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/127824
No chance to check out the efficiency of the 668' s nose job, even on a short winter day when I came to the new Laverda factory at Zane in the foothills of the Dolomite mountains to sample the 668, which with the exact same mechanical package feels nearly identical to ride. Sharing the same airbox cover and an 'unchanged seat height thanks to the fuel tank beneath it, the 668 has an identical riding position to the older bike. Sporting the gray and silver colors in which the model will be sold this winter as part of a short-run limited edition redl silver and yellow I silver are the base colors production has begun with the deep luster of the 668's paintwork is testament to another big investment that Tognon has recently made. Ju t like John Bloor at Triumph, he was dissatisfied with the quality of his out-of-house paint suppliers, so he's bought his own paint shop in nearby Verona, complete with computerized closed-loop production line, and is making the new injection-molded bodywork pre-impregnated with the chemical solution needed to optimize color values and prevent fading. Facelifting implies that beneath the 668's new styling is the same old air I oilcooled DOHC eight-valve parallel-twin slotted into a black-anodized alloy deltabox frame as before. And yes, that's how it is, but only up to a point. The 668cc engine~s basic 78.5 x 69mm specification is identical to the 650 (and the Ghost), but within a mile of riding away from the Laverda factory on my day trip into the frozen Dolomites, I knew something different had been done to the bike - and thanks to heavy traffic, it was obvious without even getting out of third gear. Unlike the Ghost nudiebike I rode on my last visit to Zane, the 668 was quite happy to cruise along in a line of cars with the engine turning over at just 2,500-3,000 rpm, without snatching the transmission or hiccuping like the Ghost did at the same low engine speeds - yet when you saw a gap in the traffic and needed to accelerate into it, the 668'5 Weber/Marelli fuel injection package responded instantly. There's noticeably smoother low-rpm running and better pickup than before but still the same kick in the power delivery at 5,000 rpm as on the 650, when engine acceleration increases dramatically en route to the 8,000 rpm power peak. This made the 668 a much easier and more enjoyable ride, as well as more practical in everyday conditions than . any of the Laverdas I've ridden before. If until now the 650 has been a four-stroke you have to ride like a two-stroke, then the 668 feels like it has a power-valve fitted. I asked Valenti back at the base that evening why this was so. Turns out that after complaints a.bout the Ghost's engine behavior in boulevard mode at low engine speeds, Laverda had a rethink and decided to fit a new, slightly milder camshaft design they'd developed for the naked cruiser - but across the entire range, coupled with a remapped EPROM chip for the EFI's engine management system which alters the ignition curve and fuel map. Homologation costs rule out a different engine specification for each model, but the improvement in ridability which the new, rounderprofile cams yield benefits Laverda's 668/650/Formula sportbike range just as much as the Ghost, at the expense of a four-horsepower reduction in outright power at the top end - peak power is now 66 bhp at 8,000 rpm at the rear wheel, though max torque is unchanged at 44.3 foot-pounds at 7,000 rpm. But the improved pickup low down means that acceleration is actually improved, making the 668 even more of a zapbike than before. 0 other fourstroke twin has such an appetite for revs, which you feed with plentiful use of the six-speed gearbox's well-chosen ratios, spoiled only by a stiff gear change and the very heavy clutch, worthy of a mid-'80s Ducati V-twin. Laverda is aware of the problem, says Valenti, who's working on a revised clutch and smoother-shifting four-dog gear cluster (instead of six-dog as at present) which it plans to introduce on the new liquidcooled engine being developed for '97. Within the limits of the freezing conditions and roads dirty with dried salt, it was fun to make friends again with the race-level handling of Laverda's Bakkerderived chassis. Especially noticeable is the excellent stability around fast, sweeping turns in spite of the short 54.1-inch wheelbase, the pinpoint steering on tight, twisty mountain roads and, above all, the outstanding braking from the big 320mm Brembo steel (not cast iron) discs and their new-type four-pot calipers. Though only fixed rather than high- problem. The Italian company has vastly improved the technology and caliber of its products in recent years - largely with the help of its new Japanese partner Kayaba, says Tognon - and can now compete effectively with any of its rivals who are better-known through competition involvement. Laverda plans to continue marketing the 650 and 668 in tandem for the time being, so anyone who just bought one of the earlier models doesn't need to worry - it's not obsolete overnight, plus.they saved a useful bit of cash. The 668 retails in Italy for $12,810 against the 650's $11,977, and $13,445 for the higher-spec Formula (which is only available with the older bodywork), all including the 19-percent tax. Compared to what Cher pays e\ery couple of years for her latest update in designer facelifts, the 668's n w look.is cheap at the price, especially as it'll get you to Memphis much quicker than if you just walk there. Nice nose job, too!fN er-spec floating stoppers like on the uprated Formula 650, these have noticeably better bite from high speed - without sacrificing response at light lever pressures - than on many other bikes I've ridden lately fitted with the same steel Brembos. At last I know why. Nothing to do with the master cylinder (16mm on the Laverda) or brake pads (still the same street quality for longer life as ~veryone else), but instead it's all in the brake lines, which are costlier braided steel, giving much better response without the f1exi-hose expanding slightly under pressure. I'm impressed. Also impressive was the WP suspension package fitted to the 668 I rode, with the Dutch company's excellent 41mm upside-down forks and rear shock (both multi-adjustable) with very progressive rising-rate rear linkage combining to eat up bumps and deliver impressive ride quality over frost-ravaged broken'road surfaces. But only the first batch of 668 production is being fitted with the Dutch forks and shock, for after using up existing stocks, Laverda plans to switch to Paioli components, on the grounds they're (a) Italian, (b) less costly and (c) deliver at least the same caliber of suspension response as the WPs. Having ridden the prototype Ghost fitted with the Paioli fork and shock, I have to say the use of these won't be a Laverda 668 SpeclIicaIiotIS EngIne Air/oil-<:ooled paralIellwin with four valves per cylinder ............ ..........78.5x69mm DI_II'. 668cc CI 000Iput« " 11) . .66 hp 0 8.000 rpm 9.0:1 rlllla 1Io • .......... Weber-Marelli electronic fuel injection ....Itioa Weber-Marelli electronic C Caa T 1on Clutch Six-speed Muttiplate wet Bleck-anodized twin-spar aluminum e. St.p.n.... Front WP fully adjustable inverted 41 mm telescopic fork Rear Aluminum swingarm with rising rate linkage and single WP fully ........... adjustable shock 54.1 inches B...... Front _.....Dual 320mm Brembo steel discs with four-piston Brembo calipers Single 245mm Brembo steel disc with two-piston Brembo caliper Rear Wheelelti.... Front _. _ 120/60ZR 17 Pirelli Dragon Reer W";ght on 3.5-inch Marchesini wheel 160/60ZR 17 Pirelli Dragon on 5.00-inch Marchesini wheel .436 pounds 23