Laverda: A Look Back

Admin · October 11, 2022

Does this scream classic Italian Superbike, or what? The last version of the Laverda 750 SFC. Who wouldn’t love to have one of these in their garage today? (Laverda/)

Moto Laverda was a unique case in the motorcycling industry, a labor of love from a family that created their motorcycles in a culture unlike any other. But as much as anything, Moto Laverda was born from a company steeped in hard work.

Pietro Laverda founded the original factory in 1873 in the small town of Breganze, out in the country north of Vicenza, a rich area thanks to its favorable soil and weather conditions which helped to ensure generous crop yields and high-quality produce. Laverda’s factory, therefore, would produce agricultural equipment.

Laverda was a competent and creative mechanical thinker, and his firm built a variety of machinery to make farm work more productive. His harvesters were a big industrial success, and the Laverda factory grew stronger technically and financially. Pietro’s sons Antonio and Giovanni helped improve and extend production, adding new models as well as an iron-casting department to bring a critical part of their production under tight quality control. Unfortunately, Antonio Laverda died at the age of 49; father Pietro died seven years later, in 1930.

Antonio’s sons, Pietro and Giovanni Battista, started running the family business just as the stock market crash of 1929 sent the world into economic crisis. The brothers were able to lead the company to safety, and were soon joined by their other siblings Angelina, Francesco, and Giorgio. The five worked in harmony for the better of the family firm, now renamed Pietro Laverda Inc. Giovanni Battista assumed the role of CEO, with Francesco acting as technical manager.

Francesco proved to be a real mechanical genius, and under his direction Laverda upgraded its product line, further expanding and improving the factory. Pietro Laverda Inc. made it through World War II, but faced a serious challenge in the aftermath, as the market for harvesters and other expensive agricultural machinery was reduced. Like many other Italian manufacturing and engineering firms, Laverda realized that postwar Italy needed cheap transportation to get people back to work. Francesco Laverda in particular strongly supported this concept, immediately starting work on a light, strong 75cc single-cylinder engine and a motorcycle to put it in. Luciano Zen, a capable technician who shared Francesco’s enthusiasm, joined him. When his brothers and sister were less enthusiastic, Francesco created a separate company: Moto Laverda.

Related: Laverda Ghost Road Test—From The Archives

Francesco Laverda, the founder of Moto Laverda. (Laverda/)

The First Moto Laverda

In 1949 the new company started producing the Laverda 75, a bike that was capable of achieving 142 mpg. Amateur racing enthusiasts soon discovered the little Laverda 75′s reputation for reliability, notably in endurance events like the legendary Milano Taranto, which took place over almost 1,000 miles of open Italian roads. The Laverda 75 swept the race in 1952, and proved such a resounding success that Francesco and Luciano Zen enlarged it to 98cc. The resulting model, the Laverda 100, confirmed the remarkable potential of the little single by dominating competition in its own class.

Francesco was a positive visionary. He had gotten Moto Laverda off to a great start, but rather than enlarging his single past 125cc, he mated two 98cc singles to create a 200cc parallel twin for 1961, a rather exclusive engine for the times. In Italy the 200′s success was only moderate, due to the higher price. But this new Laverda model was critical in another way: It motored across the Atlantic and introduced Laverda to the US market.

Proud parents: Massimo Laverda, Luciano Zen, and Piero Laverda with the prototype of the first 750 GT. (Laverda/)

At this stage, Massimo Laverda began to assist his father Francesco. The two had a vision of the coming expansion of the motorcycle market, particularly in large-displacement models. At the end of 1959 young Massimo had visited the United States, where he met Joe Parkhurst, the soon-to-be editor and publisher of Cycle World. Parkhurst spent a week with Massimo, visiting the major motorcycle dealers in the US and analyzing Honda’s successful advertising strategy. Massimo returned to Italy with a bagful of ideas and enthusiasm that he gladly shared.

Laverda’s Big Twin

Massimo and Zen started drawing up a large-displacement two-cylinder engine which they envisioned would outperform the traditional British twins of the day, particularly in terms of accessibility, practicality, and engineering refinement. Visually, the engine was clearly inspired by Honda’s CB77 Super Hawk 305cc twin, at the time a radical departure from the classic motorcycle design, especially in the appearance of its cylinders, heads, and related cooling fins.

The new Laverda twin’s cylinders were inclined forward by about 25 degrees. In part this was done to make the whole engine a primary stressed element of the chassis, bolted solidly to the upper frame tubes. Because the engine was massive and strongly built, it could easily carry the chassis loads; its substantial construction was a legacy of Laverda building agricultural machinery with a reputation for reliability.

Laverda’s first big twin was the 750 GT. The styling was clearly influenced by Honda’s 305 twins. Note the lack of downtubes; the 750 used the engine as a stressed member. (Laverda/)

The new engine was built around a press-fit crankshaft supported by four massive ball-bearing mains plus an additional bearing on the outer left side. Originally conceived in 650cc displacement, the new Laverda featured almost perfectly “square” bore and stroke measurements (75mm x 74mm), but soon Massimo realized that there was enough meat to increase the bore to 80mm and get a full 750cc of displacement and the welcome extra torque and power that came with it. Which the bike needed, given its weight: It tipped the scales at over 480 pounds dry. That “substantial” Laverda construction came at a price.

The engine used a Denso electric starter and full Bosch electrical equipment, and was mated to a five-speed gearbox. The single overhead cam was driven by a double-row chain. The crankcase was horizontally split, and Pankl rods ran on double-row roller cages. Carburetion was via a pair of Dell’Orto 29 VHB concentric-bowl carbs. Compared to the British twins it designed to challenge, the Laverda 750 offered more advanced engineering. But it was heavier, and at 52 hp in its GT version, not much more powerful. The styling was sober, with a fairly fat tank atop the clean-lined engine.

A snapshot into 1970s bike construction. (A 750 SF shown here.) Note the stressed-member construction, one of the reasons Laverdas always look so good: Their engines are out there, front and center. (Bruno dePrato/)

Yet the timing was right. Many enthusiasts were fascinated by the Laverda twin’s cam layout, five-speed transmission, and oversquare measurements. Suddenly, conservative British motorcycle technology was regarded as a negative, no matter how elegant and refined the British bikes were and how well they handled. But for Laverda 750 the best was still to come.

The Laverda 750 S, 750 SF, and 750 SFC

At the 1969 Milan EICMA Show Laverda unveiled its new 750 Sport. In the moment, everything was just right, the motorcycle had a combination of the earlier 750 GT’s general quality and reliable construction but with an elegant, sleek, lean styling package that won the hearts and minds of the enthusiasts. Bumping output to 60 hp didn’t hurt either.

The 750 Sport was Laverda’s breakthrough bike, launching Moto Laverda into the big leagues. Massimo Laverda poured his energies into promoting the bikes in the marketplace and on the track. A passionate rider himself, he didn’t hesitate to take part in endurance events, most often under a pseudonym. He made a point of arriving at press conferences riding his bike and wearing his black leathers. Massimo made a particular effort to be friendly, cooperative, and approachable, the perfect host; guests visiting the factory could expect his elegant Italian country-style hospitality. Massimo also had a very sharp vision of the market and never let Moto Laverda sit on its laurels, constantly updating the 750 S to fend off aggressive competition during the bike boom of the early 1970s.

The 750 SF featured a massive Laverda-designed four-shoe front brake. (Bruno dePrato/)

Eventually the 750 S passed the torch to another Laverda machine, the 750 SF. Powered by a 66 hp evolution of the parallel twin, the SF featured a massive, Laverda-developed four-shoe drum brake called the Super Freni, giving the bike its “SF” suffix. Massimo also lowered the chassis about 2 inches for improved agility and more confidence-inspiring steering response. The 750 SFC (Super Freni Competizione) was by far the best variation of the Laverda 750, but also revealed its limits. The bike was big, bulky, and steered heavily, but it was superbly reliable, an asset the Laverda racing team capitalized on to win a number of endurance events.

Moto Laverda was undoubtedly an extension of Francesco Laverda’s branch of the family. Francesco and Massimo were a competent and capable team, supported by production manager Piero Laverda, who had graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from Padua University. Yet just as Moto Laverda was poised to launch a new generation of projects, Francesco died in 1976, at the age of 65.

The loss devastated Massimo, resulting in a nervous breakdown and depression from which he never fully recovered. His brother Piero tried to carry the full business burden, but he seemed to lack the vision and the enthusiasm of Massimo and Francesco. In addition, the rest of the family, led by Giovanni Battista, were pressuring Piero to end motorcycle production, which by the end of the ‘70s was barely surviving.

The Laverda Triple

Moto Laverda made one last go with a 1,000cc triple. It was obvious the company was attempting to take a shortcut to the full-liter displacement class; the three-cylinder was clearly Laverda’s parallel twin plus one. The fact was obvious from looking at the crankshaft; whereas a triple might be expected to use a 120-degree crank, but Laverda triple’s was flat, a compromise solution because Laverda encountered difficulty defining the interference value for each element of its long press-fit crank assembly. (At the time, Kawasaki’s 900 four did just fine with a press-fit crankshaft. Notably, when the Laverda grew to 1,200cc, it switched to a 120-degree crankshaft.)

Crankshaft structure apart, the 1,000 triple maintained Laverda’s reputation for mechanical reliability, but it never achieved the success of the 750 S/SF/SFC.

Laverda’s 1,000cc triples used “flat” 180-degree crankshafts (shown at the bottom)—far from ideal. The later 1,200cc triples used the more standard 120-degree layout shown at the top. Both used roller mains and rod bearings. (Bruno dePrato/)

The triple marked the beginning of the end for Moto Laverda. While Massimo would partially recover from his nervous breakdown, he would never fully recover his enthusiasm and his visionary managerial spirit. The company attempted to stake out a share of the intermediate-displacement market with a sleek 500cc DOHC twin, but just then the Italian government hammered any bike above 350cc with extra taxation. This sudden move strangled a whole slew of attractive new middleweights: Ducati’s Pantah 500, Moto Guzzi’s V50, Benelli’s 504 four, and of course Laverda’s 500. Every company tried to recover by reducing displacement to 350cc, but the result was a generation of hard-breathing, overweight 350s; even Moto Morini’s glorious 3 1/2 wasn’t totally immune.

To promote the image of its attractive middleweight, Moto Laverda developed the Moto Laverda 500 Trophy in 1978, racing it successfully until 1981. Once again Laverda’s engines proved reliable even under demanding conditions.

The Laverda V6

The spectacular Laverda V6, shown here without its fairing. Visually arresting and a bold attempt to dominate endurance racing, it never achieved anything like the success it promised. (Bruno dePrato/)

In 1978 Massimo and Piero launched an ambitious project: the 1,000cc Laverda V6. Conceptually advanced in many respects, the bike featured a longitudinally positioned 996cc 90-degree V-6 layout teamed with a five-speed gearbox and shaft drive. The engine had highly oversquare bore and stroke measurements (65mm x 50mm), four valves per cylinder, and chain-driven double overhead cams. The Laverda V6′s engine was obviously conceived as a high-performance unit, while the rest of the project leaned toward some sort of super-GT.

In reality, the six was huge, ponderous, and steered heavily. One was entered in the 1978 Bol d’Or with great hopes, but circulated around the middle of the pack and didn’t make it to the end. Ultimately, it displayed all the shortcomings of being designed by an automotive engineer, in this case Giulio Alfieri of Maserati. The whole project also drained a very large share of Moto Laverda’s capital. Massimo still fought hard, but financial problems limited the company’s chances of recovery. Its final mistake was an attempt to enter the 4x4 SUV market with an imitation of the Austrian Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer. It was a terrible miscalculation and a total loss.

The Laverda V6 at the 1978 Bol d’Or. Look at those bug-eyed headlights! (Bruno dePrato/)

In 1985 the whole Laverda family withdrew from any industrial activity. Pietro Laverda SpA was sold to farm machinery giant New Holland. Moto Laverda tried to survive by organizing a cooperative from the labor force, but there was never competent leadership. The end was quick.

Years later a passionate manager, Ivano Beggio, came to the rescue, mostly because Moto Laverda was a substantial part of the motorcycling tradition of the area around Venice. Once his Aprilia Group had grown strong and successful, Beggio felt committed to resurrecting the Laverda name and adding it to his portfolio, which then also included Moto Guzzi.

Inside Aprilia a joke circulated: in Italian it sounded like, “and now what are we going to do with it?” Moto Laverda remained parked inside the Aprilia Group for a few years, producing a concept model now and then and finally collapsing with the Aprilia Group when the economic crisis hit. Piaggio eventually acquired the whole Aprilia package, separating Moto Guzzi and keeping Aprilia active in Noale, but with no plans to revive Moto Laverda.

Luciano Zen (right) and Guilio Alfieri (left) with the Laverda V6 engine on the dyno. Alfieri had come from Maserati, and the V6 showed his automotive influence. (Laverda/)

A Final Look Back

Looking back, the Breganze factory was yet another case of a motorcycle company as a projection of a strong, enthusiastic personality. They all seemed to be in the golden years, starting with Harley-Davidson. As soon as the company grew, the original spirit survived only where the technical competence and adherence to the vision could keep that original creativity alive.

In hindsight it’s clear that Moto Laverda was all Francesco and Massimo, heart and soul, for better and worse. Certainly there was great production quality, enviable reliability, and elegant styling, but there was also a lack of engineering creativity. Moto Laverda had no Fabio Taglioni or Franco Lambertini as Ducati or Moto Morini did. Laverda’s engineering was down-to-earth and conservative, following generally accepted concepts and finding inspiration from what looked right at the time. A 360-degree parallel twin was nothing revolutionary in 1968, but Laverda’s version looked very advanced and attractive. In Breganze they put everything together, added a dollop of strength and reliability, and had a winner.

When Moto Laverda lost Francesco and Massimo they also lost the creativity and passion so essential to their bikes. The whole adventure was a matter of personal involvement, as we’ve seen so many times in motorcycling. Motorcycles may be wildly irrational, but we cannot live without them.

I visited Massimo years after he had quit his firm. Still a perfect gentleman, he was also a shaken man, and his breakdown had taken a heavy toll; his hand shook while he poured me a glass of wine. Yet the conversation was brilliantly nostalgic when speaking of the Laverda 750 at its height. He would be gone less than a year after I visited him. Ciao Massimo; your country-gentleman style still is badly missed in motorcycling today.

Massimo Laverda. <i>Ciao</i>, my friend. You were one of the best. (Laverda/)