1984
Laverda RGS
- Price new - £2995
- Engine – 981cc triple
- Power – 83bhp
- Top Speed – 130mph
Laverda’s Jota, a 981cc triple that
sounded like thunder and went like nothing else
on the road at the time, has become a biking
icon.
Noise and emissions regulations meant the
Jota had to make way for a different sort of
bike. Launched in 1983, the RGS shared the same
basic engine, but rubber mounted in a sports
tourer package.
The last Jota came with half fairings but the
RGS had enveloping bodywork, made from Bayflex
plastic. It was claimed to be indestructible
– and it needed to be, considering the
cost of replacement.
Although the RGS was more sophisticated than
the old triple it struggled to sell. Trouble
was that an all-new breed of Japanese bikes,
headed by the Kawasaki GPZZ900R and Honda V-fours,
arrived at about the same time. In comparison,
the Italian alternative looked expensive. Slow
and outdated. The main problem was that customers
preferred the raucous Jota.
|
| |
