LAVERDA SF2 CUSTOM

TEN years ago this SF2 was in sad shape.
Its brake calipers were seized to rusty rotors. Its frame had been hammered open to fit a tractor battery. And a hole it one piston had relegated it to a basement for who knows how long before it was dragged out to a swap meet in Ohio.

Peter Boggia of Moto Borgotaro saw promise in the pile of parts. He bought it and hauled the project home, where it incubated as
an idea for a long before he touched it again. And then slowly, over the course of the last three years, the SF2 was brought back to its former glory, and then some.

The engine was torn down to the block and rebuilt with the guts of its high-performance older sibling in the Laverda lineup: The SFC—Super Freni for ‘super braking’ and Competizione, for its racetrack DNA.

A lightened and balanced SFC crank and performance pistons and cams replaced the originals, and Carillo connecting rods complete the package. The cylinder heads were modified to accommodate a 38-millimeter Dell’Orto carburetor—throatier than even what the SFC came equipped with. Everything other major engine component was replaced as well: timing chain, clutch, cables—as well as every last nut and bolt.

The bike’s battered frame tubes were brazed and reformed. The brake rotors were milled and drilled, and the brake calipers and master cylinder were rebuilt and plumbed with new stainless steel lines.

A custom goat leather seat suggests a hint of luxury, and re-laced wheels with heavy-duty Borrani-replica rims and stainless steel spokes offer rock-solid confidence in corners.

The stock airbox was replaced with velocity stacks and the original SF side panels were modified to mimic the lines of the frame, while consciously keeping the original aesthetic intact.

The original dash and flimsy switchgear were eliminated in favor of a more minimal cockpit design built around an offset Italian Veglia tachometer, which appears to float in front of the headlight from the rider’s perspective.

“This is a clean, minimal version of an SF2. You have to look closely to see that its been modified, but the lines and the overall appearance evoke the same core look and feel of the original.”

Controls have been boiled down to a new-old-stock vintage C.E.V. headlight switch on the left, and a small stainless steel starter button built directly into the handlebar the right, with all wires cleanly hidden from view. Two solitary LED’s built into the headlight shell serve as neutral and oil-pressure indicators, and the whole simple system is tied together by a custom wiring harness. And there is no key, instead a wireless RFID-enabled key fob passed in front of a sensor hidden on the bike toggles ignition on and off.

A custom two-into-one exhaust helps this hyper aspirated hotrod breath long and strong, and an intentionally muted matte black paint job both highlights the richly colorful enamel Laverda badge, and reinforces the bike’s muscular natural lines.

And it’s fast. Faster than any other Laverda 750 to ever come through Moto Borgotaro. And for the lucky customer who commissioned the build, worth every minute of the two-year wait.