Laverda 750

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Laverda
750
Manufacturer Laverda
Production period 1968 to 1976
class motorcycle
design type Naked bike , sports tourer
Motor data
air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke engine (twin), an overhead camshaft and two rocker-actuated valves per cylinder, 2  Dell'Orto carburettors, battery coil ignition / electronic ignition (Bosch)
Displacement  (cm³) 744
Power  (kW / PS ) GT: 52 at 6,800 / min
SF1: 61 at 7,500 / min
SF2: 65 at 7,000 / min
SFC: 75 at 7,500 / min
GTL: 50 at 7,000 / min
Top speed (  km / h) 180-195
transmission 5-speed gear
shift lever on the right
drive Chain
Brakes Drum / disks
Wheelbase  (mm) 1460
steering head angle 62 °
Seat height (cm) 79-84
Empty weight  (kg) 218 (231 kg with full tank)

The Laverda 750 is a motorcycle from the former Italian manufacturer Laverda , which was the largest model in terms of displacement when it was launched and laid the foundation for the brand's “strong image”. From 1968 to 1976 over 18,000 copies of various types were produced, including the Laverda 750 SFC racing model .

History and technology

Massimo Laverda, son of the company founder, wanted to expand the company's previous model range to include a motorcycle with a large displacement. On a trip to the USA in 1964 he gathered ideas; in particular the construction of the Honda CB 72/77 seemed suitable to him. Shortly after his return, Massimo Laverda had a Honda delivered from Switzerland. The motorcycle was tested and dismantled in order to study the technical possibilities. The technical director of Laverda, Luciano Zen, kept this basic construction when the development of the new Laverda began in April 1965, but set the displacement at 650 cm³. At the end of 1965, the development of the engine was completed; on the test bench, the prototype developed 50 hp at 6,800 rpm. Only high quality accessories should be used for the reference motorcycle. The carburetors came from Dell'Orto , the electrics (starter, alternator, headlights and ignition) from Bosch , the telescopic fork from supplier Ceriani and the drum brake from Grimeca. The components from the connecting rod to the timing chain were so generously dimensioned that the engine ultimately weighed over 90 kg.

"Our motorcycle was a success precisely because it was so robust."

- Piero Laverda.

The prototype with 654 cm³ displacement (bore / stroke: 75 × 74 mm), first presented in November 1966, still had a crank pin offset of 180 °, which was changed to 360 ° for series production. Another prototype with two 26mm carburetors was built in 1967. Series production of the 650s began when the expansion of the displacement to 744 cm³ (bore / stroke: 80 × 74 mm) had already been decided. The engine was integrated into a tubular backbone frame as a load-bearing element; the tire size was 3.25-18 at the front, 3.50-18 later, and 4.00-18 at the rear. Before the first examples were delivered, three motorcycles were registered for the Moto-Giro d'Italia 1968. Places one, five and six at the end of the week-long race were proof of the reliability of the construction.

SuperFreni

In 1968, the importer Jack McCormack exclusively ordered motorcycles for the US market, which were not sold under Laverda, but under the American Eagle brand . The motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel used the Laverda 750 ("American Eagle") for his stunts in 1969/1970.

Since the Grimeca drum brake had problems in the wet, Laverda developed its own drum brake (SuperFreni) with a diameter of 230 mm and built it into the SF models from 1971. The SF model series available in Germany was in the price group of Honda CB 750 Four , Ducati 750 GT and Suzuki GT 750 at DM 6,800 . The motorcycle was certified as having “fun on the country road”, with “not a dry eye”. The drum brakes were replaced by Brembo disc brakes from model year 1974 .

“There were various performance specifications for the 750 SF. […] That depended on the respective silencer equipment for Italy, America or Germany. With the Italian silencers, the machine in Germany would definitely not have been received without cheating by the TÜV, and if it was approved anyway, then you could set the clock to the moment the police pulled the thunder bolt [...] out of circulation would have."

- Ernst Leverkus

model series

model Model years Quantities Innovations photo
650 1968 52 2 × 29 mm carburettors, Grimeca brakes with 230 mm, 35 mm Ceriani telescopic fork [1]
750 1968-1969 750 Exhaust without interference pipe , speedometer and tachometer from Smiths [2]
American Eagle 1968 200 US export model, tank with modified emblem, high handlebars [3]
750 p 1969-1970 1150 2 × 30 mm Dell'Orto carburetors with open funnels and a hump seat.
With the 1970 model year, the Laverda 750 is also available in Germany. 		[4]
750 GT 1970-1972 2150 high handlebars, reduced performance Laverda 750 p1.JPG
750 SF 1971-1972 6100 SuperFreni (Laverda brake) with 230 mm Laverda.750SF.jpg
750 SFC 1971-1976 549 Endurance racing model Laverda750SFCa.jpg
750 SF1 1973 3760 2 × 36 mm Dell'Orto carburetors, Nippon Denso instruments Laverda.jpg
750 SF2 1974-1976 2800 2 × 280 mm Brembo disc brakes, 38 mm Ceriani telescopic fork Laverda 750 SF.jpg
750 GTL 1975-1976 100 230 mm SuperFreni drum brakes [5]
750 SF3 1976 500 Cast wheels, disc brake also at the rear [6]

literature

  • Eva Breutel: Development of the Laverda 650/750 GT. In: Motorrad Classic 6/2016, ISSN 0937-9495., Pp. 82 to 91.
  • Ernst Leverkus : The fascinating motorcycles of the 1970s. Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart. 3rd edition 1991. ISBN 3-613-01040-2 .
  • Jean-Louis Olive: Laverda: the complete history from 1949 to 1989 . Translated by Wolf Töns. Heel, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-89880-834-7 .
  • Ulrich Schwab: Motorcycles 1970/1987. Motorbuch Verlag Stuttgart, 1st edition 1987, ISBN 3-613-01172-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The performance information relates only to models on the German market. See Ulrich Schwab: pp. 28 to 57.
  2. ↑ MOTORRAD catalog 1976, pp. 110, 111.
  3. ^ Jean-Louis Olive: p. 60.
  4. ↑ Jean-Louis Olive: p. 28.
  5. ↑ Jean-Louis Olive: p. 30.
  6. ↑ Eva Breutel: S. 87th
  7. ^ Prototype 1966
  8. ↑ Jean-Louis Olive: p. 34.
  9. ↑ Eva Breutel: S. 88th
  10. ↑ jumping over 13 cars
  11. ^ Evel Knievel American Eagle
  12. ↑ Ernst Leverkus, pp. 19, 166.
  13. ↑ laverdafahrer.de (accessed on January 16, 2017)
  14. ↑ Ernst Leverkus, p. 166.
  15. ↑ For example for the SF 60  SAE-PS for the US market or 49 DIN-PS measured by the TÜV on the rear wheel.
  16. ↑ The model year at Laverda begins on September 1st and ends on August 31st of the following year.
  17. ↑ Georg Suck in Hamburg was the importer for Germany.
  18. ↑ Klassik Motorrad 02/2003, pp. 92–93.
  19. ↑ laverdafahrer.de (accessed on January 16, 2017)