Deep in the British countryside lies a very small rural town which is famous for growing hops, apples and pears. It also had an influence on one of the most iconic Italian bikes of the late 1970s. The Laverda Jota 180.
In 1976, Slater Bros was a small importing company based just outside the picturesque Herefordshire town of Bromyard. With rolling hills, timber-framed Elizabethan houses and peaceful country lanes it would be the last place you would expect to have any influence on a bike manufacturer from central Europe.
Laverda had its roots in Italian agriculture, producing harvesting machinery engines since 1873 the company had done well until a couple of world wars dented the economy so badly that there was fear the family business would disappear.
Francesco Laverda, grandson of the company’s founder had a passion for bikes and set about designing and developing a 75cc racer. The model’s first venture on the track in 1951 secured 4th, 5th, 6th and 10th positions – the following year the first five bikes over the line in the Milan-Taranto 1410km endurance race were Laverdas.
Much success followed with the company’s decision to concentrate on the larger parallel twin market, meeting the British and Japanese head on at their own game with a 650cc machine released at Earls Court in 1966.
The Laverda heritage in agricultural machinery was taken through into the bikes with the engines being over-engineered for their purpose.
Despite this adding to the bike’s weight it did allow the machines to cope with plenty of performance tuning and further development into a 750.
Laverda didn’t want to scrimp on quality either and set about using the best components available such as Bosch electrics, Ceriani suspension, Mondial pistons and Smiths clocks.
The company was an early adopter of the twin front disc brake set up which added to the bike’s already unique appeal.
All this made it a bit pricey, but punters just loved the result and were happy to part with large sums of cash for a quality machine.
1968 saw the pioneering company throw down the gauntlet to produce a gutsy 981cc triple. Essentially it shared a lot with the twin, but with an extra cylinder to pump up the volume.
The 3C was a nice enough motorbike but something was missing – this is where the Slater connection comes in.
In 1976 the British importers recognised the bike’s untapped potential; its conservative design and under-stressed mechanicals were punching way below their weight.
The guys set about fitting high lift camshafts, high compression pistons, reworked exhausts, rear-set footpegs and dropped bars, plus a whole load of other ex-works racing goodies, to produce a very torquey 1000cc machine that would easily top 140mph and not waste any time getting there. This game-changer became the world’s fastest bike.
Recognised from a distance the thump- thump-thump-gap 180 degree timing gave the bike character as well as style; its distinctive pattern giving rise to its name, Jota, a dance in triple time.
The bike was a stroke of genius and Jotas were soon found everywhere in the Avon Production Racing series.
The Jota swept the floor with outright wins in 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1980. However the bike was not perfect by any stretch; the alternator could barely keep pace with the demand on the battery if riding at night and that distinctive missing-pot firing order would have your fillings falling out if you held 6000 rpm for any length of time.
Also with any huge engine in the late 70s there was a need for a beefy clutch, and the Jota certainly tested the stamina in your left hand on the track or winding roads where gear changes turned up every few seconds. But in performance and handling terms, the bike was considered the Lamborghini of the motorcycle world.
But Japan was in fighting form and new faster releases came through thick and fast from the big far east. By comparison Laverda was a tiny underfunded company and fame was short-lived – even with the new smoother 120 degree crank version of the bike they were loosing ground.
A V6 race bike was pushed through quickly, designed to take the world by storm, but limited cash saw the company on rocky ground very quickly and Laverda’s fortunes took an unhealthy nose-dive.
Sadly, various attempts to revive the company have been and gone and currently Laverda exists only as a sleeping brand for sale.
Andy Warhol once commented that everyone deserves 15 minutes of fame – what could be more appropriate for the Slater Brothers’ formidable Laverda Jota.
CW