Massimo Laverda

Tippie said:
I had thought to reply to the "you are welvome to your opinion" post but have to just laugh at it, when I look back on all those years fixing fatal design flaws of other brands from all parts of the globe. Laverda family bikes do nat fall into that category.
My race SF2 has 18 seasons of classic racing under it's wheels with not a single breakdown, and barely been apart for freshening up, oh and some hundred thousands of road miles before that.
Fantastic tribute article, thanks for translating and posting.
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Many many thanks for your warm appreciation of my article.
 
Vince said:
Sadly there appears to be some desperation happening. Clutching at straws.
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The 4x4 project was too complicate and expensive to manufacture as to maintain,
but the worst limit it had was to be obligate to use engine and other components made bt FIAT car company
which the same period was manufacturing similar vehicles they habitually sale to army, forest rangers, civil protection, firefighters and other potential customers of the Laverda model...which has to be more expensive

Another "ingenious" idea to try to break the monopoly of Fiat, Iveco, Oto Melara and other companies of FIAT group specialized in the supply of this type of vehicles was to offer, together with every Laverda 4x4 a direct assistance
which means sent some technicians quickly from the factory where the vehicle was stopped due to a fault.

It was "All inclusive": it is clear that if the fireguard truck Laverda 4x4 broke down in the mountains of Calabria (over 1100 kilometers from Breganze) two or three technicians left with spare parts to go and repair it staying there for days.
The costs thus exceeded the profit for each vehicle sold.
It's a shame because some of them still run and they actually were very well made, but every single 4x4 they produced annd sold with the above contract, went more by default.
 
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back on page 1 is a lovely shot from the very beginning of the 650/750 twins (pretty girl in stitch splitting tight mini skirt) shows the 650 with Bosch pre-engaged starter, not many of those built and at least one of them ended up in the sponsoreship of Evil (the thug) Kneival (not my favourite boy as you can tell) but very interesting non the less, I wonder if any of those Bosch starter motor twins do actually exist still, I have seen pictures of restored Kneivel bikes but from the Kneival museum, but dont recall if Bosch or Nippon Denso starters.
CLEM
 
CLEMTOG said:
I wonder if any of those Bosch starter motor twins do actually exist still, I have seen pictures of restored Kneivel bikes but from the Kneival museum, but dont recall if Bosch or Nippon Denso starters.
CLEM
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Only the very first prototype 650 had that Bosch bendix type starter. It already had gone on the next prototype in 1967 which already had the ND starter.

Do you have a pic of it, Clem?

Marnix
 

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Paul Marx said:
15 years since Massimo passed away.
A nice article picked up on Facebook about what Massimo brought to the marque.

www.sportmemory.it

Massimo Laverda. L'uomo che inventò la maximoto - Sportmemory

Massimo Laverda, imprenditore, pilota e visionario che ha inventato la maximoto. Una grande storia di famiglia e di innovazione, esempio a tutto tondo di una genialità che ha saputo fare grande l'Italia.
www.sportmemory.it www.sportmemory.it

Paul
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Hi Paul,
can I share the translation of my article made by the brave Arancia in our Facebook group?
I can copy it but with a previous citation of this forum .
Tnks
 
Paul Marx said:
Certainly though I doubt you need my approval.
Ciao
Paul
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Maybe don't need but I prefer to ask a written permission when share a content (texts, pics and so on) also from public fonts like forum, blog, social profiles, etc.

I will invest some time to make it in a format good for FB but it can be useful for the foreign friends in our 29.284 members group

Ciao ! :)
 
Marnix, I have tried in the past to re-find that photo, (was trying very hard) but I cannot retrieve it, the memory is strong, however since I have also seen (at Ray Sheepwash's house) a video (on VHS) of knieval jumping the A/E and "freeze frame" revealed the Bosh type dynamo belt cover, he definately did have that, so was it the only one ever? the Kneival museum might even have it but perhaps dont even know the significance. Its always possible that Moto laverda had several belt covers made (in anticipation) and they were fitted to at least one of Kneivals bikes but perhaps there was no starter mechanism at all, rendering this cover as suitable??
CLEM
 
I do remember seeing a photo of him on a Laverda of which the starter was removed. The crankcase of the first 650 prototype was so different that I deem it impossible to mount that Bosch starter to a regular production crankcase.

Marnix
 
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