1973 3C eBay USA

Rusty Spokes said:
Laverda never had any market here in the USA. Importing and distribution was non-existent and no active group of devotees or riders.
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Hmmmmm ...... they must have emerged from under a pinetree after a heavy rain.

I suppose that is why the non-importer sent bikes to Canada in the 70's ..... so the enthusiasts here could have them.

Jim
 
helicopterjim said:
Hmmmmm ...... they must have emerged from under a pinetree after a heavy rain.

I suppose that is why the non-importer sent bikes to Canada in the 70's ..... so the enthusiasts here could have them.

Jim
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in the 1970s, there were two importers bring in 3c(s) to the USA (maybe Canada?), Yankee distributing company and Continental Motorcycles. They were very poorly capitalized and disappeared after a few years each They probably owed the Laverda family money for bikes and spares and went away. Lance at Rickey Racer tried importing for a while, bring in bikes from Slater. That fizzled out and no doubt he owed Slater money too.

Thats why I said "Importing and distribution was non-existent". There was no real capital to finance what should of been the best market in the world for Laverda. Just a few guys leveraging their credit cards and running a motorcycle import business. Sad.

 
And very hard to understand, considering how far away Australia is and how so many came here. Maybe the size of the potential US market worried the factory with its ability to supply. I guess we will never know, cracking that market would have been a game-changer
 
Vince said:
And very hard to understand, considering how far away Australia is and how so many came here. Maybe the size of the potential US market worried the factory with its ability to supply. I guess we will never know, cracking that market would have been a game-changer
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When I was in school back in the early 70s, I worked part time at the local small town Honda shop assembling new motorcycles. It helped pay the bills as I was broke.

Cracking open the crates and putting new Hondas together at night. Back when things were really booming for Honda. The 750 4 cylinder was a game changer. The Honda shop was a busy place and sold a lot of bikes. Even so..the shop was just a "hole in the wall" with a showroom, parts and service. The regional Honda rep came by once a month to inspect the property and provide technical or business support. The place was owned by a local guy who put up the cash for the Honda franchise.

A few years later I looked at what it would take to start a Laverda dealership. I met with the "importer" and AIRC the only thing I needed to do to become a dealer was buy a motorcycle..just one or two. No parts inventory, no training no territory. They were desperate.

Honda invested big capital in the dealer infrastructure. Maybe tens of millions of dollars. The dealers had to put up some money too, hire people and keep a good shop image. (small was okay). The Honda dealers usually made money.

I think Laverda had a good chance in 1970s markets like the UK (population 55 million) or Australia (population 12 million) with a more sophisticated traditional importer-shop keeper society.

The USA (population 205 million) has/had a solid business culture. But post war USA was always a big manufacturing society and not familiar with the unique experiences needed to distribute imported goods retail.  We are/were self sufficient consumers or product exporters, not importers.

Honda (and others) saw the incredible business potential and invested heavily in the USA market distribution network. Laverda, being a small boutique family owned motorcycle manufacturer never had a chance here.

.
 
Back in the 1960s in Australias biggest city, Sydney the Distributer of Harley and a few Boutique bikes was Burlie and Simons. Maybe they were National, I don't know. They had a smallish shop on Parramatta Rd. The BMW distributor, Tom Burn, had an even smaller shop in Wentworth Ave. The whole bike scene in Sydney was like a cottage industry.
 
Vince said:
And very hard to understand, considering how far away Australia is and how so many came here. Maybe the size of the potential US market worried the factory with its ability to supply. I guess we will never know, cracking that market would have been a game-changer
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Australians race bikes.
Americans at the time rode around in circles.

That's what sold bikes back then.

Now it's glossy paper.

Paul
 
Hey Vince. Glad you mentioned the shop on Parramatta Rd. I was regaling to wife about the shop in Auburn that I couldn't recall name of.(Burling and Simmons). Back in '78, I stopped in to look at the only 3C available, a black one that Eade (Sydney distributor for those not local), had consigned them. That, and a Mk1 LeMans were side by side. Both priced $4500.00. I noted the Guzzi might make for bruised knees, but I liked that it was low and long. Decided I was going to go after what I came for. By the time I had finances, I discovered that the bike was gone. But not sold! Eade had the bike moved to the Honda dealer in Sydney. I bet you know their name too..I traded my beloved Yamaha DT400D, and A Honda XL175 (swapped for sound system w/brother in law), and a few thousand begged and borrowed.
I was at Amaroo Park track for the six hour race some time later when a fellow from Australian importer Stanco spotted me and wondered why I didn't have the "Jota bits' on. (Pipes and sticker for side panels).
I made the trip to Victoria to see what was up. They told me to go back to Eade and he would have pipes etc. for me. Turns out Mr. Eade still had my stuff, and turned them over to me after I told him that he would be getting a call from Stanco.

 
Hi Ric, the Honda dealer was probably Scotts Honda, I bought my first bike from them. I was so green I couldn't ride a proper geared bike, only minibikes so had to get it delivered to my house. A horrible thing, the road-going version of Hondas Elsinor MX bike called an MT 125, full-blown FOO FOO bike. Totally gutless. Brett was telling me about your black Jota and it resurrected a story of my first ride with another Laverda. I was heading to the Italian bike show they used to have called Latins by the Lake at Lake Macquarie on the central coast and by chance, I met 2 other Laverdas heading there as well. We were on The Old Rd, maybe The Road Warriors, not sure and I agreed to follow them there. So it was 2 Laverdas being ridden 2 up, female pillions on both but I distinctly remember one of the Laverdas was black. I don't remember the other bike, I was on my 3C. What I do remember was pushing really hard to keep them in sight, revving the nuts of my bike was required and even then I struggled. It surprised me how fast they were even 2 up. Don't remember any more, it stuck with me over the years as other than one of Cripins bike it was the only black triple I ever saw. So did you ever go to Latins on the Lake with another Laverda 2 up and run into me 25 years ago? I would laugh my arse off if the other bike was Bretts.



 
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