TRIPLES- 1969 - c.1990

The first prototype was very much a three cylinder version of the 750 in that the cylinder head and general engine layout was virtually identical to the 750 aside of course from having an extra cylinder.  With positive public feedback from the first prototype, the triple project was started in earnest and it wasn't too long before the first twin camshaft engine arrived.  Much had changed between the two prototypes, in fact the general features (aside from the camdrive) of the engine remained virtually unchanged through to the first production models.  Difficulties in production of the hugely complex '750-style' head combined with performance and marketing considerations to dictate a change to twin overhead camshafts and an almost 'flat' cylinder head with separate 'boxes' for both inlet and exhaust cams operating the two valves per cylinder via shim-and-bucket adjustment.  Drive to the camshafts was via a rubber belt on the right-side of the engine, bore and stroke were 75x74mm, the same as the original 650.  The trademark triplex primary chain drove a revised clutch and similar five-speed gearbox.  The aesthetics of the camdrive were not deemed suitable and it was subsequently changed to a single row chain between cylinders 2 and 3 for the final version which also reverted to a single piece head with each camshaft running in three separate bearing blocks and all covered by a deep one-piece rocker cover.  The crankpins were spaced at 180 degrees meaning the outer two pistons rose and fell together and the middle piston was at the bottom of it's stroke when the others were at the top.   This sounds completely crazy but actually produced an engine that is remarkably smooth at low to moderate revs but which vibrates with increasing enthusiasm as the 8000rpm redline is reached.  The most significant thing about this design is that a '180 triple' has an exhaust note like no other bike on the planet, an unevenly warbling deep note at low revs that turns into a rasping wail once the revs are raised- pure bliss!

The 3C went into production with the 2LS Laverda drum brakes front and rear (eeek!), 38mm Ceriani forks, a twin cradle frame and huge 8" headlight.  For the 1974 model year the triple was upgraded to twin Brembo disc brakes at the front and some way through the year saw the appearance of the oil cooler.  The performance of these bikes was pretty awesome by the standards of the time, however there is no such thing as 'too much horsepower' and as such, the Slater brothers in England started selling the 3CE (E for England) in 1975.  It was basically a 3C with single seat and modified exhaust system for improved flow, the collector box was larger and the pipes had larger outlets and less (or no) baffling.  It boosted the top end power by some 8hp and made it the first production bike to crack the 140mph mark- exciting stuff!  As previously mentioned vibration was an issue at higher revs and the bike was big, heavy... in fact TOP-heavy, and unbelievably tall in the saddle.  The early triples were tailor-made for big blokes with a speed habit!

Nineteen seventy six marked the first major revision of the triple with the emergence of the 3CL with it's cast five spoke wheels and moulded ducktail/seat.  The new wheels carried two discs at the front and one on the rear, all 280mm Brembos gripped by the same companies twin piston calipers.  This machine formed the basis for the legendary Jota, a machine which attained cult status in the UK.  The original Jotas were once again built in the UK by Slaters and now featured 4C cams and high compression pistons, borrowed from the factory endurance racers, lurking within.  These combined with the large-bore collector box and virtually straight-through 'mufflers' (the name hardly seems apt!) to produce a radical engine, more racebike than roadster and definitely happiest when being thrashed.  Much of the mystical reverence toward Laverdas by other motorcyclists even to this day is based on the reputation this bike developed in the late 70's.  The name Jota comes from a Spanish dance in 3-4 time and was coined by Roger Slater, the factory didn't officially make these early bikes and those for markets outside the the UK were bereft of the high performance engine internals.  By 1979 the factory assumed production of Jotas and  were in the now classic orange and silver livery and are immediately recognisable by the laid-forward rear shocks and Marzocchi suspension.  1980 saw the addition of a hideously ugly (in my very humble opinion) frame mounted fairing but few other changes.

1981 saw the emergence of the 'Mark II' triple, as some call it, in the revered '81 Jota.  The ignition pickups were moved to the left hand side of the crankshaft and a Nippondenso alternator was fitted to the right.  Not only did this change even up the lumpy early motor with it's absurdly large alternator hanging out in the breeze on the right side, it also went some way toward addressing the very poor charging rate of the early alternators.  Changes were made to the crankcase and primary cover in readiness for a left-foot gearchange but for the moment the familiar right-side mechanism remained, although operated now via a hydraulic clutch which at least removed the cable friction from the hitherto H-E-A-V-Y (now just heavy) clutch pull.  The fairing was new and in my opinion a huge improvement, though some dislike it.  This represented the end of the line for the 180 motors, they were no longer at the forefront of performance but remained highly respected and capable road-burners.

Sometime in the mid 70's the factory produced three racers, generally known as 'the spaceframe triples'.  They were the first to incorporate the 120 degree crankshaft, meaning that when one piston is at top dead centre, the other two are at mid-stroke, one on the way up and one on the way down.  This design was first seen in a production Laverda in 1982 with the 120 Jota.  Effectively it was a stop-gap model which was externally identical to the 81 bike but for the rubberised engine mounts to an otherwise identical frame.  The engine was almost identical to that which would appear the next year in the RGS, the gearshift had now moved properly to the left with a new (and much improved) selector mechanism behind the clutch, otherwise it was pretty similar to it's predecessor aside from being clothed in red rather than orange bodywork.  This bike is extremely rare in Australia (and elsewhere!) and for some reason is regarded to have sweeter handling than it's seemingly identical predecessor.

In late 82 the RGS was shown and became available in 1983, it represented a new direction for the Laverda name and the with a combination of smooth flowing bodywork, smoother 120 degree motor, 'softer' cam timing and of course the dreaded noise restrictions, it veered away from the 'caged animal' reputation that Laverda bikes had gained and aimed perhaps for the 'exclusive high speed tourer' market.  Aside from the obvious visual changes the bike featured a new frame with a much lower seat height and generally lower centre of gravity, Veglia electronic instrumentation including a fuel gauge (usually empty or heading for it!), a removable ducktail for quick change between single and dual seating, almost indestructible 'bayflex' bodywork, and the novel feature of a fuel filler in the nose of the fairing allowing a gloriously smooth tank shape.  This is the bike that got me into Laverdas as here was a triple that my Dad could finally touch the ground on, so he bought one!

There were several spin-off models;
RGS1000 Corsa-  This was the hot-rod version with an increase of 10hp for a claimed total of 94hp achieved by forged high-comp pistons and cylinder head modifications.  Braking was upgraded to state-of-the-art floating 280mm Brembo discs and goldline calipers, bodywork finished in black- YUM!.
RGS1000 Executive- The touring oriented model with fairing extensions covering the hands, higher handlebars and lovely looking integrated panniers that were unfortunately of such limited volume that they were virtually useless- looked nice though!  Usually finished in silver. 
RGA1000 Jota- As for the RGS but without the lovely fairing.  A normal petrol filler replaced the RGS' 'snorkel' and a universally disliked bikini fairing covered the Nippondenso instruments as used on the 82 Jota (and various Hondas!).  The idea was to offer a cheaper version of the RGS without sacrificing the other good points, the lower entry price probably did get a few more bums on seats but it's frontal styling is not remembered fondly!!  Other than that the use of orange paint and Jota name on this otherwise standard bike certainly produced some ill feeling amongst the purists.
RGA1000- As for the RGA Jota but with the higher Executive bars and a dual-only seat.  Not the most lovely looking bike ever made but easily fixed with an RGS seat and a fairing borrowed either from an 81 Jota, RGS, or the later SFC1000.  Finished in the most beautiful shade of blue ever produced (can you tell I own one?).

As usual the UK market was looked after by it's enthusiastic importers with some RGA's being sold with a locally made 'sprint' twin headlight fairing and possibly some engine mods on the Jota version.  The initial version of the fairing almost completely covered the lovely engine but a later option followed the tankline and looked quite nice.

By this time the finances of the Laverda factory were in big trouble, development of the new range of engines based on the technology learned in the V6 was on hold and the RGS, which was to have been a transitory stage between the old triples and the envisaged new three cylinder 600 or V4-750 engine, looked like being the last hurrah for the historic marque, but they had one more model left up their sleeve in form of the SFC1000.  Perhaps in response to the complaints regarding the 'softness' of the RGS, the SFC was more of a 'bare bones' bike and it shed a little weight in the use of lightweight bodywork which was similar in shape to the RGS but much more 'basic'.  The moulded fairing interior was replaced with a set of Smiths (or later Veglia)  instruments sitting inside a bare shell fairing- perhaps an attempt to justify the use of the hallowed SFC name.  The frame was allegedly different but looked exactly like an RGS to me, suspension was by Marzocchi M1R forks and Symbol rear shocks, wheels were new three spoke units and the front discs grew to 300mm.  The engine was lifted straight from the Corsa, itself an RGS with forged high compression pistons, different valve sizes and some portwork. Many people seem to believe there were hot cams and the like but the standard bike came with the same 'F1' grind as all the RG-series bikes.  The optional P1 grind cams and other engine modifications were available as an option from some dealers, once again predominantly in the UK.  The company was by this stage in extreme financial and managerial turmoil and after claiming to only be making 200 of the machines, all of which were snapped up quickly, production continued in slightly erratic fashion for several years thereafter.

It was a painfully slow death for both Moto Laverda and the engine which won them so much fame, in reality it was severely out of date by the time the last SFC trickled out the door in 1989.  But lets face it- a 20 (or is it 30?) year old design has not stopped Moto Guzzi producing and selling motorcycles to this day, so perhaps the real reason that they went out of business lays elsewhere.  The 1980's were a difficult time for European motorcycle manufacturers, Benelli and Morini both disappeared, MV Augusta had already gone, the final nails were driven into the coffin of the British bike industry when Triumph finally went, Bimota came whisker-close only to be saved by the landmark DB-1, Moto Guzzi struggled along with their old models courtesy of Alessandro de Tomaso's money and of course Ducati would have been dead and buried long ago it it weren't for the Castiglioni brothers and their deep pockets.  Aside from BMW who had a highly established market share and other manufacturing interests to fall back on, this represented the almost complete anihilation of the European motorcycle industry.  In this environment, the combination of a contracting family empire, the ailing health of Massimo Laverda- the undoubted father of the big Laverda sportsbikes, and misguided investments such as the disasterous Laverda 4x4 truck meant that the family owned Moto Laverda company descended into deeper and deeper financial trouble which was only compounded by managerial disagreements within the family.

Was it that the age of the family owned motorcycle company had come to an end?  In these days of economic rationalism is it possible to make a bike built from the heart rather than from the boardroom?  Perhaps the only difference between Laverda and the rest was that there was no billionaire in shining armour galloping in on a white horse to invest in them, at least not untill much later.

But that's another story....

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