Laverda 1000
LAVERDA 1000
Cycle World Road Test
2,13~364J~s A Lot Of LiRE In Factlt's 1~ch For The Best
S AS~ th~ fllO5t atr Th~re~s d doubt p~ iph ot the idea first a~d ti~ 4ne11o\~r pU~WQ4 1~r1~ nt *~ut o~n the showrc~pni door wa~ pubUc d4~ t bLiè Their the Jap~n~ mulUs Fjjt the UJ$ 4that Veft 4
theP~ k. 4thIe. ch~i~e if you ari t~swa}k~w tt Japaeapp!rb~lT X~I~Iy if,,you sh~~Tg oh the wowi~f1oor B~?you are wUllng w~ut t~~ae~,uy state j~l~ pay~cp dollaL The~re are~ other m~jt~ rnarne1~Thr~rs that not oiiIy~h~ive the a1~i~ity~ but fi~ the thn~~ build a is T~newhat unortho~.And~th~se p~tunes are~JSu~k witFt oH U1 Grafansh~,4 that'& wF~t~&~ re~ft~
Otie cOrn~4t~y~ we are spe~ffi~Iiy referring t~ hou~4~. tir sm4il t~wn f Br4inze tf~1y. The rii~iw is L~vei da b~n if t d~i~'t sound irn1j~, d~ci~t~ b~ surprised 1k~w the Ameikan Ea~1e'~ Most btkers rejn~inber that S~vei~tL a~go , c~y iw~d McC~rinaek Ant~r~at~ona1 jr~i~ porte th~4LaverdaU~ (a~ng othersj-arid rn~*k~ted them E~gJe~,i41 )it that.~time, thi~i~ bikes c~tfej~~
were severaI~tons o a 150 and 75~ Single and twrn Jnfärtu~ate1y s devefoped~, on~ of whick w~ts not enough product and American Eagle fkw of~jnto the sunset never~bcardf~oma~in
4~ Laverda, on the c~ther h4nd~ is still around And t&i~y still b~t1d rnotorcycles~, a1tt~o~g$t the uircpiicern is the produ~. of~f~r~ii rnachit*y Andjwajly tb~y have entere~1 the thulti market with a4eally unusual b~ce~Three
Thi~ l4test offering is a n~arrow a1uminurn~*r tmke with a chain dn~n dç~ih4e e&erfl~ead am design Unlike other Threes Qh market t~Lave~jA craakpins are assembled I8~ degrees oLtr~i phase to ene another ln~het~words as the two 44e~pisto~i~ are at (TDC), the centef àji~is at bo14~m jead This in itself gives the T1u~e~ a'~~fmitar to~1~1~dt~i dLh one Iug wire ecnjie~ted, parnctdac~y at low n~ne~eeds
It s odd oun~~~sure a~j1~ sexa~%tj why we billed it as a ihi~e cyffhider Fouj.. There is really no wá5~ to snake the unit meI1o~w uuhk~'~ Trident but th~tandard pApa andmi~1f1ei arraf~ement doteitd~ to aggi~avate the sound This system çinsists of three hj~4~r pipes that merge in~p a sinële collectot aud into two mu~ers;~Fo~-tunateI~ there . n option~ cc4Lecto~ ystein~that sh~kI help the un4-a bit, at weI1~as inj~)rove appc~an~e and perfora~iante Our o~y h~e is that t~ colleëior ts as quiet~ as the standard e~thau~
e otthd may4urn S i~way, but those who~de the l 000 for a time tend to forget about it because their thoughts eventually turn to vibration, or, in this case, the lack of it.
It’s really neat to ride a big bore bike that isn’t much bothered with the annoyances of vibration. The Laverda ij^fc bothered at all. The crank arrangement takes care of tnat problem, eliminating the need for contrarotating weights, as well. A slight lope at idle and slow speeds, kind of like a Norton’s, is the only indication you have that the engine is running at all.
Laverda took time when they developed the 1000. It shows when you ride and it shows when you dismantle the engine for a look inside. In a way, the top end of the Three is similar to a Zl’s, since valve adjustment is accomplished by a choice of different thickness spacers placed under the cam lobe. In this instance, shims are placed under a cup that covers the valve and spring. The cup is relieved underneath to accept the shim. Due to the large diameter of the cam drive gears and their close proximity to one another, it’s not necessary, as it is with the Zl, to use an idler gear to keep the cam chain running true.
Gas and air headed for the cylinders is mixed in three 32mm Dell’Orto carburetors. These are designed with accelerator pumps to aid fuel flow and low-speed response. While these units are an improvement over standard square sli^k Dell'Ortos, they still have a way to go to equal tne performance of a Mikuni.
The biggest disadvantage with them is in the movement of the slide. Travel is excessive, requiring at least two handfuls of throttle before the slides are fully opened. And once the slide is open on a cruise setting, it requires a strong right arm to hold it there. Stuck slides, however, should be impossible with such heavy return springs.
Bosh electrics supply spark for the ignition on the 1000. Instead of points, the Laverda sports a pointless ET (energy transfer) magneto. Spark is there in abundance, even in the worst conditions. This is important, since the Laverda isn't equipped with a kickstarter lever, not that this is bad, as long as the battery is properly maintained. Besides, the big Three would take a lot of effort to kick through.
The power half of the engine is coupled to the transmission by a triplex chain, due to the space required to house an enormous clutch and electric starter. To allow clearance for these it was impossible to gear drive the transmission. Laverda’s arrangement, the countershaft sprocket is locatec^P the mainshaft of the transmission. This is common practice with most bikes using a primary chain.
Inside the transmission, the shifter drum isn't a drum at all. Instead, it’s a semicircular device that has grooves cut in the top. Three shifter forks ride in the grooves. The rest of the mechanism functions normally. The drum is gear-driven, making the shifts through all five gears positive and effortless.
Because of the smooth power pulses of the Three, Laverda feels that a 5/8 x 3/8 drive chain is sufficient for driving the wheel.
With the exception of cleaning the washable oil filter, servicing should be a snap. Filter removal requires removal of the exhaust pipes. Luckily this isn’t required for every oil change or it would get old real quick.
Frame wise, the tubes that hold the Faverda together, do so satisfactorily. The engine is attached in a conventional double cradle arrangement, amply braced by a sturdy single top tube that is approximately two inches in diameter. Attachment of the steering head post to the frame is well done; ják triangulated to insure against Ilex. We only wish that anofflff material besides heavy gauge steel was chosen. Flexing can be kept to a minimum with the use of any material if enough is> used, and weight savings can be considerable. The rest of the unit is just as well supported and is therefore not prone to cause any undue surprises when cornering.
Besides being strong, the Laverda is tucked in well for cornering. Nothing on the frame drags the ground when pushing hard. Even the centerstand is out of the way and easy to use.
Complementing the power and handling are Dunlop 4.10-18 tires that, in traction and profile, are the closest thing to road racing skins we have seen for street use. Even with the good traction, you can expect 8-10,000 miles before replacement is necessary.
Slow-speed handling is somewhat sluggish. We attribute this to the preload put on the taper bearings in the steering head. Once above 10-15 mph, this sensation disappears. At speed, the front end holds the road well and has no tendency to wander, even when pavement is rough.
As is to be expected, suspension components are a bit on the firm side. This is one clue to the intended use of this sportster. Both spring rate and damping are well-suited toJhe cafe type of riding. Any length of time in a straight line cai^K some discomfort to the tailbone, but what doesn’t short of a Harley 74?
The rear dampers are adjustable to five different preload positions. This range of adjustment was satisfactory for all the conditions we encountered.
One important aspect of performance is deceleration, and when it becomes necessary to stop, the Laverda can do it with the best of them. At the rear is a huge drum with a diameter of 9.05 in. and a shoe width of 1.18 in. Add to these dimensions the fact that it’s a double leading shoe stopper, and you have a brake that is as large or larger than front brakes fitted to some road bikes. Because of the size, we feel this brake is on the verge of being overly sensitive. Really, a road racer couldn’t ask for more.
Early Threes came with a two-panel, double leading shoe front brake, it had the same dimensions as the rear, except that there were two of them. Needless to say, there was just as much or more brake than traction.
Now, Laverda Threes come with a dual disc set-up that believe it or not, better than the drum predecessor. Sliglil more lever pressure than expected is required to slow the big bike, but once applied, stopping is rapid, without any fade at all.
The old world craftsmanship that we talked about earlier is still evident on the Laverda. The only thing we could point a disapproving finger at was the orange peel texture of the paint on the large five-gallon fuel tank.
Welds are nearly perfect. They look as though they were done by a custom frame builder and they probably were. Castings are a little rough for some peoples tastes, but we found their appearance to our liking.
Both the tachometer and speedometer are of Japanese manufacture, made by none other than ND, the firm that creates instruments for Honda, among others.
Handlebars are really unique. They not only swivel in their mounts atop the triple clamp, but also have an additional pivot point near the top of their rise on each side. By fiddling with these three points, anyone can come up with a configuration with the right feel for him. (B
As a final touch, the 18-in. alloy rims are polished, as is the center portion ot the rear hub. Fenders are simple in shape and are chromed in the classic roadster tradition.
At 500 lb., the Laverda is a tad overweight, but the power is there to pull it and it is one of the smoothest roadsters on the highway. Handling is there too and, as a bonus, nothing drags through the turns.
The Laverda 1000, then, is quite a bike...a bike that is able to keep pace in a field that is literally improving by leaps and bounds.
Unfortunately, this effort by Laverda will, for the most part, go unnoticed by the majority of the motorcycling public. For one thing, Japanese multis dominate the showrooms in every city, in every state. Laverdas are very rare indeed. Japanese multis are built within a cost range and are priced to move quickly. Laverdas are built to last and are priced accordingly (price in the U.S. is estimated at S3400). So Laverda cannot compete in the marketplace. Period.
The Laverda 1 OOOcc Three, then, is a machine for connoisseur, not the masses! It’s a machine for the man not only can afford to own something unique, but who demands it. 151
LAVERDA
1000
SPEC I F ICATIONS
TEST CONDITIONS
PERFORMANCE
