Laverda 750 SF (2001) - anyone know....

[Her_C4]

......anything about these? Or better still, does anyone own one (either currently or in the past) that would be prepared to have a bit of a chat to about them? :niceone:

The story is (oh good grief I hear you say - why is there is ALways a story!!) that I am pre-empting a successful completion and pass of my full licence next Wednesday (yaaaayyyyyyyy!!) so was doing some window shopping (ok - some MORE window shopping :whistle: ), to move on up from the bewdy l'il CBR250RR that I have been trotting around on for the last 4 months and looking for something that will rock my boat as it were. (I am highly into boat rocking - an addictive exercise if ever there was one!!! ) :devil2:

Being a distinctly individual sort of person, I kinda really would like a distinctly individual sorta bike and got a bit tied in knots over a certain MV Augusta F4 ( :love: - oh be still my beating heart!!!) which has not yet altogether been discounted - (does anyone here work for a bank that allows free access to large amounts of funds by random individuals over a long period??).

In trying to balance <?> out my approach I hit the stores again and found that there is a (jap import) Laverda sitting in the showroom of a rather large motorcycling retail establishment here in Wellington - in exchange for an exhorbitant amount of paper bills. (I could buy a brand new Triumph Daytona for a couple of grand less!!). :argh:

Given that I actually know nothing about them (not too surprising as I have found over time that I know a lot less than I thought I did ... about pretty much everything really!!), I asked a couple of pretty dumb questions at the shop, and consequentially did not receive any enlightening information in return.

I have of course asked some sensible questions like ---- 'does it come in another colour?' and 'Can you start it up for me so I can .... hear it running...?' along with the boring 'what about parts availability?' and 'are those k's genuine?'. But thats about as far as my gray cells would take me today....

Soooooo - any info at all would be greatly appreciated?! :spudwave:

Anyone?

Please?
:done:

[sAsLEX]

http://www.laverda-nz.org

may be something there to help

[James Deuce]

White Trash loves them, but for what it's worth, I've never seen a bike mag report that trumpeted reliability, ease of maintenance, spares availability, or longevity. They do say that they are a delight from a handling perspective though.

You should PM White Trash and get his first hand reports though.

[Sensei]

Mate brought one went great till it blow 5th gear out of the gear box may not be a general fault but not a good look . Bike handled excellent great brake's didn't sound that kool for a twin ,but try one out for yourself to be sure SENSEI

[White trash]

White Trash loves them, but for what it's worth, I've never seen a bike mag report that trumpeted reliability, ease of maintenance, spares availability, or longevity. They do say that they are a delight from a handling perspective though.

You should PM White Trash and get his first hand reports though.

Who's bike shop do you think it's at, mate.

I think Her_B4 may be after a slightly less biased opinion.

But for what it's worth, I think they're fan-fuggin-tastic and would by one in heart beat. But only so I could go TRX hunting :msn-wink:

[Her_C4]

I think Her_B4 may be after a slightly less biased opinion.

:msn-wink:

Jim2 - It would be fair to say that I could not help but note WT's unbridled enthusiasm ;) :first: for the Laverda in question, and yes WT, I was hoping to get some objective feedback from people with first hand experience...

Thanx for the link Saslex, I have found that there are a few sites around but unfortunately none appear to be specfically relative to the model in question... I will need to read further. :)

Sensei - does your mate still own it? Would they mind if I contacted them to have a chat?

Cheers,
Chrissie

[James Deuce]

Who's bike shop do you think it's at, mate.

I think Her_B4 may be after a slightly less biased opinion.

But for what it's worth, I think they're fan-fuggin-tastic and would by one in heart beat. But only so I could go TRX hunting :msn-wink:Tortoise and Hare mate. I'll just wait for the freedom bid by either inlet valves or conrods and then give you lift back to Wellington.

[James Deuce]

Chrissie ignore my comment above. I spake thusly because WT is Good & Hard. Good for nothing and Hard on his bikes.

I reckon it would be a distinctive ride that you would enjoy for years provided you lavished loving care (money) on it. It IS Italian after all.

[Her_C4]

Chrissie ignore my comment above. I spake thusly because WT is Good & Hard.

Ok thanks Jim2 - I will take your word for that if you don't mind - :eek:


[/QUOTE]It IS Italian after all.[/QUOTE]

Oh dear - should I be looking at something a little more sensible then? Like a Yamaha perchance? :spudwhat:

[James Deuce]

Ok thanks Jim2 - I will take your word for that if you don't mind - :eek:



It IS Italian after all.

Oh dear - should I be looking at something a little more sensible then? Like a Yamaha perchance? :spudwhat:

Most people vote with their heart when it comes to bikes. Provided your wallet has at least some heart you should be fine with the Laverda. I bought the TRX because I really wanted a twin, but have a friend with a Ducati 748 who while comfortably off, would probably be very rich if he didn't have the Ducati.

[Blakamin]

If ya like it, buy it!

btw. theres a slightly blurry photo of your bike Here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=5313&page=3)

[dangerous]

Well if you are talking about the bike attached below then I can answer some of your questions I hope. This is a 1997 S which was the last model to come out along with the Formular which was a tad up spec with full fairing and more C/F. These bikes do have there problems after all they are Itialian.
Also ask here http://morini.com.au/phpBB2/index.php I use the Guzzi section quite a lot it is very handy if you own Itialian.

[Her_C4]

If ya like it, buy it!

btw. theres a slightly blurry photo of your bike Here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=5313&page=3)

Not too bad - didn't realise that you had the camera! Well done :eek:



Well if you are talking about the bike attached below then I can answer some of your questions I hope. This is a 1997 S which was the last model to come out along with the Formular which was a tad up spec with full fairing and more C/F. These bikes do have there problems after all they are Itialian.

That is great!! Can you please PM me your phone number and a suitable time to contact you? :mobile:

Yes the one I am looking at is the 750 S Formula with the full fairing.... :niceone:

Cheers,
Chrissie

[Hooks]

If ya like it, buy it!

btw. theres a slightly blurry photo of your bike Here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=5313&page=3)

I see you managed to cut out the only quality bike there !!! .... :whistle:

Hey Chrissie .... just get it anyway ... then if it doesn't work out you could always leave it with me until you find a good replacement !!!.... :msn-wink:

[Blakamin]

I see you managed to cut out the only quality bike there !!! .... :whistle:

That'd be from drinking too much coffee.... also the reason it was blurry.

but I had to try and fit SOME people in! :wacko:

[vifferman]

THE Laverda name is synonymous with just one bike: the Jota of the late '70s and early '80s. Big, brutal and three cylindered, it was the archetypal he-man bike and needed muscle to throw around. Just the sound of it made women weep and grown men go weak at the knees.

But Laverda also had another iconic bike in the shape of the 500cc Montjuic twin, a slightly sanitised Formula 500 production racer for the road, originally built to race at the Montjuic Park 24-hour race in Barcelona. And the 750S Formula can trace its lineage right back to these parallel twins.

Nowadays the engine's water-cooled and has grown to747cc, but the basic layout and engine cover shape mirror its famous predecessor. Fuel injection helps produce 92bhp at the crank, but the real power is located above 7000rpm so the Formula needs to be spun to reach its 140mph-plus top speed. These velocities are accompanied by quite a mechanical thrashing from the parallel pistons, but reliability's good so any jokes about 'agricultural' tendencies can only refer to the company's origins as a harvesting machine manufacturer!

Laverdas have always been renowned for their precise Italian handling and the Formula more than lives up to the reputation. A stiff aluminium beam frame and softish, but well-damped, Paioli suspension ensure corners are dispatched with all the precision of a Carol Vorderman sum explanation: you know what?s coming and you know how to get there, but it thinks you through it without much effort.

A-list Italian hardware extends to the Brembo brakes and Termignoni carbon exhausts. At 185kg (408lb) there isn?t much to haul down, and the twin 320mm floating discs can scrub off speed faster than a flight-deck arrestor hook, the exhausts booming sexily on the over-run. Since its introduction, upgrades have been limited to a different EPROM chip for better fuelling, a reworked selector drum for more precise gear changing, and different colours.

Laverdas are always going to be bought by discerning enthusiasts who appreciate Italian style and who prefer the idiosyncrasies of a parallel twin over an inline four. But the Formula is also a viable alternative to a Ducati and might just change the preconceptions of those more used to Japanese machines. It might be different and take a bit of setting up, but since when was life with a hot-blooded Latino anything other than exciting?

Contemporary alternatives: Ducati 748; Moto Guzzi V11 Sport; Yamaha TRX850.

[F5 Dave]

Strange report, the SFC production race bikes were very successful & predecessor of the triples. PB had a poster of a Spondon Triple that I lusted after for many years.

The newer ones were built on the old Montjuic 500 engine & just like the Brit bikes of past that were also based on 500s they kept boring them out with the expected results - reliability plummeted.

I keep reading hatchet reviews in mags about them. Much as I would love one I’d hate to have it expire on me.

[claire]

Hey Her B4

I don't know anything about the Laverda but took quite a liking to the Triumph & you'd be getting a brand new bike. Good Luck making the decision what you'll buy.

Claire

[Her_C4]

THE Laverda name is synonymous with just one bike: the Jota of the late '70s and early '80s. Big, brutal and three cylindered, it was the archetypal he-man bike and needed muscle to throw around. Just the sound of it made women weep and grown men go weak at the knees.

Or women weak at the knees, and grown men weep :lol: :banana:

OK - thanks heaps to everyone for the info and especially to Dangerous for the contacts and background info. :2thumbsup

I wait with baited breath for the feedback from the totally UN biased opinion from the test rider :wavey: - and will be doing a wee bit of research of my own in terms of price and parts availability on my sojourn across the ditch to Aussie in a week or so.... :2thumbsup

Cheers,
Chrissie

[Rainbow Wizard]

Found this when I was searching for Genesis EP batteries for my UPS, I hope it proves informative to someone.
http://668tech.laverda-nz.org/index.html (http://)

[Motohaus]

yaeh owned one cool to give me a ring 9 8158384 kerry

[bungbung]

Look at the date thread, Her_B4 went for a 748