LAVERDA 750S (1997 - 2002) Review

For a brief, mostly shining few years in the mid-to-late 1990s, legendary Italian marque Laverda (they of the 1970s Jota etc) was back. Trouble was, although the machines’ cycle parts were like an Aladdin’s cave of goodies, they handled superbly, looked decent and weren’t too exotically priced, the twin cylinder engines, though updated, were based on the 500 Montjuic of 1977 and were rough, uncompetitive and unreliable.

Laverdas have always been renowned for their precise Italian handling and this latest generation 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

Now water-cooled and grown to747cc, but the basic layout and engine cover shape mirror the Laverda 750S's famous predecessor. Fuel injection helps produce 92bhp at the crank, but the real power is located above 7000rpm so the Laverda needs to be spun to reach its 140mph-plus top speed and which is accompanied by quite a mechanical thrashing from the parallel pistons. Relibility iffy, too…

There’s no doubting the intention, merely the execution of the Laverda 750S. Top notch components everywhere, decent paint and finis, lots of lovely milled aluminium etc. But too limited development time, a plethora of subtly different models (see below) and traditional Italian build inconsistency means the Lav reminds very much of Bimota, for bgetter and worse…

The Laverda 750S is excellent value, if you’re feeling brave. Depreciation, for all sorts of reasons, was huge meaning that decent used examples can now be had for well under £2000 – and you’re getting a helluva lot of bike for that money. Just be aware you’re not getting Honda reliability or dealer back-up. Find a Laverda 750 for sale.

A-list Italian hardware extends past the Paoli suspenders of the Laverda 750S to the Brembo brakes and Termignoni carbon exhausts. Instrumentation is quality, too. But remember, this is a loightweight (185kg dry), bare bones sports bike , so don’t expect too much in the way of comfort or frills.