Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

dimension to a bike that wa s alread y one of the best-handling packages you could bu y for the stree t from an y manufac tu r er ~ it just needed th e eng ine it deserved, and now it's got it. The Pa io li s u sp e n sio n package en ha nc es the bike' s ap p eal : Whether due to Laverda 's link with Kayaba or thanks to the company' s own efforts, the Italian shoc k manufacturer ha s made big strides in quality arid suspension response in the past year. After being impressed with the Paioli package on the new Bimota 500 Vdue, here again, on a more budget-priced bike, 1 reckon they've come up with the goods - even if the 40mm upside-down forks and ris ing-rate rear end are only adjustable for preload and compression on the Laver da, not for rebo un d damping. But after my day on the .7505, I think they've got the balance jus t about right. Really, the only sligh t niggle 1 had on the bolt -on bils was that, on a bike like this , I rec ko n th e fron t b ra ke lev er should be adjustab le. Laverda agrees, an d Brembo now has the hu rry-u p to de live r that for Sep tember production, too. I also reckon it would have been a smart move to go for rather more radical, more dis tinctive styling on the 7505 - something that sets the bike apart from others in the Laverda catalogue and makes a statement about the company's new direction . Compare and contrast Oucati models before a n d after the 916 /Supermono, or Triumph models before and after the T595 Daytona /Trophy 1200. The 7505 looks too much like all the other Laverdas with a fairin g built in the p ast couple of yea rs. Even with the butch air inta kes beneath the nose of the fai ring, I think it looks a bit too restrained, anonymous even, in a marketplace that's getting crowded out with tw in- cyli n d er sportbikes with e vermore-distinctive styling. But one thing that is noticeable is the quality of manufacture o f th e whole bike. It's w ell-put-together, and the d epth of the metallic black pa int (th e only color you ca n buy the 7505 in for the time being) is really excellent. Francesco Tognon wasn 't sa tis fie d with the quality of finish he was getting from outsid e so urces, so he did a John Bloor and bought his own fully computerized, automated paint sh op . This is a man who - like h is British Triumph coun terpart - ha s invested tens of millions of dollars into picking one of Europ ea n motorcycli ng 's most hi storic na mes up off the floor and turning it into a profitable operation by way of a fana tical emphasis on product quality, coup led with a modular design stra tegy that is now set to start paying off. The 7505 is a significant bike, the first piece in the Laverda jigsaw for the next millennium : By the yea r zooo, it' ll have bee n fo llow e d no t only by the 750SF/ SFC tWin-eylinder varian ts, but a lso by the th ree-cyli n de r fa mily of bikes headed by the jota 900 superb ike, on w hich w ork is now we ll underway. The first dyno run for the complete fuelinjected triple is slated for September of this year . Based on the evidence of my rid e on the 7505, there's no other conclusion to be drawn: Laverda has turned a comer wi th this new engine, and Tognon's company is now a serious player on the world stage. You might say that Laverda is now in exactly the same position that Triumph was in five yea rs ago: Look at them today, and draw your own conclusions as to w here Laverda is headed! l.JI 1) T EAM H O N DA OFF-ROAD TAKES 1ST A D 2 N D OVERALL IN BAJA 500 ON PIRELLI! 2) SHAUN KALOS & TEAM HUS BERG . W NTHEIRSECONDAMAWEST RNMX 4-STROKE NATIONAL ON PIRELLI! 3) PIRELL LEADS EVERY CLASS IN'97 ORtD~ C AMPIOtiilSHIP\SERIES! Pirelli riders hold commanding championship leads after 8 of 12 rounds in 125cc. 9 of 15 rounds in 250cc and 6 of 12 rounds in 500cc_ L Pirelli Motorcycle lire Division 410 Eagleview Blvd., Suite 106, Exton, PA 19341 Pho ne: (610) 458-9662 I Fax: (610 ) 458-9663 When you chooseSBS STREETexcel sinter compounds, you choose tne beSt In sinter replacement oaosfor your hIghDerformancestreet aooucanons, 0,70 ~ 0,65 we Offernlgn tr1Ct10n (HSI fronts ana lower tr1ctlon ILSI rears to provide you wlttl me ultimateIn stoppIng power no matter wnat mecooomons. WtIenyou're reJayto replace yourworn, slntere

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