The Laverda tale is a fascinating one, one where truth really is stranger than fiction! In Laverda Twins and Triples, Mick Walker charts that history from its beginnings in the 1940s, through the high points of the 1960s and 1970s and the low points of the 1980s, to the present with its promise of even greater things to come. Chapters contain: the background history of the company, complete Laverda development history, and full specifications. Fully illustrated with many rare color and b&w photographs.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Grant Brown for Motorcycle Trader & News, December 2007
New Zealand magazine
Ian Falloon has done it again. You might recall February's edition of MTN where the editor raved about Falloon's 'Ducati 750 Bible'. Well, after a bit of groveling, I got my hands on his new 'Laverda Twins and Triples' offering.
I've liked Laverdas since I was a kid and first starting to take an interest in motorcycling. They were quite rare, but I clearly remember being perplexed at the odd seat shape of an early '70s SF2. Or was it a Jota? And the sight of a bright orange SFC thundering down the road still sets my heart racing. Years later, I found riding the Laverdas of friends Mike and Hansi to be as enjoyable as it was physically taxing. Laverda's roots in agricultural machinery seem to have translated into their bikes, with heavy throttle, brakes and weight, yet they ride beautifully.
Chapter one starts our Italian odyssey with a brief history of Laverda and swiftly launches into chapter two where we find the 650 and 750 twin stories. The history of the 750 SFC, which has to be the most beautiful twin bike going (sorry Norton owners), follows, and then the next few chapters talk about triples – 1000cc 18-degree, 1200cc 120-degree – surely Laverda were, and always will be, the kings of three-cylinder technology. Jota, RGS and SFC 1000s must rank as three of the sexiest bikes ever The final chapter covers the interesting and quite successful saga of Laverda's racing history, and a jolly old read it is too.
What I find amazing is that so much of the history of this classic company appears to have been conducted almost continuously under the specter of financial ruin. It's a great story.
As we have come to expect from Falloon, the detail is staggering. Photos of cylinder heads, crankcases, wheels, exhausts and gear levers sit alongside colored boxes of highlighted specifications complete with distinguishing features of each model, right down to changes in specs by engine/chassis numbers. Where does the man get his information from? I cannot conceive of any information a Laverda fanatic would miss in this book.
And, then there are the dozens of beautiful photos of the bikes themselves. Black and white or in color, almost every page has at least one shot of a beautiful example of Italian motorcycling art. The German market SRC1000 with wire wheels on page 134, the '81 Jota on page 99 and the Electronica on page 68 were stand-outs for me.
All in all, any Laverda junkie will need to rush to their nearest bookstore and uplift a copy now, and to hell with the expense! And any reasonably serious motorcycling historian or lover of Italian motorcycles could do worse than add this volume to their library. It will sit proudly on mine.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Laverda Twins and Triples,
By Robert C. Vaeth (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Laverda Twins and Triples: The Complete Story (Crowood Motoclassics S.) (Hardcover)
Author Mick Walker, a man who is passionate about Italian motorcycles, takes a stab at the exotic Laverda twins and triples. As an owner of many of these incredible machines, I found this book to be very insightful and detail-oriented. Many great pictures, most unseen before with a fantastic color photo section. Plenty of new information. A must-have for the Laverda owner or for those who desire to own one.
4.0 out of 5 stars
I own one!,
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This review is from: Laverda Twins and Triples: The Complete Story (Crowood Motoclassics S.) (Hardcover)
As a Laverda owner (1997 Diamante), I feel there has been little written about these amazing bikes. They are Italian, have exotic components, but aren't Ducatis! Mick Walker covers the subject matter well in about 172 pages, but I would have liked to see more information about the Zane bikes. Perhaps a separate book on Zane bikes alone would be worth considering. If you own one, better grab a copy of this book while they're still available.
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