Italian Exotica - Laverda 668

[@davidmacgregor5193]

I owned a 1980 Laverda 1200 Mirage in the early eighties, is was fast and furious with heavy throttle and clutch operation, it was forever pulling the top cable nipples off. I had new cables zip tied to the ones that I was using so that when one snapped it was just a simple job of swapping the cables over. The triple always put a huge grin on my face whenever I rode it, the fuel consumption was high returning between 27 mpg to 30 mpg from 4-star petrol. I sold the Laverda in 1986 for £1350, they're worth around £10k to £12k these days. The 180 degree motor had an off beat exhaust note, kind of like a four pot with one pot not firing I kept the bike in a mates out building as I didn't have a garage, when I started her up in the morning the sound from the straight through Jota silencers made his window panes rattle in their frames, it was his wake up call. I'm so glad that I had one of the Laverda triples, they really were special machines with loads of character. The reborn Laverda twins were based on the 1970's 500 cc Alpino, they haven't held their value compared with the older triples, £3k to £4k will buy you an excellent Laverda 668 twin.

[@inzane9380]

Yes, it was really expensive; it had really high quality bits everywhere (except for the rattlly old engine 🙂) and so it looks really good now even 23 years later. SRAD and ZX7R are great bikes and way way faster, but the Lav is still one of the best handling bikes ever made. I own this actual bike and it still starts and runs great (fuel injected), and the stainless exhausts etc mean that it has aged really well. I really enjoy riding it 🙂.

[@jeromef2001]

Inzane hello, do you find spares easily when you need some ?

[@inzane9380]

jerome F I’ve never had a problem. Have bought new parts from 3c moto in Italy and plenty of second hand parts in UK

[@doctorhelicopter]

Have you had to update the bottom end of the engine?

[@inzane9380]

doctorhelicopter I didn’t - but only because Cobb and Jagger had already done it! There were several hundred of these bikes built with big ends that weren’t quite round and this bike was one. Hence the bad mechanical reputation, which they never really recovered from. This now means that sorted ones are now quite rare and interesting, however.

[@phillipsmith6756]

would have prefered to hear the motor than the sound track of dodgy music

[@thanosdanellis4746]

My father owns a Laverda sf2

[@lagerx61]

In the past i make a testride. I thought the engine was destroying itself...

[@philipgardner-uz5ne]

Its not,a honda,,needs maintenance

[@stoneman668]

Low weight , mega short wheelbase and an inductuon howl that has to be experienced Anyone who criticizes this range of bikes has never ridden one

[@TheFrank552]

those reborn laverdas lacked quality over all and character - nearly bought one those days, luckily did not. love the laverda from the 70s and now own a triumph trident from 93.

[@jimbo3376]

Well that guy kind of failed then didn't he

[@BanjoLuke1]

This was one of those hope-over-experience episodes like the late attempt to save Moto Morini. It failed and failed really rather completely. The bikes made the name great in the 70s... The name does not make the bike great.

[@shiftyshamsk]

Buy one and don't ride it. Simple.

[@wiyastrasaurus]

Expensive 90's laverda bike with only 2 cylinder, oil cooled (no radiator), and bunch of problems . Suzuki gsxr 750 srad and kawasaki zx7r are much better specs, cheaper, and reliable

[@sizigi13]

wiyastrasaurus ya and no character cookie cutter bikes, and blue and white gixx is a dime a dozen