Laverda Love Fest

La-ver-da. When I first saw a Laverda motorcycle in person, I was stunned by the size of the machine. I thought Italian bikes were meant to be small and delicate, but the Laverda is a man-size machine. Especially when it was in the confines of a small motorcycle shop in Philadelphia, The Sparts Parts Co.

Original shop owner Franz Nachod  has since moved on to other adventures, but the shop continues today with current owner Roland Sotello. My father was just beginning to make the move from his beloved BMW to the Italian marque Moto Guzzi and the Spare Parts Co. sold both brands. It was there I saw the then current models SF750 and the Jota. The big twins and triple cylinder bikes dwarfed the Moto Guzzi LeMans parked nearby. A few years later, I found myself buying a Guzzi 850 T-5 from the shop and made my entry into Italian bike ownership.

I never did get buy my own Laverda, but in 2008 something even better came along, the offer to race someone else's Laverda!  Local Mercedes Benz dealer Gerd Opderbeck was kind enough to offer me a chance to race his stunning Laverda SF750 at the AMA Vintage Days Celebration at Mid Ohio Sportscar Complex and Raceway in Lexington, Ohio that July.

The bike had been converted by Altenier to SFC- style bodywork but was largely stock other than that. We took the bike to a local race shop, RBO in Kinzers, PA which got the bike running, added new tires and safety wired it in preparation for the event. Once completed, we loaded up the equipment and headed west.


                                    

Imagine my surprise when we rolled up to the garage at Mid Ohio, where we were confirmed as the only Laverda race entry for the weekend only to hear, " Hey, there's a guy in the next garage with an orange Laverda too."  I poked my head around the corner to have a look. What I saw was none other than Mr. Piero Laverda and his son, Giovanni with two stunning factory Laverda race bikes. One was the "Barcelona bike", a twin cylinder 500cc endurance racer and the other was one of the most fantastic race bikes ever, the Laverda V-6. While I'd seen the bike in books and online, I never thought I'd get to see it in person. Wow!

 Apparently the Laverda owners group put together the funding to bring over the father and son with the race machines as Laverda was the featured marque for the AMA Vintage Days weekend.  Laverda was established in 1873 in Breganze, Italy and manufactured , among other things Combine Harvesters for Agriculture. Big Orange Tractors.

                                 


                                                 

In what seems now like a just matter of minutes, I'd unloaded my bike, checked in and fueled up. I was heading out on track following the Laverda V6. What followed was one of those moments for which we classic bike enthusiasts dream of. I passed Mr. Laverda and he passed back, we ran up through the gearbox, then downshifted and dropped into the next turn. All the while, the big six making an exquisite sound via its six-into one exhaust system. lap after lap I stayed behind now, absorbing the moment, knowing it would likely be only chance to ever see it this close in action.

                                                                          

click on the link below to see the Laverda V-6 in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKqEEIlhNzg

In the next practice session, the Laverda twin, the 500cc Barcelona was taken out and exercised as well. I followed along as well. Like father, like son, the Laverda family knows how to have fun. I found out quickly, though, that my SF750 was very much in need of an update to dual disc instead of the drum brakes that didn't offer power equivalent to the engines power.  Lots of  Go, but no Whoa!

                                        


When we returned to the pits, I saw a familiar face in their garage. It was former AMA Superbike and two-time World Superbike Champion, Doug Polen who was sharing garage space and running a race school. Doug would hang around for the weekend critiquing and assisting racers who needed insight. What a class act. This is why classic bike racing never fails to keep my interest. It's the people and the bikes; the sights, the sounds, the smells, that provide the sensory overload that results in memories that last a lifetime.

In the Formula 750 race, it was quickly red-flagged because of an accident. Lots of drama and then a clean  restart. I finished mid-pack, but most importantly,  I brought the bike back home intact, which is all I could hope for given the high level of competition in the class and the other excuses I'm still working on.

As we loaded the bikes in the trailer for the long drive home, I said "Ciao" to my new friends and thought back to those days when I first laid eyes on a Laverda at the shop in Philadelphia. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined someday I'd not only get to race one, but get see the mighty Laverda Six up close. Simply amazing.

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MV Agusta Adventure

A decade ago, I heard about an auction of old motorcycles in Lambertville, New Jersey a few days after the event happened from a friend who then mentioned that a few of the bikes didn't sell. I hurriedly contacted the owner to take a look at what he had left as I found myself momentarily flush after a successful business transaction. The owner had a magnificently eclectic collection of bikes that ranged from British Sunbeam to a Italian Bennelli 250cc four cylinder and oddities like a Spanish Ducati 450 dual purpose machine. One bike that caught my eye was a red 1972 MV Agusta 350cc "S" Electronica. This was a deluxe sporting roadster that featured a full fairing and solo seat direct from the factory in Italy. The 'Electronic' label referred not to electric start but electronic ignition instead of points.



This hot little sport model produced a claimed 32 horsepower at 7600 rpm via its twin cylinder four stroke engine resulting in lively performance. Quick, but not fast. While I cannot condone doing what I did to the MV, 'destroying' a complete, stock, usable, rare motorcycle,  I had bigger plans for the coming year.  We were going to go racing.

When I mentioned the project to my race buddy Chris Marshall, he was intrigued by the idea of putting an MV on the track to contest the dominant Ducati's in  AHRMA, WERA and USCRA 350 Grand Prix class.

So off came the road bits and on went the race bits. When we got a look at the cylinder head, Chris realized we weren't going to be making any radical changes. As things moved along , we paid a visit with local MV supremo Albert Bold who explained to Chris his preferred megaphone making techniques and a set was produced post haste.

Daytona was upon us before we knew it and with some hesitation we loaded the bike into the trailer with the other bikes we'd be running. Chris was  riding five or more bikes per day that race weekend. A fall two days prior on a Ducati 750 at Roebling Road in Georgia didn't slow him down at all as he was in superb form. Despite having an issue with the stock Dell 'Orto carburetors, Chris rode the MV while I raced my Honda 350 Four in the 350GP class.

Hampered with runnabilty problems we decided to purchase some Mikuni carbs soon. Before the day was out though, Chris was severely injured in the Formula 750 race in an incident that included Gary Nixon and Yvonne DuHamel in Turn one at the Speedway. There would be time for reflection as his hospital stay was lengthy before he headed north to home again.

I decided to race the bike while Chris recovered and had an number of second and third place finishes, all the while revelling in the sound of an MV singing for its supper. Life was good.  The sweet handling chassis was well suited to the bikes performance and it was a joy to ride. When Chris finally returned to fitness, he was back in the saddle and had a run of success for many races with the bike until one fateful weekend at Loudon, New Hampshire. Chris called to say he had been hit and the bike and he crashed, although thankfully with no real injury to him this time. The race fairing was scrapped and a stripped down MV finished out the season with Chris putting in an inspiring ride at VIR that year.

We campaigned the bike another season until I found the money to do a little restorative work. Now, with the MV looking handsome as ever, I was prepared to park it for display use when I heard that my racing hero, Giacomo Agostini would be coming to AMA Vintage Days at Mid Ohio Sports Car Complex in Ohio that summer. Having retired my Honda 350 Four and now competing on a 1949 Norton International that season, I entered the MV 350 for that weekends races as well as the Norton. It was going to be some weekend. Well, at least they were both right side 'reverse' pattern shifters.


When the big weekend arrived I cannot tell you how nervous I was when we spotted 'Ago' rolling in with Eraldo Ferracci to the event. My bike was featured in the MV Agusta Museum that was set up for that weekend in the infield. We seized the moment and accosted Ferracci and Ago and dragged them over to the bike. Peppering Ago with questions, he politely answered everything and was very gracious with his time. He asked about the MV and if I was racing it that weekend. I told him, yes, I would be running in the 350GP class and was indeed the only MV racing that weekend. As he leaned over the tank to add his autograph at my request, he said, " I watch you in the 350 race". Uhh, did Ago just say he'd be watching me in the race?

                                          

Ago was whisked away into the throng of people who would surround him all weekend long, a true superstar of Grand Prix racing, a 15-time World Champion. We moved the MV back to the pit garage and found the new clutch plates and a swtich to synthetic oil created a problem of major clutch slippage. Dave Roper loaned us a set of Aermacchi plates and a group of us went to work sorting out the bike. We made the race, but it was held in very damp conditions that reduced me to 'parading' pace. Not my finest moment on the MV, but it would be the last time I would ride it and it was put away in favor of the Norton and a Yamaha TZ350 I had been running as well.

                                      

                                      

I can still close my eyes, drift off and 'do laps' in my mind of the many tracks we rode together. I hope to return the bike to the track again someday. Someday, for sure.

From champions of yesteryear to todays champion roadracers. That's Italian Supersport champ and AMA Pro Roadracing Rookie of the Year (when he was riding for Ferracci MV Agusta team), Luca Scassa. Scassa will be racing a Yamaha R6 in World Supersport competition in 2011. Scassa won the opening round of the Suspersport Championship at Phillip Island, Australia March 2011.  Luca seemed amused at the quaint little MV when he tried it on during a weekend visit to my brothers house this past summer. He was resting before the World Superbike round at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah where he raced a Ducati Superbike and beat the Ducati factory team rider Nori Haga to the line. Good times.

As luck would have it, the bike turned out to be in demand and made a number of shows and motorcycle exhibits over the next few years as well as being photographed by Michael Furman, whose automotive books are works of art themselves. It also introduced me to a wonderful event called the Radnor Hunt Concours d' Elegance in Malvern, PA.

A chance encounter and spontaneous purchase of the MV Agusta 350 spawned such wonderful experiences. It's been very satisfying to meet so many good people who share a passion for Italian motorcycles and racing. Here's looking forward to the next adventure.

LaBelle Lyster Triumph Racer

I first saw this bike about eight years ago. It was consigned to the Chadds Ford Classic Motorcycle Auction by Ed LaBelle, former Canadian National Champion Roadracer and longtime motorcycle drag racer who had a shop on Felton Street in North Philadelphia for about half a century. Ed was in frail health and passed away about a year ago. He was quite a character and I was glad to have known him. The bike didn't sell, but I bought it about a year later when I put sold another bike to buy it.




Below is a picture of an Englishman on his nicely finished
"Kennedy - Lyster" kitted out with lights for the roads.




I was drawn to the raw, crash damaged patina that the bike wore. Ed built the bike with Colin Lyster, the Rhodesian native who found fame in Europe first as a racer, but then as an early adapter of disc brakes for motorcycles of his own design. Grand Prix mechanic Nobby Clark told me he knew Colin from when they both worked together in the off season (from racing) in the Copper mines of South Africa. Back in Europe, Nobby went on to working with Mike Hailwood, Gary Hocking, Giacomo Agostini and Kenny Roberts over the next twenty years. Colin Lyster went on to design frames for racing motorcycles. When he decided to try his luck in America, he and Ed LaBellle formed a venture through the Bike Shop stores in the Mid Atlantic region, according to a press release in a Cafe Racer magazine I have from 1973. No more than a handful of this type where built, this one wears  #3.





While Lyster put together the package of triple disc brakes and a lowboy style chassis, Ed supplied the 800cc Triumph twin that powered this woolly beast. Ed told me the bike was crashed at Laconia in one of its few race outings and it was shuffled to the back of his workshop and forgotten while he moved on to other projects.

Along with the complete bike, a rough Lyster frame was found in the old shed at Ed's place.

Very purposeful looking all alloy tanks looked fantastic. The Marquis de Sade ergonomics were about the worst I'd ever tried. The poor rider must have had a difficult time wrestling this vibrating monster with those narrow clip-ons too. I know I did the few times I rode it.

I really wanted to buys Ed's old Ducati 900SS but a change of heart saw

the Lyster come home with me instead.

After we got the bike running again, it was sold in a moment of what can only be called poor judgement on my part. I was buying Yamaha two-stroke racers at the time and a special one came along I just had to have. In a perfect world, I'd keep them all, but I've come to realize we are merely  minding the machines until the next owner comes along. It's best to pass them on to someone else who'll appreciate it in my opinion.  The LaBelle Lyster Triumph found a good home and remains in the area for now.

Here's a short clip of the Triumph Lyster running for the first time in 30 years.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G64lm9OOe3c

Below is a shot of Ed about to give the Vincent a run. He also did battle on the back streets of Philadelphia in the 1950's against Harley-Davidsons, BSA and Triumphs to see who had bragging rights. Oee of my friends, Harley tuner Charles Kawchak said that seeing this as a young boy changed his life. He was fishing with friends when he heard the roar of motorcycles revving their engines. They scampered to the top of the hill just in time to see Ed get beaten by a Harley-Davidson ridden by Tommy Hannum.  After he got out of the Navy, Charles Kowchak, now grown up and a skilled machinist,  went on to tune for racer Cook Neilson (Cycle magazine Editor and AMA Hall of Fame) and has built hundreds of fast Harley Panhead and Knucklehead engines. Looking down at the worn asphalt on those same streets where tires have been shredded for decades, you can't help but admire the men who earned their street smarts here.

                                                                                 

1956 Harley Davidson FL

Great Racing Nortons

You can almost smell the Castrol Oil  and hear the megaphones roar!  Let's check out some great production racing Norton motorcycles I've encountered in the past few years. Here's a few that fired my imagination. In this first group we see a 1962 500cc Manx with rider Dick Miles pushing off at Mid Ohio Vintage Days.

Below is a pre-war Inter with a rigid frame and girder forks. This particular bike has been raced on the Isle of Man in 1937 and was then raced in New Zealand for many years, winning a National Roadracing Championship.

Below is what may be the finest original long-stroke manx in existence, owned by racer Gary Maucher.

Daytona 2010. JL,  Peter Jacobs (ex-Cycle magazine), Dick Miles & ex- AMA Pro racer Gary Fisher, son of Ed Fisher.

Behind the scenes at shooting for the TV pilot for The Classic Motorcycle. We're about to take the Lex Dupont Manx out for some passes on the airport runway for the cameras.  

The man himself, legendary Grand Prix tuner Nobby Clark fettles " The Old Boy" at Roebling Road 2010. Rider Alex McLean swept all events entered on this Stu Rogers-built pre-war 500cc Norton Inter.

#22 Alex gets the holeshot and immediately pushes hard on the 'Old Boy', lapping the much newer 1948 Garden Gate International at Daytona 2010. 

After having problem getting the bike in gear on the start line at Mid Ohio Class C vintage race, I was on a charge to make up time, finishing in second place. I'm just passing #42  AMA Hall of Fame legend Ed Fisher (about age 80 at the time and still on the gas!) on his Triumph 500 racer. Ed's bike is very similiar to the one he won the 100 mile National at Laconia on in 1953.

This is an excellent video for those interested in the Garden Gate Norton Manx and

 early post-war racing on the Isle of Man.  One of many great motorcycling classic films from Duke Video.