1983 Laverda RGS 1000 overview

A brief description of what exactly makes the RGS unique amongst Laverda's triples.

[@andreasalini6848]

L'ho avuta e goduta per una quindicina di anni. L'ho venduta nel 98 a Piero Laverda.....ma mi è rimasta nel cuore ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤....

[@DustyVisorMotorcycles]

Nice video thanks, Love the Laverdas, 😎

[@wakinossin]

Laverda is my favourite marque, but they're hard to find here in Ontario Canada. Ducatis are nice too and are more available, but if I had my druthers...

[@VallartaOffroad]

I lived in Italy in the 70s and 80s, MV, Laverda, Guzzi, Cagiva, Ducati (as well as many more lesser-known names) were producing beautiful yet often "quirky" bikes. You also had Bimota and the incredible local supply chain, wheels, suspension ... Italian genius. You have a stunning bike, I am sure it will continue to give you many hours of pleasure

[@wakinossin]

Thanks, yes, they are all great marques and each has its own quirks and appeal.

[@multitrubshaw]

I remember mine from back in the day. I rode it from London to the Spanish border in a day! It could really eat up the miles at high speed. Ghastly to ride through busy, slow traffic, but plenty of character.

[@wakinossin]

Ah so true - in eevery respect!

[@jotabill]

Lovely to see your RGS. Same year as the one I had. Very good on fast roads, steering a bit ponderous around town. I would run it at 130mph and it was incredibly stable, only your head getting buffeted by the wind. I changed the jetting and ran it on jota pipes which I think freed it up a little but it also sounded fabulous! There were a few things that were design mistakes. I could never get the starter clutch to stay in one piece. The hydraulic clutch that operates what looks like a brake piston and leaks. But the one that really pissed me off was the hose to the surge tank in the fairing that was not petrol proof. One day I hit the brakes, the hose came off and it was like a petrol old faithful going off in the fairing. Petrol hit me it the face and soaked my leathers. I was drenched in it and so was the bike. How we didn’t go up in flames....... I coasted to the side of the road, got off and walked carefully away! I was going to stop there but something else you said about the seat. There are two rubber bungs that push up through the seat base. The rubber spikes that secure them in place........ after riding a few hours the foam has crushed down and you realise that you are sitting on these bloody spikes! Now it may be that I’ve just got a big ass..... Would I have one again? In a heartbeat Thanks Bill

[@santanamohammed2709]

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[@prestonlangston6514]

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[@santanamohammed2709]

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[@santanamohammed2709]

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[@prestonlangston6514]

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[@monzarace]

I've had an RGS for may years, now a SFC1000 for even more years, and it stays ;) The Bayflex was developed by BMW and used in agreement by Laverda on the RGS model. The engine was actually early computer developed, leading to better ignition, alternator, cylinderhead, outrigger bearing for the triple fork outside the crank, better gearbox, dual single primary chains etc. The beautiful Bayflex parts were designed outside Laverda, by RG Studios, or as Massimo joking about it, called Real Grand Sport ;) You may like the Komis or Ikons as they are today, but on your bike, they are 16mm too short. You can remedy that by lowering the forks, or it will steer too slow. The hydraulic clutch was not a first on the RGS series bikes, but came in first on the 180° 1200 jubileum or aniversary bike (black and gold). Despite having read the problems of other RGS owners, I must say I never had those problems ever. I did have one ignition pickup needing a bit of glue and repair at one time, but other than that, It just ran and ran. Actually a fast bike. I drove with a friend on his duc 916, and while he jettet off, I came home first in the 150 km ride and had popped a cola, trying to look cool and relaxed, when he drove in the yard ;) Had a lot of fines on my former japanese bikes before all my years with Laverda, but since riding Laverda, I never had one. I am stopped though ;( For admiring the bike by the interested police officer, asking about the bike. That goes for both my former RGS and my present SFC1000. To the gentleman below in the comments who talks about a Pantah 600 and too much weight on the Laverda, my SFC1000 was 218 stock, now jsut under 200 kilo including everything, sans fuel. though still top heavy. I ALWAYS run Shell V-power 100 octane, and ad a tiny squirt of Castrol Valvemaster. Actually both the RGS and SFC1000 are quite fast bikes, and will not slow down for a bit of wind, a passenger or luggage. Supreme bikes built by real enthusiasts Massimo and Pierro and more or less the whole village of Breganze. Take care of your great bike! Thanks for sharing. Jacques

[@wakinossin]

Thanks for the comments, and wow you're lucky to have an SFC1000! I've never even seen one here in Ontario Canada. I got the IKONS from Wolfgang, and I always follow his advice, so I think they're a match for the RGS. I'll check with him about you saying they are 16mm too short. They're the same length as the 'piggyback' Marzocchis that came with it so I'm really interested to find out if those were too short too? As for the weight issue - I wrote a piece for RealClassic magazine that compared the dry and wet weights of bikes of the same era as the 3C. Turns out the 3C was nowhere near the heaviest machine - among those heavier were the SOHC Honda CB750, the Suzuki GT750, Kawasaki Z1 and more. I guess because the 3C is 'top heavy' it got a reputation. I love the RGS but I really do prefer the 180 triples despite their foibles.

[@Andy-pu2iv]

My old friend had an RGS from new. Such a fantastic bike to hear from miles away.

[@Texmotodad]

We had two new 83's in Silver and Red. Richard Backus purchased our Red one and has really taken wonderful care of it. Ahhhh, the good 'ol days.

[@kimh2355]

Love the foot peg adjuster!! 👍🏼

[@wakinossin]

Isn't that the best? Laverda did so many neat things - all of it cost money of course, and was part of the reason their bikes cost so much, and so only aficionados bought them.

[@RickyJr46]

I recall my RGS owners manual including the caution, "Never start a cold engine."

[@wakinossin]

lol now that's a helpful piece of advice! They do take some warming up.

[@RickyJr46]

In 1983 I bought a silver RGS from European Cycle Specialties in Garden Grove, California. In 18 months I enjoyed 20K+ miles of sport riding, tours, and commutes to the Diablo Canyon nuclear powerplant. It being so unique started many a pleasurable conversation with the curious! One of its clever features, the remote fuel filler, was my undoing however: right after refueling, I'm braking hard going downhill, there's a faint pop and rippling waves of gushing liquid mysteriously appeared inside my windshield. Then I was down, BAM! Apparently the gas cap's pawls were not fully engaged after I installed it, and when fuel rushed up the filler neck under hard braking it punched off the cap! Luckily there was no fire. How many folks have actually crashed in their own gasoline? 🙋🏻‍♂️ It was a hard impact but little damage was done. A mirror broke and some minor scratches was all. The Bayflex plastic did its job. The RGS was a very enjoyable steed, but it made way for an FJ-1100 in 1985. Another great motorcycle, that one.

[@wakinossin]

Wow that's quite a story! Sorry you had to go through that. I've had friends ride my bike and not know how to deal with the filler cap. It's important to keep the cap mechanism well lubricated and working to avoid just this issue! Though I've never gone down or had anyone go down because of it. Thanks for the comments!

[@kimh2355]

Always sharing interesting points and your love for these bikes! 👍🏼

[@wakinossin]

Glad you like them! And thanks for the feedback - much appreciated!

[@jorgeneklund4346]

Thanks for a nice video. Your RGS really looks great. The 120 degree motor with rubber mounts was actually introduced with the 1982 Jota model ( I owned one for 14 years, sold it 22 year ago and still miss it 😩). I have a friend who has been renovating his RSG 1000 for several years, but I hope to see (and hear) his bike this summer 😃

[@wakinossin]

Thanks for the update, and thanks for the kind words!

[@guillermototivilo811]

Bravo

[@colinlee4673]

Lovely example and great video. Do you have problems with the California mirrors coming loose or vibrating?

[@wakinossin]

No - they work great! Not a lot of vibration either.

[@Oldpigsass]

Wonderfully comfortable bike to ride.

[@wakinossin]

So true - that seat is magnificent.

[@EliteRock]

I believe Laverda originally went with a flat-plane crank because it's a pressed-up roller unit and a 120° puts more twisting forces on the crank (the mass of the pistons/rods 'fighting' with that of the web balance weights, trying to twist the crank pins laterally in the webs) i.e. the 180° is intrinsically stronger. And indeed, racers continued using the 180° engines long after the 120° was introduced.

[@wakinossin]

The 180 is certainly unique and my favourite. A very different character to the 120. Would love to try a 120 Jota to compare it to my 180 Jota, but I don't know of any here in Ontario Canada. Heck I only know of a couple of other Jotas, and neither of them are on the road...

[@marcbrasse747]

I've always had a weak spot for the RGS. I know that Jota's and such are more sought after but this thing was and is about as futuristic as one could get while still keeping it real at the same time. It would have been too heavy for me in practice though. I personally think that about 50 bhp is more then enough. If they would however have shrunk it to 500 cc and below 200 kg it would have been the perfect bike for me but that has only happened in a parallel universe. In this one I have to "make do" with a Ducati Pantah 600 special I have put together for myself. :-)

[@chrisp1269]

You mean a 500 Montjuic then?

[@marcbrasse747]

@@chrisp1269 AbMontjuic with this styling would indeed be great.

[@marcwiart5657]

I noticed you said you are in Canada. I am as well I came across an RGS back in my late teens in Edmonton. I seeing one in Cycle World and reading it was a bit tall for the tester. Being quite tall myself I wanted to see how it fit me. Well, like a glove as I remember. Anyway I was smitten! As you may know any Laverda is rare in Canada. How did you come across yours? If you know of a trustworthy importer or have any advice on finding one I would love to hear about it.

[@wakinossin]

They are very hard to find - they don't come up too often so when they do, make your move. There is no one person or company I can point you to I'm afraid. I got each one of mine from a different person at a different time. I am in SW Ontario - where are you located?

[@marcwiart5657]

@@wakinossin I'm back in Edmonton now. A few years ago I came across a Jarma in nice condition. It was a non runner however. I should have just bought it.

[@wakinossin]

@@marcwiart5657 Never pass up any Laverda - they are few and far between.

[@sierrahotel1137]

I had the very same bike back in 1983 it was my dream. Unfortunately I ended up with one full of gremlins and spent more time sending it back to the dealer and then ending up getting a mechanic the built superbikes and even he was scratching his head to try and solve the issuse. But when it did go it was a pleasure to ride on those moonlit warm summer nights.Then I lost my licence.

[@wakinossin]

Sorry about your bad luck, both with the bike and your license! This one has had zero issues - it just goes and goes. Love it.

[@alexveldhuis6004]

Regarding the gearing, would it be worth changing the rear sprocket and go up a couple of teeth? It would decrease the ratio somewhat and give you more acceleration.

[@wakinossin]

Not for me. I usually go down a few teeth or up on the countershaft as I prefer to lower the revs at highway speed. These things are plenty fast accelerating already. I mean, fast enough for me. Of course they don't compare to modern bikes but if you want that, get a modern bike. I appreciate the suggestion though - some people may want to do that.

[@RaySpainPlayer]

Excellent review. Thank you.

[@wakinossin]

Thank you! Laverdas are my favourite motorbike.