LAVERDA 1000 3C prototype photos from 1969

In an interview Piero said it sounded beautiful ....... but was heavy and slow ......... " We wanted a sports bike ..... not a luxury tourer " ............

Dave Minton tried it ........ He reckoned the claim of 540 lb dry weight was most likely achieved with the omission of fuel , oil , battery , fork oil , and morning dew .........

Must have been a disappointment that a straightforward adaption of the 650/750 twin failed to work ....... meaning Zen and his team had to start again almost from scratch , this time with double overhead cams ........


PS ......... When the production 3C eventually hit the roads , some magazine testers reckoned it was crying out for shaft drive !!!!! ....... Bloody shaft drive ? ........ Some people just have no idea ..........

And when shaft drive was mentioned to Piero , his demeanour changed to that of being mournful ...... Citing the extra weight , and " Shaft drive , it look so.... so ........ "......... followed by an Italian pout and shake of the head .............

Exactly , Piero ............
 
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The belt-driven generator was definitely dated by then and would have accounted for quite a bit of unnecessary weight. Even the Brits had done away with that sort of stuff by then, except Velocette maybe. The later appearance of the Z900 sort of confirmed the decision for DOHC was the right one, the beginning of almost everything that was to follow.

piet
 
rocketonarail said:
In an interview Piero said it sounded beautiful ....... but was heavy and slow ......... " We wanted a sports bike ..... not a luxury tourer " ............

Dave Minton tried it ........ He reckoned the claim of 540 lb dry weight was most likely achieved with the omission of fuel , oil , battery , fork oil , and morning dew .........

Must have been a disappointment that a straightforward adaption of the 650/750 twin failed to work ....... meaning Zen and his team had to start again almost from scratch , this time with double overhead cams ........


PS ......... When the production 3C eventually hit the roads , some magazine testers reckoned it was crying out for shaft drive !!!!! ....... Bloody shaft drive ? ........ Some people just have no idea ..........

And when shaft drive was mentioned to Piero , his demeanour changed to that of being mournful ...... Citing the extra weight , and " Shaft drive , it look so.... so ........ "......... followed by an Italian pout and shake of the head .............

Exactly , Piero ............
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Shaft drive would have put them in place for the Service sector, Police, Military, Escort work etc- just think of how many clunker BMW ‘s they sold worldwide, also the reason Norton lost the contract. Honda,on the other hand ,built a specific Pan European that came ready built with high output alternator, blue lights and sprayed white with Police written all over it…still making Hondas.
 
Exmoor beast said:
Shaft drive would have put them in place for the Service sector, Police, Military, Escort work etc- just think of how many clunker BMW ‘s they sold worldwide, also the reason Norton lost the contract. Honda,on the other hand ,built a specific Pan European that came ready built with high output alternator, blue lights and sprayed white with Police written all over it…still making Hondas.
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I would not like to see Police riding the same bike as me!!! Ciao, Gert
 
There are a couple of 1984 TL Ducati Pantahs in Oz built for Cop use in Italy. Lights and sirens, and full Cop livery.Attention-getting.
 
Here's one that did active police duty in Bassano del Grappa, just up the road from Breganze. Also pictured in Tim Parkers' "Italian Motorcycles".

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Fairing and panniers are preserved, owner prefers to ride it without the heavy police equipment. Sister bike to my own GTL, consecutive frame numbers!

Quite a few police Laverdas, 500, 750, 1000 and 1200, were rescued from Kuwait in the mid-1980's, among them, my GTL.

piet
 
I was waiting for that Gert. Kuwait also as Piet has pointed out. I seem to remember such a bike was sent to Oz for evaluation. A cop bike in Jota trim would have raised some eyebrows.
 
Tippie said:
I was waiting for that Gert. Kuwait also as Piet has pointed out. I seem to remember such a bike was sent to Oz for evaluation. A cop bike in Jota trim would have raised some eyebrows.
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Reminds me a bit of my final encounter with the local fuzz with my paddock bike. Copper stopped me as I traversed a stretch of public road to get from our paddocks to cross Pascoe Vale Road. He of course lectured me on this and that... when he was finally finished he made it clear I shouldn't attempt to run from him in the future, he'd soon be trading his Kawasaki W2 650 for a Z1! Let me off the hook and waited to watch me pushing the bike along, escorting me until I'd crossed Paco Rd. to continue on my merry way. One of the few experiences from the "Good Ol' Days" that was truely good.

Can't actually remember seeing Z1s in Victorian police service, probably issued after I'd left Oz. Reckon the triples' reliability records back then would have had it quickly dismissed from police service consideration. Just imagine the stacks of CDI boxes in the police workshops... would've driven the accountants nuts.:eek:

piet
 
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