Laverda Museum - Interview with Piero Laverda

At the opening of Museo Moto Laverda in Breganze, Italy, this July, one of the special guests was Piero Laverda; a son of the motorcycle company’s founder Francesco and former manager of Laverda’s renowned endurance racing team.

Alongside his brother Massimo (d.2005), Piero had been in charge of Laverda from the late 1960s, the pair acting as joint managing directors before the Laverda family exited their eponymous company in 1986.

While Piero was in charge of Laverda’s racing team between 1969 and 1978, Massimo was the creative engineer that created a 650 twin that would grow into the 750 that, in S, GT, SF and SFC form, came to define the brand for many.

How do you feel about the Laverda Museum in Breganze?

It's the realisation of a dream that shows the great work done by my family from 1949 to 1987. Together with my son Giovanni, we helped Werner (Ricciolini, the museum’s creator) with the historical research, photos and material from our own archive, as well as the Laverda 75cc Giro d'Italia from 1955/56 and the 1000 V6 from 1977/78 that’s in the museum.

It was a great thrill to see our best endurance racers - Brettoni, Gallina and Dossena - again at the opening party.

Do you still race on the track with the 1000 V6?

I run the 'ASI-LAVERDA Corse' team, where we take the 500 Endurance Barcelona, 750 SFC and 1000 V6 to the track. Since the Bol D'Or in 1978, we have covered about 25,000km on the road to test this bike. In historic events, I probably have ridden another 5,000km, but the only work done over the years is normal maintenance.

What was your job after you left the company in 1986?

From 1987, I set up and managed a factory in the field of refractory materials in Italy, a job I carried on until my retirement.

For the full story on the Laverda Museum, click HERE.

Words and Photos: Klaus Nennewitz