The Laverda RGS: Laverda's step to the future

And that such a step does not necessarily have to be a success? The 1000 cc Laverda RGS proves that. This descendant from the already legendary Laverda three-cylinder family was not a top seller. The RGS was too little Laverda for Laverdisti. For other motorcyclists he stayed too much Laverda and too Italian. The copies that were used occasionally used remained for a long time and left for little. In Westervoort, a very fresh copy was priced at six thousand guilders, to three thousand euros.

Laverda became famous for the on the Honda CB 72 / 77 inspired 750 cc twins. The three-cylinder were the next step on the road to success. Those Laverdas were born because the American Berliner Brothers, importers of European motorcycles, told Laverda that the American market was crying out for a Honda CB72-77 'XXXL'. The rest is history. But the "American" market demanded even more and bigger.

The Laverda three-cylinder

De Laverda three-cylinder inherited the somewhat rude genes from the twins. A Laverda triple is - can you say something like that? - a man's motorcycle. It has to be worked to drive it. It also steered slower and heavier than its Japanese counterparts. Strange for an Italian bicycle, right? But the Laverda did go through long, fast turns as if it were on rails. In heavy traffic and at low speed, such a Laverda three-cylinder and certainly an RGS feels a bit long and top heavy. But it is a bike as it should be according to Massimo Laverda. There was nothing to argue with that. And that it was slower and more expensive than the Japanese competition? According to Laverda, there was no Japanese competition. The piece of refinement that the RGS offered over previous Laverda triples was due to the mass of the moving parts being addressed. The connecting rods were lighter, as were the pistons, which were forged instead of cast. Those pistons also required less piston clearance to make the block more efficient.

The shop daughter was sold

The RGS from Westervoort was eventually sold and the buyer 'converted it' to standard three-cylinder looks. Problem solved! In the meantime, RGS Laverda's are scarce (there are only about 2500 made of them) and are reasonably searched. Mainly because of their rarity. Because the RGS owners we know? They all have some reservations about their possession.

In Auto Motor Klassiek we have done pioneering work more often. Partly by Auto Motor Klassiek dare owners M / V of Citroen BXsen and Russian sidecar combinations are now just talking about their passion. But we have to admit: It is considerably easier to get passionate about a Laverda three-cylinder RGS.

The Laverda RGS - RGS stands for 'RG Studio - was intended as a heavy, fast touring machine. A typical Italian thing was that the motorcycle was equipped with a seat that explicitly gave the rider and his possible passenger M / V a wooden butt. But such a long-stretched three-cylinder had more unique niceties plus some quirks. You can read more about this in AMK. The whole ensures that the RGS owners we know actually all have some reservations about their property. This also applies to the proud owner of our fashion model. The RGS in Auto Motor Klassiek also has an emotionally charged prehistory. Fortunately he ended up with true Italo fan Henk Jan Flierman, who cherishes even more beautiful things from 'de Laars' and realizes with full conviction that 'Character' is very different from 'Perfection'.

But you may think after reading the story Auto Motor Klassiek : “An RGS? That must be what my ideal motorcycle is. Finally, we mention the prices online here: a good complete RGS is currently worth around € 6.500. On an Italian site we saw a ZGAN copy for which a proud € 15.000 was requested.