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/1522278
M otorcycles in the 21st century are truly global ma- chines. Harley-Davidsons have been made in India, certain Ducati models are manufactured in Thailand, and nearly every major motorcycle company has some connection to China. Parts and pieces come from worldwide, making our motorcycles splendidly blended rolling metal melting pots. It hasn't always been this way, however. As an example, we spin Mr. Peabody's way-back machine to 1976, when Cycle News assembled a cast of motorcycles that were as Italian as Sophia Loren swimming in a barrel of Sangiovese and then spent an afternoon riding them on the majestically twisting roads that carved through the mountain range in Southern California. It was not a test, CN said, and there was very little data or scientific comparison between the machines. Rather, it was an opportunity to get some saddle time on motorcycles that you wouldn't likely encounter at the local hamburger joint. It was an elite collection of two-wheelers: an MV Agusta 750 America, a Ducati 750 Super Sport, a Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans, and a pair of Laverdas, a 1000cc model and the Jota 1000. The staffers reported it as a factory "breathed on" version of the 1000. A group of accomplished local road racers joined CN staffer Lane Campbell for an experience—a brilliantly clear, beautiful experi - ence in which five men with distinctly different personalities rotated between five motorcycles with equally distinct personalities. A motorcycle's dry weight was a key element of any magazine impression back in the '70s, and the "distinction" of being the portliest machine belonged to the MV, moving the needle well beyond 500 pounds, with the motorcycle's shaft drive being held accountable for all that extra weight. But on the road, the MV's porky poundage was nearly unno - ticeable, and the racers were im- pressed with its nimble handling. Power-wise, the staff was some- what hamstrung by an admonish- ment from the bike's owner to "not rev above 6500 rpm" as the 750 America was a low-mileage model still going through the break-in procedure. The available power was strong, with CN gush - ing about its "silky combination of powerband and free-revving capability that you read about but seldom experience. The intricacies of the MV's en - gine impressed the crew, but when it sent its work product out to the four-into-four exhausts, they were left quivering like school boys at the dance. Removing the standard black pipes and installing the open megaphone system (included with purchase!) produced a "clear, crisp crackling sound," which prompted one rider to opine that "the next best thing to riding the MV is rid - ing behind one." Unlike the MV Agusta, the Laverda Jota riders were given free rein to take the 1000cc triple to red- line—and beyond! Winding out the hot rod version prompted the staff to write that "the Jota is an hon - est 150 mph motorcycle…I mean, this sucker has legs!" The writer CNIIARCHIVES P126 rotated between five motorcycles of powerband and free-revving BY LARRY LAWRENCE THE BEST ITALIAN STREET BIKE In 1976, Cycle News "tested" five Italian motorcycles: an MV Agusta 750 America, a Ducati 750 Super Sport, a Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans, and a pair of Laverdas, a 1000cc model and the Jota 1000.