There have been more and more Laverdas on the market as of late, and that is a good thing indeed for collectors. Today’s bike is not the more often seen Jota or RGS, but the rather special 1200 Mirage model. It looks to be a rider, and has 30k on the clocks.
So what exactly is a Mirage? Designed as a sort of “power cruiser” for the UK market, the specifications came from the British distributor and key importer, Slater Bros. Start by taking the standard 1200cc motor from the parts bin and give it a hotter cam. Stuff it back into a standard Laverda frame, but provide it with a Jota-specification exhaust, and a slightly different riding position with flatter handlebars. The Mirage is born.
From the seller:
As you will see from the photos, this is an extraordinary example of a rare high performance motorcycle from the great days of high performance Italian motorcycles. This motorcycle HAS NOT been restored.The owner before me had the paint very nicely professionally redone in the original color about five years ago.I had the pin striping done in traditional Jota fashion just over a year ago when I added the Jota fairing on the bike. Everything was recleared at that time. ( The original fairing and trim panels are are shown and included. I have always been partial to the one installed.) To my knowledge, the motorcycle has never been out of service in its over 30 year life. It has had several vey caring owners who used it and tended to it.I ride it frequently and it it lives covered with its stablemates at all other times. It functions perfectly in all ways without reservation. I would not hesitate to recommend riding it from Texas to where ever you live. Most of my bikes have spent a week in Cody, Wyoming for daily rides over Bear Tooth (13,000+ ft) to Red Lodge and back. This one made the trip last year along with my two other Laverdas (one other listed here). I recommend the ride on anything except a bicycle. You will not pass another of these on the street; Red Lodge or elsewhere. Tires are good. It lives on a battery tender.Laverda began producing these 1200cc 180 degree crank triples in 1978 following several years (73-77) of the 3Cs and Jotas. They were from a time when an unending war evolved to keep up with ever improving Japanese offerings. The Mirages were tuned “Specials” for the British market. The standard 1200s were Ts or TSs. It is a stunning, impressive and very satisfying ride. I expect that most serious bidders will know exactly what this is. If not, refer to “Laverda Twins and Triples Bible” by Ian Falloon.
All of my motorcycles are inspected, insured, registered and ridden. I strongly recommend that you do the same with yours. I have a couple that the sellers were distressed to discover that I would ride. Collect if you like. If you are going to ride it good for you. I have reached the point where I can no longer ride all of them enough to justify owning them. I have no financial, health or space issues. There are simply others that I desire to own and ride regularly. I hope that there is a knowledgable next owner out there for this Laverda…
The market for Laverdas – like most things Italian – is looking up. There were times when you could not give a triple away, but those times have changed. While still not as pricy as say a Guzzi V7 Sport, the unique and relatively rare Laverda brand is certainly coming into its own. The current bid on this Mirage is $7,100 with reserve still in place. Click the link for more info and pictures. Good Luck!
MI
