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Alan Cathcart’s new book, Moto Laverda, traces how a modest family-owned workshop in northern Italy left a lasting mark on sport and endurance motorcycling. The British motojournalist combines archival research with first‑hand test rides to tell the marque’s story from its postwar beginnings to the mid-1980s.
A compact company, outsized legacy
The book follows Moto Laverda under the Laverda family’s stewardship from 1949 through the mid‑1980s. Cathcart maps key turning points, including the emergence of the first 750cc sportbike and the development of a full 1,000cc Hypersports machine.
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He also examines Laverda’s experiments in endurance racing, most notably the V6 prototype that appeared at the 1978 Bol d’Or 24‑Hour event. Those projects helped the brand punch above its weight in both technology and reputation.
Riding the machines
Cathcart did more than report: he test rode several of the marque’s most significant multicylinder models. His hands‑on assessments appear throughout the book, giving readers a rider’s perspective alongside historical context.
Among the machines he covers in detail are the rare 750 SFC — just 549 were built between 1971 and 1976 — and the 1975 3C three‑cylinder endurance racer. He also describes riding the 1978 Laverda V6 prototype and the 1984 RGS TT1 Triple.
Racing ties and museum material
Cathcart’s connection to Laverda extends into competition. He recalls his own victory in the 1984 Daytona Battle of the Twins aboard the Ogier Laverda 600TT2 and traces later chapters in the marque’s story.
The narrative includes the story of the Australian‑built 915 SFC Twin that won the Italian Post‑Classic Championship in 2002, and a detailed look at the Laverda Museum in Breganze, the company’s hometown.
Edition and format
Published by FBA Moto Italiane, Moto Laverda is a large‑format, hardback volume printed on glossy paper. The book runs to 176 pages and features 83 full‑page photographs, with text presented in both Italian and English.
Only 1,000 individually numbered copies will be printed. The publisher lists the price at €55 and offers copies through its website.
