Laverda Performance Portfolio 1978-1988

Born out of the ashes of WW2 the Laverda brothers Massimo and Piero's first machines were single cylinder four-strokes that made their debut in 1949. By 1953 and growing quickly, Laverda soon clocked up notable road race wins firstly with a 100cc racer and later with a 200cc twin but it was not until the late sixties when they launched their new 650 twin, which had a striking resemblance to an over-grown Honda CB77, that people really started to take notice. 1978 brought a new generation of motorcycle to Laverda firstly with the 500 twin where the makers had totally devoted themselves to the needs of the bike - the riders were second place in their minds. Then the launch of the 1200 which seemed to be designed to meet and beat the Japanese at their own game. Not content with just a 1200, Laverda, then moved forward with the Mirage, a Jota-ised 1200, built for high speed touring but 100lb lighter than its contemporary the Yamaha XS1100, it was fast and boy did you know it as the vibrations jangled up your spine. But the price-tag was high, the M.P.G. very, very, low and there were other problems too. The press couldn't decide whether they liked it or not, but one thing was for sure - it was very fast and had a voice of its own. Laverda managed to do all sorts of things with its Jota and in 1982 they tamed it by lowering, softening and muffling it and calling it the RGS. The RGS still had the rugged good looks of the Jota and did the job that it was made for - high-speed touring - very well. It was more fuel friendly, well received and during the 80's well honed. Sadly, the hands-on Laverda brothers were dogged with financial and union difficulties which were eventually solved under new management. This book includes 31 international articles with road tests, comparisons, model intros & more. Models covered: Formula Mirage, TS, Jota 1200, America 1000/20, RGA, Motodd, RGS 1000 & Corsa, SFC 750 & 1000, 1200 & Anniversary Special. 140 pages, 250 illus. SB.