Bringing Back Laverda
BRINGING BACK LAVERDA
ROUNDUP
LAST DECEMBER'S Bologna Motor Show was the stage for one of the most emotion-filled motorcycle events of the new millennium: the return of Laverda to the high-performance sportbike scene, though now as a member of the Aprilia group.
Moto Laverda has long enjoyed a special place in the heart of the two-wheeled fraternity. But the reappearance of the famous “lobster-orange” paint signifies more than just the return of a legend. It also represents many magical memories for a generation of grayhaired motorcyclists who lived though and took part in the great comeback of high-class motorcycling in the early 1970s.
Laverda helped to spearhead that movement with its aircooled, sohc 650/750cc parallelTwins, first the GT, then the Sport, SF and finally the mythical SFC. The 750 SFC was an all-out production racer that dominated a number of national championships and, thanks to its remarkable reliability, was a top contender in international endurance races including the Bol d’Or. All SFCs were that distinctive shade of orange, the color of Laverda’s agricultural equipment, which was the family business dating back to the late 19th century.
For Aprilia, painting the new limited-edition 1000 SFC orange was a way to quickly re-establish the historical connection. Slated to hit showrooms in December, the bike is not, however, powered by a three-cylinder engine as many had hoped. (Such an engine was on the drawing board when the previous owners derailed Laverda for the third and final time.) Money was not abundant, and time was short: Either Laverda would be resurrected this year, or it would take more than nostalgic paint and a traditional name to get the marque restarted.
Saving time and money, engineers opted for Aprilia’s proven 60-degree V-Twin. Based on the RSV Mille R, the engine has a single central sparkplug, as opposed to the R model’s twinplug setup, and is fed by massive 57mm throttle bodies with one injector per cylinder. Aprilia claims 133 horsepower at 9500 rpm and 77 foot-pounds of torque at 7500 rpm. The gearbox is a close-ratio six-speed.
Per Laverda tradition, the frame is fabricated from chromoly tubing. As far as geometry, there’s a 24.0-degree
steering-head angle and 55.9inch wheelbase. The front of the unpainted structure is fairly conventional, while the rear bolts to a box-shaped, billetaluminum piece that surrounds the rear of the engine and locates the swingarm. The swingarm pivot is adjustable, matching the Öhlins 43mm fork and cantilevered shock. Brembo’s latest radial-mount brakes are mated to 17-inch forgedaluminium wheels.
Because only a few hundred 1000 SFCs will be built, no expense was spared, with carbonfiber and titanium used extensively to keep dry weight under the hoped-for 386 pounds, much lighter than the original 750 SFC.
Following the first run of SFCs, other models are planned. Only then will we have confirmation that Laverda is back in business for good.
Bruno de Prato
