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/1513380
A n Italian motorcycle, built on a Japanese theme and acts like a British machine? That, according to CN staffer Lane Campbell, summed up the 1975 Laverda SF2, and while a dinner of fish 'n chips, sushi and a glass of Chianti might not excite your taste buds, the international flavor of the Laverda managed to leave tester Campbell fully sated. Laverda's company roots were in agricultural equipment in the late 1800s, and the first motor - cycle didn't make the scene until shortly after the end of World War II. Like the brothers' Ducati, Laverda's decision-makers likely saw the need for cheap trans - portation in war-ravaged Europe. Like Ducati's Cucciolo, Laverda's first motorcycle was a diminutive bike, a 75cc four-stroke machine. And, just like Ducati, Laverda could not resist the allure of the racetrack. By the mid-1950s, Laverdas were becoming the fa - vorites of club racers throughout much of Europe. Laverda made mostly small displacement machines for the first quarter century of its existence. In the 1960s, Fran - cesco Laverda (the grandson of the company's founder) decided to pursue the development of a larger displacement motorcycle that could possibly give the company a footprint in America. Bigger was better in the USA, and Francesco believed there was room for another player in the game being played by Harley- Davidson, Triumph, and BSA. The initial design was a 650cc parallel twin, which would later grow up to be a 750. The com - pany began importing into the U.S., where some of the ma- chines would be rebranded as "American Eagle.' It was such a machine that daredevil Evel Knievel rode it before making the leap to Harley-Davidson in the early 1970s. The 750 SF2 tested by Cycle News in our January 14, 1975, issue pumped out a friendly 65 horsepower. Anemic by today's standards, the big Italian could stand toe to toe with some of the competition. Its fighting weight of 486 pounds put it in the same class as Honda's CB750, which offered similar horsepower but CNIIARCHIVES P178 ITALY, JAPAN, GREAT BRITAIN ALL ROLLED INTO ONE BY KENT TAYLOR THE LAVERDA 750 SF2 The Laverda 750 SF2 took straight aim at the Honda CB750 in 1975, but it was hard to overlook the $1000 price difference.