A Tasty Bit of Orange: 1999 Laverda 750S Formula

Note: This is a guest post from one of regular readers and spotters, Marty. Enjoy! -dc

The final generation Laverdas, especially the 750 formulas, don’t seem to become available in the USA very often. Laverda discontinued operations in 2000 due to financial difficulties and Aprilia/Piaggo decided to shut down the brand. These bikes were true Italians (no Japanese engines for them!) Personally I am a bit biased towards these bikes even though they had a somewhat iffy reputation for reliability when they were for sale, mostly due to early generation crank issues and some weak battery cables. Top notch components (Brembo’s, Marchasini’s and Termignoni’s all standard), a Nico Baker designed frame and a cool black and orange color scheme were all wrapped together to produce bikes that challenged the Ducatis of the era for both performance and sexiness.

From the seller:

Like rare bikes? They’re even better when they handle like this one:

1999 Laverda Formula 750S. The last, and most desirable version of the Laverda sportbikes. This example has just 8,057 km (5,006 miles). Speedo has both km and mi and these were official imports (no problems with title issues).

The Formula was a limited edition model of the 750S, and came stock with adjustable billet rearsets, lighter Marchesini wheels, upgraded cams, exhaust with CF cans, CF fender, Brembo Gold Line calipers and full floating rotors, and nifty fully adjustable Paioli suspenson front and rear. Of course, it maintained the jewel-like aluminum frame.

The bike handles beautifully. I can only imagine how a new set of sticky Supercorsas would enhance the package. This bike has open Termignoni cans and fueling is absolutely spot-on. I love my Ducati’s, but they definitely aren’t as clean at low revs as this Laverda. The bike puts out 92hp in stock trim, not sure how much the open Termi’s add. The original stock CF exhaust is safely in a box and is included with the sale. Owner’s manual and original tool kit are included as well.

These bikes sit (too) close to vertical on their side stands, and this one did tip over in the showroom. There are a couple minor marks (pictured). The close ups with flash exaggerate them. I have not tried having them buffed out and the full left side shots are much more representative of the bike’s excellent condition. Other than that, the bike looks as stunning as it rides and it gets as much attention at the Sunday morning breakfast stop as my 996R or NSR250.

This particular example is a 1999 750 formula, which has the final generation water cooled engine. It’s being offered on eBay and unlike some of the other discontinued Italians such as Cagiva or Mondial, parts are still available and there is a strong community of owners willing to share information via the yahoo zanelist group.

-Marty