Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126610
'wou ld possibly be on it; but , those I were not stock. The seating posit ion is ra cing cro uch but not th e wadded up position of a road racer, however . Expansive is a fair description of so me o f the ergo n omic rela tion sh ips, Peg -to-seat distance is normal , but th e reach to the bars is longish , a nd larger th an average-sized hands are needed to feel at h ome with th e controls. Seat h eight is comparable to a ·Ia te model motocross bik e. Our tallest tester 'a t 6' I" c ould n ot to uc h th e ground flat-footed. On top of the orange ( Wh at's it lik e to ride? Different, if , you were weaned on J apanese bikes. Th e Laverda represents the cu tt ing edge of the ' street racer idea l. Raw power is expressed an d implied. Wh ile th e Laverda may onl y be as fas t a s other superbikes arou n d, it sim ply feels a n d sounds aw esome. It 's loud, more so to th e rider th an to th e o bserver, oddly en o ugh. It vibrates at low rpm and is literally shakin g at a nyw here close to redline. P ower del ivery at low rpm is so lid ' bu t not truly impressive, but let th e tach needl e climb and th e sen sa tions tend to ove rru n th e powers of description. At 100 mph th e ) ota is still pulling h ard. In the quarter mile, the . ' jota would probably give a very good accou nt of itsel f, even th ough the ' very delibera te shi fti n g th e rearset actu a ted transmission require s would cost it a few seco nds. . Steering is heavy but precise a t low speeds and good a r-all rspeeds we ra nged th ro ugh . You don' t force th e ) ota to do your will but work with it. H anging off the seat is unnecessary. f With its trem endous ground clear-~-ance, a rider just works at being x: smooth and leaning it over . At high speeds the Laverda is rock steady and doesn 't pull an y tr icks on th e rider. ro," A 'Iot of energy is req u ired to ride ( 'th e bike fast , and two testers reported that th eir arms cramped after hard -I ,Can yon sessions. They attributed this to the stretch required by the lever , . positioning, vibration, heavy steer-~t i ng and th e load on the wrists. The ~~great effort that the controls requires was al so a problem. Both th e clutch h a n d the brakes worked we ll, but they ~ required a great deal of lever pres, sure. The brakes did lose som e effec~tiveness in a downpour. The fairing 1, did nothing to pr otect th e rider 's O'( h ea d , yet too k away a n y supportive . wind ba st from the body. That cu t '; down o n buffeting in the body area but put a bu rde n o n th e forearms. So far , we h ave talked only about -I the jota in its d em ent, wh ich is anypl ace with corners. Unfor tu nately , stra igh t ro ads are required to reach -r- \ h e can yons . The )ota is n ot civil on l the freeways, n or is it co mforta ble. One tester who h as road race ex perience and rides with low bars was o n ly m ildly an noyed o n the freewa y, but our tall tester was mi serabl e. All testers th ou gh t the bike was fun a t medium fast speeds in curvy co u n . try, particularly if the pavem ent was good. At high speed , it became work. One tester was rid ing through Topanga Canyon at a comfortable speed and saw a BMW a head . H e commented, "I saw the Beemer a n d th ought, ' Wo w, that guy's really leaned o ver,' as I p ass ed him in a corner." Laverda 's )ota provides a unique feeling. The man who rides o ne would probably drive a 454 c.i. Corvet te. Other ca rs are faster, quieter, more com fortable and more economical, bu t none feel as fast or make you feel as fast . If yo u drive a psu edo sports car, this bike is not for you. If you are not a very co m petent rider, it's not for you . If you like the feel ing of ra w performance without the gilding, then , the jota is a motorcycle for you. • KAWASAKI 66FAST START·· DISCOUNTS ARE IN GEAR AND ROlliNG. Now is the time to get that new Kawasaki motorcycle you've always wanted, at a price that's right out of the past. Kawasaki has given its dealers b ig discounts on 14 selected new '79 through '81Kawasaki models and the dealers are ready to pass the savings on to you. Discounts vary up to $700 off. Save big on touring bikes, high-style CSRs, sporty middleweights, sharp -handling KDX Enduros and berm-busting KXMotocrossers. Get a fast start on the competition with your new Kawasaki and a money-saving "Fast Start"discount by seeing your Kawasaki dealer today. He's got the details. He's got the bikes. And he's got the savings. Offer valid February 1,1982 through June 30,1982 at participating dealers while supplies last. r Let the good times roll. ELIGIBLE MODELS: 1 KZ440 ITO. 1981 KZ440 Std., 1981KZ650 CSR, 1980 KZ1300. 19 KX125. 19 KX125. 981 80 81 1980 KX250. 1 KX250, 1 981 980 KDX250, 1979 KDX400. 1980 KDX4OD. 1981KDX420. 1980 KX420. 1981KX420. Avo ilobility may be limited . Kewesekt be lie ves in r iclinQsa fely. Me mber. AMA dod MSF. Offer valid a t participating dealers. while su p plies last. BAJA SUPER FOAM GRIPS: They're different because they're better. check our odvanroges: • super high-denslty foam grips externally sized for clutch and throttle-no annoying faf/skinny grip combos! • symmetrically shaped for super comfort to match your hand and eliminate glove bunching. • universal a&h1icotion for street and dirt bikes (ATC versions alSo availa e). • mode in USA. four super colors (red/yellaw/blue/black) , . 31