring for an M900 back in 1994, the Ducati Monster 600 looked just as cool, cost less, and still made adequate power.

Decades on, the Monster is a very different beast and has even shed its trademark trellis frame. But the mid-90s Monster still has appeal—and it’s got tons of custom bike potential, as evidenced by this custom Ducati Monster 600 from Turkey’s Bunker Custom Cycles.

Custom Ducati Monster 600 by Bunker Custom Cycles

The 1998-model Monster 600 belongs to the Turkish actor Kadir Doğulu, who went through considerable effort to obtain it. The story goes that the bike was one of four imported to Turkey in the late 90s as show bikes for a major local 4×4 event. Kadir spotted it in the corner of a parking garage gathering dust and hassled the owner for ten years before he finally agreed to sell it.

By then, the Monster 600 was desperately in need of rescue. A decade of being parked had given the elements time to work, leaving the chassis, fuel tank, and a whole whack of alloy parts covered in rust. Kadir held onto the bike for a while, then called in the brothers at Bunker Custom Cycles, Mert and Can Uzer, to revive it.

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By: Wesley Reyneke
Title: Prizefighter: A custom Ducati Monster 600 built for a Turkish actor
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/custom-ducati-monster-600
Published Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:57:09 +0000

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Where Is the 2024 Honda CB750 Hornet Naked Bike?

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Honda’s CB750 Hornet was officially unveiled in Europe last year, and has appeared in other markets globally—just not the US.
Honda’s CB750 Hornet was officially unveiled in Europe last year, and has appeared in other markets globally—just not the US. (Honda Europe/)

It’s been 25 years since Honda’s massively popular 600cc Hornet wheelied onto European tarmac, so when word got out a couple of years ago that a new Hornet was in development the buzz (sorry) around the internet was palpable. The first and second-gen Hornets were almost universally beloved for their light weight, revvy characterful engine, and uh, down-to-earth price tags. Fun, practical, and cheap? It’s no wonder crowds of riders signed up to own one. And while the naked-bike segment has evolved tremendously in the ensuing years, a midsize model with those same characteristics along with the reliability and build quality Honda’s known for—at the right price—might still put up a good fight against its Trident 660 and MT-07 rivals.

The Hornet’s chassis is dominated by a new lightweight diamond steel frame and Showa suspension front and rear.
The Hornet’s chassis is dominated by a new lightweight diamond steel frame and Showa suspension front and rear. (Honda Europe/)

Sure enough, Honda pulled the wraps off its long-anticipated CB750 Hornet at the 2022 Intermot show in Germany, and it had all the goods we could hope for: a rollicking 91 hp twin engine (not an inline-four like the old model), a robust menu of standard features, and a better-than-expected electronics package. The compact 755cc Unicam eight-valve parallel-twin engine was entirely new, as was the diamond steel frame, and the bike sported throttle-by-wire, ABS, four ride modes, traction and wheelie control, a six-speed transmission, and more.

Initial reports praised its fat midrange, agility, and unique sound (for a parallel twin). It weighed less than 420 pounds, and for a naked middleweight, the price was right; less than 8,000 euro (about $8,500 USD).

Related: 2024 Honda XL750 Transalp First Look Preview

The new Hornet shares its all-new compact 755cc parallel-twin engine with Honda’s just-released XL750 Transalp, though there are slight differences.
The new Hornet shares its all-new compact 755cc parallel-twin engine with Honda’s just-released XL750 Transalp, though there are slight differences. (Honda Europe/)

You can bet plenty of US riders immediately thought, “Great, North America will get it next year.” And really, that didn’t seem like an outlandish idea. The bike had been teased since at least 2021, beginning with computer illustrations and then more fleshed-out reveals of a concept version; it had now become a familiar formula, with Honda then usually releasing a full production model in Europe, followed a year later with entry into the North American market. But here we are at the end of 2023 and many of the 2024 US models have already been announced, including the reborn 2024 Transalp model, which—it almost feels like a slap in the face—uses the same exact 755cc engine as the Hornet. A bike with the same drivetrain as the Hornet, that wasn’t expected in the US at all this year, and yet…

Hello, Honda?

A 5.0-inch color TFT display allows access to rider modes, traction control, engine-braking, and anti-wheelie settings.
A 5.0-inch color TFT display allows access to rider modes, traction control, engine-braking, and anti-wheelie settings. (Honda Europe/)

As we said, the engine is all-new, with the parallel twin using Honda’s latest vortex airflow ducting to improve intake flow in the low-end and midrange. Peak power is 90.5 hp at 9,500 rpm, with max torque of 55.3 lb.-ft. coming on at 7,250 rpm. The Hornet’s 755cc mill also uses a 270-degree crank for an uneven firing interval that injects more character to its delivery as well as its sound.

To be fair, the Transalp’s mill is ever so slightly different, with the airbox inlets being longer to give it more midrange, and its back

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By: Andrew Cherney
Title: Where Is the 2024 Honda CB750 Hornet Naked Bike?
Sourced From: www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/honda-cb750-hornet-coming-soon-rumors/
Published Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 22:17:08 +0000

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Make some noize for the Kawasaki H1 that didn’t race at Glemseck

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Kawasaki H1 drag bike by Krautmotors
The Glemseck 101 is the European event for anyone who loves fast, impractical, and highly imaginative machines. Those who partake in it do so with cult-like levels of obsession—returning year after year in a bid to outdo each other and themselves.

Rolf Reick is a regular face at the Glemseck 101. Based in Heidelberg, Germany, the perpetually cheerful industrial designer heads up a design school in the nearby town of Mannheim. But he also has years of experience building custom bikes—like this wild Kawasaki H1 two-stroke—under the banner of Krautmotors.

Kawasaki H1 drag bike by Krautmotors

Rolf has stockpiled a number of rad bits and pieces over the years. So he set himself a goal of building a drag bike for this year’s Glemseck 101 using only recycled parts from his personal stash, turning to external sources only when necessary. (It’s not the first time he’s used this approach.)

One of the parts that Ralf already had on hand was the triple-cylinder two-stroke engine from a Kawasaki H1 Mach III; the original ‘Widowmaker.’ But it was far from stock. It had previously been rebuilt by the Kawasaki specialist Ralf Gille, with a host of upgrades that included extensive head work, a new crankshaft, and a set of Mikuni carbs.

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By: Wesley Reyneke
Title: Make some noize for the Kawasaki H1 that didn’t race at Glemseck
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/kawasaki-h1-krautmotors
Published Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:01:55 +0000

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