When Aprilia bought the Laverda marque a couple of years ago, enthusiasts anticipated further development, and manufacture, of the long-awaited triple. After all, the three-cylinder Jota is still fondly remembered for its fine performance and character.
With the recent announcement by Laverda of the SFC 1000 (see MD’s December 5, 2002 article), Laverda fans must have mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is wonderful to see a new model emerge so soon after the near death (and bankruptcy) of Laverda just two years ago. On the other hand, a V-twin is not likely the machine Laverda loyalists were looking for. Moreover, the V-twin is not Laverda’s own — it is a virtual transplant from the Aprilia Mille (with minor differences).
A recent interview of Aprilia’s Ivano Beggio makes it clear that a major investment is being made in Aprilia’s other recent acquisition, namely, Moto Guzzi. Respecting the traditional Moto Guzzi engine layout (a longitudinal, V-twin), Aprilia is injecting enough cash to refine the existing engines, and develop new ones of the same configuration. One can only hope that a new Laverda triple is on the way, as well.
