Aussie Slater Formula 120 Jota

Looks like a Home Brewed Mirage or RGS to me - But learn something every day ;o)

Guess my ride is a Formula 71 SF if had I written  "Formula"  on the side panels or fairing - LOL
 
Hmm.
The original Jota, Mirage, Montjuic, Formula Mirage and Formula 120 Jota were all home-brewed by Slaters, the then Laverda importer for the UK.
Go look again at an RGS will you? Nothing like a Formula except for colour and in this case crank configuration,  not visible in the photo.

 
original bike mag review of the 120 Jota Formula...  I still have that magazine





 

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G'day, everyone.
Well, it's been yonks since I've been on here, and I'd thought I'd revise this thread and provide an up date. Well, the old girl is still with us and a few years ago (Pre Pandemic), I had the task of cleaning the Formula 120 for the NSW Aussie event The Barry Sheene Festival of Speed, (BSFS) as it was known then. The idea was to get it to that event as there was a large number of Laverda's on display and it would've been great to catch up with everyone. Well, for a a number of reasons myself and my father couldn't make it, (Still spewin' about that), anyway. After cleaning/detailing and a service, I had the chance to take some pics, and I never got around to sharing them, so here they are. Hopefully they'll be a show in the not too distant future where we can all get together again. Fingers crossed.
Cheers, Lee.
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Nice 😁
If you ever carry a pillion and intend using the brakes at all, you should check another thread on here where they were talking about ‘ball protectors’ 😵
 
Grant said:
Ron, once more you're talking bollocks.
Slater made a few Breganze Formula 120 Jotas.
I even saw a row of them lined up outside Slater's shop brand new back in the day.
Just as the Formula Mirage was a way to shift stock 1200s (after adding bling) the Formula 120 was a way to shift the one-year-model 120 Jota after the RGS came out.
Which is a shame, as of all the 180s, RGSs and the one 120 Jota I have owned I think the 120 Jota is in the top 2 of my all time favourite standard Laverdas.
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Yes you have it spot on Grant laverda missed a trick, the Jota 120 was a very underestimated bike I recall Motor Cycle News got a best one way of 142 out of it which matched the Katana 1100 but when they made the RGS they got the geometry wrong seeking high speed stability, the RGS is too long and slow steering in the extreme, if they had lowered the existing bike and kept the geometry it would have been better than the RGS.

Geoff
 
geoffr said:
Yes you have it spot on Grant laverda missed a trick, the Jota 120 was a very underestimated bike I recall Motor Cycle News got a best one way of 142 out of it which matched the Katana 1100 but when they made the RGS they got the geometry wrong seeking high speed stability, the RGS is too long and slow steering in the extreme, if they had lowered the existing bike and kept the geometry it would have been better than the RGS.

Geoff
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Have to disagree with that comment re rgs being a slow steer’r
My Experiance is different, it gets through corners just fine at a nice clip😉 I am running a 120/90 on the rear so very flickable!

Nice 120 Jota...... be nice to get you in amongst the posse of Vicco riders one day if your up for it? 👍
 
hooksey said:
Have to disagree with that comment re rgs being a slow steer’r
My Experiance is different, it gets through corners just fine at a nice clip😉 I am running a 120/90 on the rear so very flickable!

Nice 120 Jota...... be nice to get you in amongst the posse of Vicco riders one day if your up for it? 👍
Click to expand...
I'm looking in the future to put the Jota on club rego so I can get out to some shows hopefully.
 
geoffr said:
Yes you have it spot on Grant laverda missed a trick, the Jota 120 was a very underestimated bike I recall Motor Cycle News got a best one way of 142 out of it which matched the Katana 1100 but when they made the RGS they got the geometry wrong seeking high speed stability, the RGS is too long and slow steering in the extreme, if they had lowered the existing bike and kept the geometry it would have been better than the RGS.

Geoff
Click to expand...
Although I always liked the style of the bike I too have to say I preferred the handling of the RGS/Corsa to the Jota 120 on the road (and that included the TT Mountain Course in racing conditions). But that’s not to say the Jota couldn’t have been made to handle better.
 
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