Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: canuck750 on January 02, 2015, 07:36:29 PM
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I have wanted one of these Laverda 750 SF2's for a while, this one looks pretty nice. Anyone ever owned one, have some advice on buying one or what to look for and what to avoid?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Other-Makes-750-SF-Laverda-750-SF-1975-17713-/321628154914?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4ae2882c22&item=321628154914&pt=US_motorcycles
Never rode one or heard one run but the Marque, and in particular the 750 twins are really sharp to my eye and I think they are currently undervalued. I don't need another old bike and really don't have room or spare cash to grab one but I am going to sell my 74 V7 Sport this year, good bikes don't show up every day, they are only getting harder to find.......
Thanks
Jim
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Great looking bike for a rider! I love the engine shape and the deep fins. Definitely a rare bird this side of the pond.
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I bought one a couple years ago that is patiently waiting for me. It has the weirdest paint job. No idea why someone would do this to a Laverda.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Hahnda/Laverda%20SF2/105_9737.jpg)
(http://www.scramblercycle.com/uploads/3/8/9/5/3895611/4040402_orig.jpg)
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Try posting here-- format looks familiar. These people are less polite though:
http://www.laverdaforum.com/forum/index.php/board,73.0.html
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laverdas are good bikes but fairly hard to get parts for. I tried to buy a early drum brake sf750 years ago, the guy had two of them, one ratty and the other tidy. he advertised the tidy one and when I went to buy it he decided he wanted to keep the tidy one but would sell the ratty one. he wanted the same price though so I walked away from it. I tried to buy a 82 jota 1000 120 crank model recently, the guy wanted big money for it, $15000 nz, but would never answer all the questions I asked in emails or send me pics. I got sick of trying to deal with him, then I found out it was in bits and needed a lot spending on it to put it into action. my mate has got a 76 3cl, wire wheels, real nice bike, hes had it nearly 30 years now and will never sell it
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I have a Spare Parts manual for the Laverda 750 GT and SF. If anyone needs a copy, I can scan it.
Sat on one back in the late '80s. Kind of tall, felt heavy, like it was machined from a solid block of billet.
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Other-Makes-750-SF2-1974-laverda-sf-2-sport-sfc-cams-pistons-custom-ducati-guzzi-morini-/201251792374?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2edb8aa5f6&item=201251792374&pt=US_motorcycles
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I bought a SF3 when I lived in Vicenza (IT). As I recall, it was a 1975 model. Since this was some 25 years ago my memory is fuzzy but I do recall the clutch being an absolute bitch to work. If I had to ride in traffic that stiff clutch would damn near bring tears to my eyes. It was common to find a longer aftermarket clutch actuation lever (the part down in the engine, not the clutch lever you pull in on the handlebar) so you could increase the leverage. This aftermarket lever required sawing a slot in the engine case. Mine did not have this mod. The clutch problem was due to extremely strong clutch springs which were required to offset the crappy clutch material of the day. BTW, the SF designation was for the brakes (speciale frenne (sp)) and my bike had three discs, hence the SF3 designation. Overall the bike was probably cutting edge for the time, almost up to Honda standards. The rumor was that the 750 engine was copied from Honda but I actually talked to the designer and he insisted that was not the case. Who knows? National pride goes a long way. My bike was ultimately shipped to the US by an Air Force guy and titled so it is still floating around. I don't want it back.
Peter Y.
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Parts had been available, especially in Canada.
I rode a few, SF and even a real SFC (which was offered to me cheap).
Pretty, and reasonably reliable. That's the best part. I found the vibration to be awful, and I'm not alone in having ridden an SFC and thought it was among the worst rides ever.
Undervalued? Some prices are crazy for Italian bikes of the '70s, the SFC would be the Ducati 750SS or the red frame V7 Sport. Anything else will be a big step below.
A triple is a much better ride, that may be a better place to put your money, too.
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Hi, Jim.
You are actually pretty close to one of the best sources of Laverda parts:
http://www.laverda.ca/
Wolfgang seems to have a handle on whatever you need.
Cheers,
Shaun
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Hi, Jim.
You are actually pretty close to one of the best sources of Laverda parts:
http://www.laverda.ca/
Wolfgang seems to have a handle on whatever you need.
Cheers,
Shaun
Hi Shaun,
I have bought a few things off Wolfgang but have never been out to his place. Before I got interested in Guzzi I drove by his place a couple times not realizing what he was into. A friend went out to visit him this summer, some of the best motorcycling riding in North America on his doorstep. Wolfgang runs a B&B on his property, next summer I am going out for a weekend. Wolfgang's son is a mechanic and runs the repair shop, apparently he has a real tricked out SF2.
I have heard the SF really vibrates but is a nice handling bike. I recently bought Ian Fallon's book on Laverda and the more I read up on the brand the more interested I get.
I don't have any idea on how reliable they are or how hard they are to maintain. Compared to a Guzzi V7 Sport I wonder how the Laverda SF stands up for performance, ride, and dependability?
Cam
I have been watching that black 750SF at DB Cycles come on Ebay several times in the past year. Probably a good bike but a little more than I want to spend.
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I bought one a couple years ago that is patiently waiting for me. It has the weirdest paint job. No idea why someone would do this to a Laverda.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/Hahnda/Laverda%20SF2/105_9737.jpg)
(http://www.scramblercycle.com/uploads/3/8/9/5/3895611/4040402_orig.jpg)
That is one strange paint scheme on an Italian bike! Looks like you have a real fine project their, an SF in that condition is exactly what I would like to find, just needs some TLC (and a lot of $$)
Cheers
Jim
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Never owned one, but have heard from several different sources that they are way over built. There was a review of a 750 a couple of years ago in Motor Cycle Classics. :BEER:
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I had one -- a barn find I bought for $20 around 1981 and rebuilt. Commuted on it for a couple of years. It was heavy but handled well and was great fun. Generally overbuilt and reliable BUT for some reason the woodruff key matching the two halves of the camshaft sheared off twice, leaving me to limp home on one cylinder. Never heard of this happening to anyone else. It's as easy to work on as the Guzzi -- engine is a stressed member and by unbolting the head from the frame you can tilt it the whole engine down and pop off the head. Yes, the engine looks like a 305 Honda Dream (it was styled purposely that way) but the internals are way different -- for instance Laverda used roller bearings instead of plain bearings. And I know for sure the Honda used good solid splines to mate the two halves of the cam to its chainwheel.
If it hadn't been for the weird camshaft problem I might still have the Laverda but I traded it for my 850T, which, after 30 years, I still love beyond reason.
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I owned a '74 750 SF2 probably 20 years ago.
It was an interesting bike to own and ride but it would be way down on my list of bikes that I would own again and certainly would not be my only bike.
It handled like a freight train. It was tall and top heavy compared to my buddy's LMIII and compared to the Cagiva Allazuras I had right after that. The suspention and frame were rock solid compared to the LMIII. My other friend's 900SS was similrly tall and stiff but much faster. I seem to remember the SF and the LMIII being fairly well matched speed wise. High speed stability it had in spades. Nimble it was not.
The engine was interesting indeed. It vibrated every bit as much as you would expect a 360 degree parallel to. If you revved it on the centerstand you could float it any direction across the floor. With a solid mounted engine, it was buzzy to the extreme and tended to sheer bolts and frame welds.
With the chain driven OHC, chain primary, and typical Italian intake and exhaust noise, The engine did make a fantastic noise.
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Yak Fat in 'Stralia where are you ? Calling Rod , come in Rod :D If you want a REALLY strong left hand riding a Laverda will help tremendously ;D
Dusty
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Yak Fat in 'Stralia where are you ? Calling Rod , come in Rod :D If you want a REALLY strong left hand riding a Laverda will help tremendously ;D
Dusty
I as going to stay silent on this but I can't pretend I didn't 'hear' you calling.
The SF's are pretty robust but they are getting long in the tooth. Lavs have a small but enthusiastic following with the pecking order running from a 180 triple to a 120 triple then down to the twins unless its an SFC then you are a bigshot. :D The SF's aren't as high tech with only 2 valves per side. They are usually fitted with Dellortos as shown in the pics. Those look like PHF A's, possibly 32's or 36's. Some Lavs came with PHB's but I'm not sure of the SF's. Mikuni RSs are a popular conversion with some.
They have their issues but Wolfgang's close proximity, as mentioned, is a positive. The clutches on them can be heavy. They have a strange arm that pivots as the cable is pulled. The short arm doesn't give a lot of leverage as also mentioned above. The trick is to ensure the arm is as close to 90 deg t the cable pull to get the best effect. Hydraulic conversions are not unheard of. I do find with the wet multi plate clutch that neutral is an elusive beast. As mentioned before it is less suitable to commuting than a Lemans.IMO.
They certainly aren't as practical as a Guzzi IMO and everyone I know with one only gets a relatively short range out of them but they do like to re-jet them a fair bit.
If a SF3 dropped into my lap at a tasty price then I may be tempted but it would have to be cheap. I'm not interested in a triple at all. Lots of reasons.
.You will only truly know if you will bond with it if you get one. There is a current trend to convert them to a 270 crank, nicknamed a 'twisted twin.' I have no idea what that is like but it does require a full engine job to get the crank out. To me the original has a similar engine character to any vertical twin.
I did see that bike as it was mentioned on the Lav forum. My fingers next to the keyboard didn't start to shake. :BEER:
There are a few Lav specific workshops around the world. I'm lucky to have one near me in Brisbane Australia and another is in Glasgow. Not sure of N.A. besides Wolfgang.
I've been typing as my mind has been rambling so I hope I've been of some help.
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Thanks Rod ;-T
Dusty
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Thanks Rod, great summary, good to hear the good and the bad.
From the comments I have received the SF are probably not as desirable as an early Lemans or V7 Sport, they are heavier and not as nimble, so price needs to be a big factor if I am going to 'experiment' with ownership.
Thanks again for al the advice
Cheers
Jim
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I know Dave Brown, seller of this bike , hes a good knowledgeable guy , i am sure if you have questions about Laverdas he will help you .
http://www.db-cycles.com/1974-laverda-750-sf1
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Other-Makes-750-SF2-1974-laverda-sf-2-sport-sfc-cams-pistons-custom-ducati-guzzi-morini-/201251792374?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2edb8aa5f6&item=201251792374&pt=US_motorcycles
Or if you want to talk to the master , contact Gianni Sperotto
https://www.facebook.com/gianni.sperotto1?fref=nf
Hope this helps
..Marco
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I recall the Laverda 750 was a little more "freight train" like in handling vs a V7 Sport. This applies only to the twins.
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Other-Makes-750-SF2-1974-laverda-sf-2-sport-sfc-cams-pistons-custom-ducati-guzzi-morini-/201251792374?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2edb8aa5f6&item=201251792374&pt=US_motorcycles
Sweet!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I never did ride a twin, but I did have the 1000 triple and I believe they share many characteristics. This was my first and so far only proper restoration. Here's a picture of it from a few years back.
(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/03/1eaab2ca1597830a4b1455e823be6c44.jpg)
They are incredibly strong bikes, built to last. And they are a huge amount of fun. A hard accelerating Laveda is an awesome sound, and looking at that picture now makes me regret ever having sold it.
If you are not averse to buying parts overseas, I can highly recommend this guy.
https://www.laverda-paradies.de/
I never had any problem getting any parts.
I would go for it. You'll love it.
John
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Bumping this thread since I just picked up a 1973 750SF. First impressions are:
A little unwieldy in town due to low flat bars that hit the tank easily on both sides. Weight is high. Feels agricultural. I need to get it up to speed out in the open and get a better feel for it.
Great power and sound. Feels like a tightly engineered Commando. The pipe is a nicely built aftermarket two into one with antisocial tendencies.
Tough to work on. I had to replace a clutch cable and it was a two hour job. Very difficult to get to the access in the engine due to the starter and airbox locations. Installing the clutch end requires RR of a cotter pin and pivot pin that could very easily fall into the right side case.
Great headlight for an old bike. Electrics are nice but weird mix of Bosch, Nippondenso and Lucas.
Whether it is a long term hold remains to be seen.
(https://i.ibb.co/R4xzC48/IMG-5837.jpg) (https://ibb.co/R4xzC48)
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Hi, Ben!
Glad you've got it out on the road! :grin:
Not known for their low-speed manners, but they were popular as endurance racers,
and apparently excelled as high-speed, long-distance road bikes.
Dave Minton apparently really liked it back in the day.
https://www.real-classic.co.uk/2020/04/11/laverda-sf750-out-of-the-archive/ (https://www.real-classic.co.uk/2020/04/11/laverda-sf750-out-of-the-archive/)
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2015/november/mcn-plus---laverdas-street-sleepers-cb/ (https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2015/november/mcn-plus---laverdas-street-sleepers-cb/)
-Stretch
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Had one just like this (1975) back in the 80's.
(https://i.ibb.co/ZmFnYRP/Screenshot-2023-08-29-at-7-41-44-AM.png) (https://ibb.co/ZmFnYRP)
Good, solid bike, with excellent handling and brakes, but heavy, not really quick, and a little "stodgy" at slow speeds. With the internet today, parts should not be an issue. I would give it a big thumbs up overall. Classic Italian twin!!
I remember at idle, and on the center stand, it used to "walk" across the concrete driveway when revved up!! :laugh: :grin:
Get this book on Amazon about two Italians who in 1971 rode >34,000 km on a pair of 750 Laverda's south to north, from Tierro del Fuego to Alaska. Excellent read! :thumb: :bow: :cool: :boozing:
(https://i.ibb.co/b6RgZrT/IMG-7289.jpg) (https://ibb.co/b6RgZrT)
(https://i.ibb.co/YyXC4Xq/IMG-7290.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YyXC4Xq)
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I remember at idle, and on the center stand, it used to "walk" across the concrete driveway when revved up!! :laugh: :grin:
Same as BSAs and Triumphs of those days, which "walked" backwards across the floor.
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Found this on FB Marketplace; a little pricy, I'd say:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1626971741131915/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A1d84ef37-7a70-4efe-b8b2-4af68036310a
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I recently needed to sell two of my favorite bikes. One was a 1974 SF2. It was just as everyone seems to agree on. Lots of vibration but you could find a sweet spot. Heavy but built like a brick s***house. Very stable. I owned it for about 15 years. Very reliable. Never had to do much to it. I wish I didn't need to sell it. My wife loved it by the way.
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Very pretty FB SF.