Talk about a time machine, this incredible 1972 Laverda 750 SF has a mere 2,320 miles on it! It’s literally five decades old this year and has traveled only 464 miles per decade. The past owners of this bike apparently drive their vehicles fewer miles than even I do and I thought I was bad. This gorgeous Italian bike can be found listed here on eBay in San Jose, California. The current bid price is $7,600 but the reserve isn’t met.
This is a fairly early 750 twin for Laverda. A lot of you may know that a Santa Ana, California company imported Laverda motorcycles to the US under the name American Eagle in the late-1960s. You’d better sit down for this next fun fact: none other than Evil Knievel himself rode them until 1970 when he reportedly switched to using Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Laverda started in 1873 in northern Italy as an agricultural equipment manufacturer – that sounds vaguely familiar, doesn’t it? The founder’s grandson created a motorcycle in 1947 to try to help the region after having been hit hard by two world wars and in 1949 they were making well-built small motorcycles. As is almost always the case, they got into racing which in turn helped the company to produce such great road bikes as this one. The seller has owned this beauty for eight years and has put only 400 miles on it.
The seller says that this is an original, spotless, and gorgeous Laverda 750 SF and I agree, at least on the last two points. I/we can’t know for sure whether it’s all original but we have no reason to doubt the seller’s word. This bike was last registered in the fall of 1978 and had been stored in a heated warehouse, or house, in Berkely, CA for thirty years before the current seller bought it eight years ago. They have done a lot of maintenance including adding new tires, handlebar grips, fuel lines, a new battery, etc.
The engine is a beautiful Laverda 744 CC twin with 65 horsepower and it starts instantly hot or cold and runs as great as it should run. I have never owned an Italian motorcycle but I recently looked at a very nice 1977 Moto Guzzi 850. I’m not sure which one I’d rather own but this Laverda would do very nicely, although it’s twice as expensive but arguably more exotic. Have any of you owned one?
I remember seeing these back in the 60s and I couldn’t help but wonder back then if Laverda copied Honda’s 250/305 or vice versa. From what I’ve been told Laverda was actually the first, with its (smaller version) coming out around 1954. But put them side by side and you could swear that one stole from the other. I’ve never seen one of these up close and personal. I sure wouldn’t turn one down (I wouldn’t turn down a Hawk/Super Hawk either). It would be interesting to ride one and find out if they were like a large Honda. But where would you find parts?
First glance, I thought the speedo and tach were Honda gauges.
Like everything these days, Geomechs, it’s folks like yourself, HowardA, Scotty G and B McCloskey that are the expert connections to the past in these forums. You talk about such and such at so and so in some long forgotten dealership/sales/repair shop and it takes off from there with interested (and interesting) people responding with “Oh yeah! My second cousins upstairs neighbors roommate had an ex whose sister-in-law was married to the parts managers brother at that place!” and the connection-or thread, in these-is tied and another forgotten source is uncovered. As a result people come out of the woodworks with NOS/OEM stuff, with the truly gifted ones Firing up the lathe/drill press/English wheel to make the parts, I.e. the cottage industries of Great Britain keeping the old British marques alive.
Thank you all for being part of what keeps cool old stuff like this alive, this breathtaking beauty as an example.
That’s a super nice comment, Nevadahalfrack! I agree about Geo, Howard, and the tons of other folks with a lifetime of vehicle experience here on Barn Finds. They’ve forgotten more than I’ll ever know, I learn something every time these folks comment on the posts. I hope we all learn something or at least have some fun here every day seeing the variety of cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc.
Hey, Geo! I’m guessing just the usual hours of internet searching for parts. I’m looking for a petcock for a 1971 Suzuki MT50 Trailhopper and there’s one in the US, for $250, otherwise, it’s ordering from Europe for a sort-of-similar one. I can’t imagine a bike like a Laverda but I bet there are forums and owner groups that know where the good stuff is hidden.
Hi Scotty. It’s amazing what you can find online these days. I’ve watched some restorations on YouTube and I am truly amazed at the parts they’re finding. Obviously anything is possible…
I’ve never owned one but the owners of the kawasaki dealership where I bought my gpz in 81 both loved Italian sport bikes…. one had a 350 moto Morini and the other had a 750 laverda and an 850 guzzi…I never rode either the laverda or guzzi but did get to ride the moto morini. It was down on power compared to my 550 but thats like comparing apples to oranges..v twin versus a dohc 4 with 200 more cc’s….I will say it was one of those bikes that always seemed like you could just tilt your head one way or the other and it would follow….my kawi was around 400lbs but felt like a tank when i got off the MM, complete different feel. Tires probly had something to do with it, he had the best Michelins at the time and I had the factory I think were Bridgestone’s. The owner of the laverda an guzzi mostly rode the guzzi…don’t know if that means anything or not, maybe just personal preference…
Laverda, just the name invokes visions of Italian supermodels, and probably just as temperamental. Didn’t see many in “Harleytown”, maybe a “Gooch” or 2, but you had to have a lot of nerve, showing up at a local watering hole, lined with Harley’s, on one of these. While correcting Geomechs is always “traveling on thin ice”, I read, Laverda copied Honda and presented a prototype at the London Earls Court Show, in Nov. 1966 for the 1967 model year, beginning with the 650, then this. Considered a “305” on steroids. I believe their claim was sand cast engine parts. One of the few bikes I have never ridden, it still used old technology, when everything was 4 cylinder coming from Japan, and could be ridden without any maintenance, not sure the same can be said here. Cool find, for sure.
https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-italian-motorcycles/laverda-750-sf/
Hi Howard. I can always stand to be corrected and oftentimes NEED to be corrected. It’s been a lot of years since I read anything on Laverda, and I could be dead wrong. The magazine the write up was in is long gone so I’ll never be able to completely back up what I said. I don’t know why 1954 sticks in my mind but it does. And so does the style of that engine. But your information checks out better so I’ll definitely amend mine. Have a great day. I’ll let myself out…
Now THAT is a motorcycle.
No ABS, no traction control, no fuel injection, no fairing, no heated hand grips, no disc brakes, no side stand…
Keep the bikes coming.
Wow! What a beautiful machine,this thing oozes cool. I’ve owned 5 or so 850 Eldorado’s reliable dependable machine’s. This bike looks better and has 10 more ponies than my 750 Bonnie. Italians know how to build beautiful machines. I would enjoy this.
My first big bike was one of these. Totally spoiled me for big twins as it was smooth, fast, and handled well; my mates were all into BSAs, Nortons, Triumphs etc and they just seemed so rough in comparison. I didn’t even have any electrical grief with it. Lovely bike. The lass that I sold it to (30-odd years ago) still has it.
I seem to remember an advert for this bike in a motorcycle magazine in the day … it showed the bike on a twisty back road … being closely followed by a Rolls … the advert said “for the luggage”
Never owned one … but, had my fair share of ‘Ducks
Well I had a nice Laverda story typed up, clicked post comment and BOOM! Please log in. Lost it all. That sucked!
I’m sure glad that I’m not alone. I’ve put together comments and pics, and had them vanish like a toot in the wind. Probably a server somewhere having an aversion to red-blooded enthusiasts who love unecologically approved conveyances. Maybe they’re from Berkeley…
This has been going on for so long. Thinking about dropping my membership. At least you could scroll to the next page without having to log back in. How is the ankle?
Please don’t drop your membership; that would put you in with the conformists. Ankle is doing good, thanks. Just got back from the doctor. She says I can put some weight on it. I confessed that I’ve been putting weight on it for a good week now. It’s still going to be a long time before I can kick-start a motorcycle. But at least I’ve got an ankle. I just lost a friend who had his leg amputated just below the knee (diabetes) a few years back. That really cramped his style…
I just got bumped again sending a responce to you. I really think I am done.
This is VERY strange. I typed a reply saying that getting kicked off while replying has never happened to me. I hit Post and got an error message and lost my reply!
Yes, very frustrating and it is errors like this that are the most frustrating to figure out.
That is at least 3 times that replying to this thread has caused the issue – so there’s some commonality. Doesn’t mean it is fixable, though.
Anyway, count me as another that hopes that you hang in there with us, Mike.
Thanks Dennis, by the time I got back to this post I had to log back in twice. I am not logged in now, going to give this a shot. Take care, Mike.
Looks like it worked!
Let’s see if this reply posts…..
Went through an Italian phase. Owned one of these, a ducati 750SS and 3 1/2 moto morini at the same time. This was a sheep in wolf’s clothes. It looks rough with the sand castings, it sounds rough and when you ride it is is so smooth. My Duc was much better on the track. On the street you could ride the SF for hours and not feel it. Was also much better assembled than the Duc, even the paint was perfect. As for maintenance, a ride around the block would have me adjusting and tightening the Duc. The SF, all I ever did was gas, oil, air, and wash. It never complained.
Look up videos for an SFC. Just as good and bad as the 750SS and sounds just that little bit better.
Have been out of it for a number of years. When I stop to chat with someone who owns one they feel parts are available.
If anyone is interested let me know. This bike is not too far from me and would be glad to go take a look at it for you.
I’m glad you called the MM by its proper name..3 1/2….I figured if I put that down no one would know what I was referring to. As far as quality control on the duc, my boss had an 860 at the time, went great, sounded great, but we got caught in a rainstorm on a longer ride and the fuses fell out of the cardboard fuse box when it disintegrated from the rain….
I almost wet myself laughing about the fuse box. What were they thinking?
I have never owned, or even ridden, a Laverda but I did own a 1981 Moto Guzzi California 2 back in the day and just looking at this Laverda I would take it over the @Guzzi just because the @Guzzi is a V Twin across the frame, and the left hand cylinder is set too far back for my 6ft 2″ and on a 300 mile ride my left knee was hammering into the cylinder head on every bump. Other than that it was a great bike.
I have never owned, or even ridden, a Laverda but I did own a 1981 Moto Guzzi California 2 back in the day and just looking at this Laverda I would take it over the @Guzzi just because the @Guzzi is a V Twin across the frame, and the left hand cylinder is set too far back for my 6ft 2″ and on a 300 mile ride my left knee was hammering into the cylinder head on every bump. Other than that it was a great bike. Sorry about the picture quality.
Great bike. But, as usual any prospective buyer should do their homework. The seller is making a lot of assumptions about the bike’s history. The rear light is an earlier American spec light, kinda odd to show up here, so more info would be nice. Given the low serial number, the tank and solo seat appear to be from a later SF. Those 2 items were a very common upgrade in the 70s. I watched the cold start video, and oddly no choke was used. I have a ’73 SF and never seen an idle that slow on a cold start w/o choke. But hey, all that’s nit picking. Whoever buys this will get a great bike. The seller is just getting a bit carried away with all those claims.
i am a big Evil Knievel fan i know he rode Triumphs before Harleys but Laverda ???
Auction update, this beauty sold for $11,859.99!