Norton Ala'Verda
(Page 2 of 2)
November/December 2008
By Richard Backus
Delfour lugged the trellis-framed Laverda to his shop and proceeded to measure it for a Norton engine. “My main concern when I started on the project was to destroy nothing of the characteristics of the frame and the chassis, and to try and adapt, so I spent a lot of time designing the engine plates,” Delfour says. “I kept all dimensional aspects of the frame, because I thought I’m not clever enough to design it all over again, so I kept the original rake and trail, and the front end is as it came from the factory.” He even used the factory pickup point for the swingarm, although accommodating the swingarm was one of the harder parts of the build. “One of the problems in fitting an old engine in a modern frame is that swinging arms in modern frames are quite wide, and the transmission in an old engine is quite narrow, so we had to really push the engine to the left to get it to align, and it’s a very, very close fit.” A look at the left exhaust inspection cap shows how close: Delfour had to reshape the cast cap to clear the frame. It fits. Just.
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Settling on a late production Commando 850 engine, Delfour gave it a lightened and balanced crank (four pounds less than stock), forged aluminum JE pistons and a Megacycle camshaft. In addition to ignition updates and a free-flowing exhaust, these modifications give 72 very reliable horsepower. Puny by modern standards, but more than ample for the quick sprints Delfour was looking forward to at the Circuit Paul Armagnac on track days.
Delfour had barely completed the Ala’Verda when a friend suggested he submit the bike to appear at Legend of the Motorcycle 2008. “A collector friend said, ‘you know, this bike must be at LOM.’ I didn’t know what it was, but they were interested, so I thought, why not?” Delfour recalls. And what a hit it was. Combining new and old school elements with a craftsmen’s attention to detail, Delfour has created a singular interpretation of what a Norton — or Laverda — can be. MC
Post script: Delfour’s Norton/Laverda hybrid garnered so much attention at LOM he decided to leave it in the U.S. — classic bike broker Glenn Bator (www.batorinternational.com) currently has it listed for $65,000.
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