Laverda 1000 3C Triple
(Page 3 of 4)
July/August 2007
By Robert Smith
But instead, Scott responded to an inquiry from Californian Nils Behnke, who was looking for a restored 3C. It wasn’t until Scott started on the project, though, that he realized how much this Laverda had deteriorated over the years. “It was real rough,” Scott says. “The crank was junk, the gearbox components were rusted up. I put in all new bearings. Every wearing part has been replaced.”
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Scott did all of the mechanical and cosmetic restoration — even down to rebuilding the instruments, cadmium plating, polishing and frame paint — in his own workshop. Scott also re-laced the alloy rims with stainless spokes and custom-built the new stainless brake hoses. The only work farmed out was the chrome plating and the side panel/gas tank painting.
“The paint color is the only known example of the light metallic green offered only on the early triples,” Scott says. “I found the color in an Italian magazine advertisement for the same machine.”
Scott forwarded the image to Nils, and his painter, Underground Colors in San Francisco, was able to identify the shade using a period color guide. The result is a distinctive and evocative period look with a lustrous finish.
The engine has received sensible upgrades from stock specification with a big-valve cylinder head and modified valve timing. A modern Witt-DMC electronic ignition unit replaces the somewhat rudimentary Bosch item, and the charging system is also modernized and uprated.
Scott was able to source most of the parts he needed, including the performance exhaust system and Tarozzi rearset foot controls, from Wolfgang Haerter’s Columbia Car and Cycle (www.angelfire.com/biz/clcrcy).
The finished bike is a beautiful example of one of the era’s landmark motorcycles, blending the newest in then-available technology with lusty power and solid handling — and Italian design flair. It is with good reason Laverda is often called “the Lamborghini of motorcycles.” MC
Owner's view
1974 Laverda 1000 3C
Owner: Nils Behnke
Hometown: Bay area, California
Occupation: Management consultant
Etc.: For Nils, who also owns a Moto Guzzi V11 Sport, finding the 3C was the realization of a dream. “I’ve always wanted a Laverda,” he says. “Something more classic than my Guzzi, and rideability was important.”