Anthony Di Biase
New member
- Location
- Geelong Victoria Australia
1200 Jota America (1978)
Tested by Cycle Magazine for the June 1978 issue, the Jota America was essentially a 1200T re-shuffled to meet US-DOT regulations. Part of this work was switching the controls for left-side shift, this done via a series of crossover rods and linkage. Now on the right, a frame mount Brembo master-cylinder/reservoir attaches the rear brake controls. Set high on the chassis with a special mount, the editors reported the 1200’s right footpeg position was “Dictated by the location of the brake, not the rider’s leg.” Other complaints included stiff clutch and throttle pull, poor cold starting, uncomfortable grips, vibration, a hard saddle and the Laverda’s side stand mount. Unlike the oft-grazed (by them) alternator/ignition cover, this welded tab was not forgiving when touched in fast corners. Among the most critical road tests ever published by the highly respected staff at Cycle, the underlying tone suggested those failed areas had more to do with making the 1200 legal than any real design errors. In the end, Cycle’s staff found the 1200 flawed but fixable, but that is only part of the story. Enthusiastic and dedicated, Massimo himself visited Cycle’s offices and took notes. To date, many of the model changes made through the triples’s production addressed press concerns. One example: Compare the 1200’s controls to those found on the later RGS.
1200 (second series) and Slater Mirage (1978)
Throughout the first half of 1978 various revisions were made. “The 1200s following that original batch were assembled with Marzocchi suspensions, yokes and front mudguard,” reports Grant Duguid of Facebook’s ClubLaverda. Recently restoring one of the early bikes from 1977, he continues; “1978 bikes also featured tank badges and BTZ ignition. Note also the primary cover was recast to leave the logo area blank as this part was now common to both 1000 and 1200 models.” For years I’ve attempted to catalog the factory’s varying fork rake and trail figures (supposedly carried out to address complaints of slow steering) eventually learning this was accomplished using offset trees. “These experiments were carried out only on bikes fit with the Ceriani fork,” Duguid clarifies. “Development of the 180-racing program ended after 1976, and from there Marzocchi forks and trees with matching rake were used.” The steering head angle is 28-degrees, wheelbase length is 58-inches and a weight of 523-lb was claimed. Most Euro makers had adopted standardized left-foot shift four year eariler, save for the builders at Moto Laverda.
“I think the concept was for the 1200 to be a large capacity sports tourer,” recalls Richard Slater. Working alongside the factory in Italy, the technical and marketing savvy of the brothers Slater brought tremendous acclaim to Laverda, and they weren’t finished. “With the success of the Jota and the 500cc twin in its final stages of development, it was inevitable the 1200 would find itself bolted to the dyno. It was immediately found performance could be greatly enhanced by fitting 4/C cams and Jota silencers, now readily available from the Jota programme. In terms of jetting and tuning parts, it was all compatible to what we were already doing.” Like the 3CL-based Jota, the 1200 had been transformed into something else entirely, and as riders experienced the 1200, demand grew. “Over time, many buyers actually preferred it. With its standard compression (no piston option) it was a different kind of fast. Not hard hitting like the Jota, the 1200 gained momentum with fistfuls of torque.”Initially a confusing study, Richard sheds light on differences between Slater-built 1200 Mirage models and factory machines of the same name. “While attending a dealer meeting with Moto Laverda in Italy we felt that like the Jota, our tuned 1200 deserved its own name. Some hilarious ideas were tossed out, but when sales manager Luciano Zucarelli suggested Mirage, all agreed. A short time passed before the Mirage began to arrive, shipped without name plates and silencers, which were made locally and fit here. We quickly had ‘Mirage’ stickers done up but those, along with the Jota exhaust system, were the only visual differences. Wanting the Mirage to stand out with its own color we asked the factory to do this and offered some ideas. What materialized from that request in July, 1978 was a superb mid-range metallic green with ‘Mirage’ boldly emblazoned in yellow on the side. Starting then and ever since, the universally referred to ‘Green Mirage’ became the one to own.”
Tested by Cycle Magazine for the June 1978 issue, the Jota America was essentially a 1200T re-shuffled to meet US-DOT regulations. Part of this work was switching the controls for left-side shift, this done via a series of crossover rods and linkage. Now on the right, a frame mount Brembo master-cylinder/reservoir attaches the rear brake controls. Set high on the chassis with a special mount, the editors reported the 1200’s right footpeg position was “Dictated by the location of the brake, not the rider’s leg.” Other complaints included stiff clutch and throttle pull, poor cold starting, uncomfortable grips, vibration, a hard saddle and the Laverda’s side stand mount. Unlike the oft-grazed (by them) alternator/ignition cover, this welded tab was not forgiving when touched in fast corners. Among the most critical road tests ever published by the highly respected staff at Cycle, the underlying tone suggested those failed areas had more to do with making the 1200 legal than any real design errors. In the end, Cycle’s staff found the 1200 flawed but fixable, but that is only part of the story. Enthusiastic and dedicated, Massimo himself visited Cycle’s offices and took notes. To date, many of the model changes made through the triples’s production addressed press concerns. One example: Compare the 1200’s controls to those found on the later RGS.
1200 (second series) and Slater Mirage (1978)
Throughout the first half of 1978 various revisions were made. “The 1200s following that original batch were assembled with Marzocchi suspensions, yokes and front mudguard,” reports Grant Duguid of Facebook’s ClubLaverda. Recently restoring one of the early bikes from 1977, he continues; “1978 bikes also featured tank badges and BTZ ignition. Note also the primary cover was recast to leave the logo area blank as this part was now common to both 1000 and 1200 models.” For years I’ve attempted to catalog the factory’s varying fork rake and trail figures (supposedly carried out to address complaints of slow steering) eventually learning this was accomplished using offset trees. “These experiments were carried out only on bikes fit with the Ceriani fork,” Duguid clarifies. “Development of the 180-racing program ended after 1976, and from there Marzocchi forks and trees with matching rake were used.” The steering head angle is 28-degrees, wheelbase length is 58-inches and a weight of 523-lb was claimed. Most Euro makers had adopted standardized left-foot shift four year eariler, save for the builders at Moto Laverda.
“I think the concept was for the 1200 to be a large capacity sports tourer,” recalls Richard Slater. Working alongside the factory in Italy, the technical and marketing savvy of the brothers Slater brought tremendous acclaim to Laverda, and they weren’t finished. “With the success of the Jota and the 500cc twin in its final stages of development, it was inevitable the 1200 would find itself bolted to the dyno. It was immediately found performance could be greatly enhanced by fitting 4/C cams and Jota silencers, now readily available from the Jota programme. In terms of jetting and tuning parts, it was all compatible to what we were already doing.” Like the 3CL-based Jota, the 1200 had been transformed into something else entirely, and as riders experienced the 1200, demand grew. “Over time, many buyers actually preferred it. With its standard compression (no piston option) it was a different kind of fast. Not hard hitting like the Jota, the 1200 gained momentum with fistfuls of torque.”Initially a confusing study, Richard sheds light on differences between Slater-built 1200 Mirage models and factory machines of the same name. “While attending a dealer meeting with Moto Laverda in Italy we felt that like the Jota, our tuned 1200 deserved its own name. Some hilarious ideas were tossed out, but when sales manager Luciano Zucarelli suggested Mirage, all agreed. A short time passed before the Mirage began to arrive, shipped without name plates and silencers, which were made locally and fit here. We quickly had ‘Mirage’ stickers done up but those, along with the Jota exhaust system, were the only visual differences. Wanting the Mirage to stand out with its own color we asked the factory to do this and offered some ideas. What materialized from that request in July, 1978 was a superb mid-range metallic green with ‘Mirage’ boldly emblazoned in yellow on the side. Starting then and ever since, the universally referred to ‘Green Mirage’ became the one to own.”
