Oberdan Bezzi returns with one of those ideas that two-wheeled lovers like so much. A virtual render named with the acronym LA-1 660 and covered under one of the reference Italian brands: Laverda. To tell the truth, this idea is not new in the repertoire of the versatile designer. Looking back we can see how in 2023 we were already aware of this approach with a couple of images with a side view of this striking concept virtual.
Laverda LA-1 660: seventies resistance genetics
In that first publication about what the aforementioned Laverda LA-1 660 should be like, Bezzi already proposed to us at the time a marked seventies image of an off-road endurance motorcycle powered by the Aprilia engine that is currently fitted to the Tuareg 660. At this point we must remember that both Aprilia and Laverda are within the industrial umbrella of the Piaggio Group. Both brands are owned by him, so the resurgence of Breganze’s brand would not be crazy in corporate terms.
In the past, as Insella’s colleagues detail, “Laverda off-road motorcycles were called LH, for Laverda-Husqvarna: Italian chassis and components, Swedish two-stroke engine, because in Breganze they did not have an engine really suitable for off-roading.” With Bezzi’s reinterpretation, everything would remain at home, as they say. He himself explained in that first publication:
“An all-terrain LAVERDA that clearly evokes the endurance motorcycles of the 70s. At that time, the LH (Laverda-Husqvarna) were two-stroke models of 125 and 250 cc, fast and light. Today, the LA-1 could incorporate the powerful APRILIA 660 cc twin-cylinder engine to create an evocative and fun motorcycle, with excellent off-road capabilities, but suitable for all types of uses.”
Concludes: “Despite its appearance, it would be a vehicle designed for those who want to enjoy driving without the need to always go at full speed. A high-quality motorcycle, with an attractive and unique aesthetic, but at the same time easy and manageable for everyone; an elegant alternative to the typical scramblers or duals that are on the market.”
The real possibilities of the long-awaited resurgence
One thing is what Bezzi, you or yours truly believe is possible if we talk about the resurgence of a company of the entity that Laverda once had inside and outside of Italy. The real viability of a project of such magnitude is another matter. In any case, in favor of what Obi proposes with this LA-1 660, the technical platform would be available for such a model with hardly any modifications in this section.
The Tuareg 660 uses a 659 cc DOHC parallel twin-cylinder engine with 8 valves, 80 HP at 9,000 rpm and 70 Nm at 6,500 rpm which inherits a good part of the electronics (APRC package) from the Aprilia RS 660. At the chassis level we find a multi-tubular steel frame with aluminum plates and multi-adjustable Kayaba suspension (43 mm inverted fork and rear monoshock, both with 24 cm of travel), tubeless spoked wheels (21-inch front and 18″ rear), conventional swingarm and declared 187 kg dry.
If we transfer part of these technical arguments to a possible LA-1 660, it is very likely that success among the most devoted to the brand would be assured. In any case, Bezzi has used imagination on an aesthetic level, making his own the seventies design language that is still so popular these days. In addition, it uses equipment elements that make the difference compared to Noale’s mount:
In this case, some modifications to the chassis stand out, the mounting of pure off-road tires or a braking system where on the front axle we find a single disc. Of course, powered by a forceful radial caliper signed by Brembo. The rest of the details, in terms of equipment and finishes, do the rest. And how could it be otherwise, orange is the color chosen to decorate a resurgence of this relevance for those lovers of “old-fashioned” off-road motorcycles.
