Post Listing Update: This Laverda did not get any interest at the opening ask of $15,900.
With just 210 examples built over three production batches between 1978 and 1980, the Formula 500 is one of Laverda’s rarest machines.
For more information on the Formula, check out this article on Motorcycle Classics. That story mentions that the Formula 500 was an evolution of the Zeta 500, a bike that did not sell well at all:
“Unfortunately for Laverda, the new 500 was a commercial failure, in large part because of its premium price. When the 500 finally hit the market in 1977, a Yamaha XS500 listed for $1,550, while the Zeta would set you back a whopping $2,995. And even at that price, company head Massimo Laverda was on record as saying the company lost money on every one they built.”
Laverda’s solution was to create to revamp the Zeta into a racer that was called the Formula 500, then create a spec-racing series dedicated to the model called the Laverda Cup. The motor produced approximately 50 horsepower, but the impressive figure was a wet weight of just 339 pounds.
This example is said to be 100% original and unrestored, and it’s one of the few bikes that was registered for the road. All Formulas were sold with street legal components (speedo, lights, mirrors, etc) separately so that bikes could be registered for the street, but few owners bothered with it. The seller claims that this bike competed in 3 races in 1979, but there’s no mention about the current state.
Find this Laverda for sale in Bassano del Grappa, Italy with an unmet opening bid of $15,900