Cor Dees’ Laverda Museum
With Phil Aynsley
Cor Dees is a Dutchman with a serious Laverda addiction! He bought his first Laverda in 1988 and, as can be seen, added the odd one or two after that.
He constructed this purpose built building in Lisse which opened in 2006 and I photographed there in 2015.
Unfortunately, due to ill health, it had to be closed in 2017 and the collection has since been sold. Thus it was lucky that I was there to shoot these bikes well before then, and can now present this incredible collection here for your enjoyment.
Cor built up a close relationship with the Laverda family and was able, with the help of the late Massimo Laverda, to obtain the remaining spare parts and two incomplete V6 prototypes as well as vast quantities of period advertising material, film, documentation and other memorabilia. In all some 81 bikes, scooters and mopeds comprised the collection, covering the years from 1950 to 2000.
This is the 400kg marble sign that hung over the entrance to the Laverda factory from 1952 until the building was demolished in 2000.
The line up of race bikes includes the legendary 1000cc V6 (link), one of the three 1000cc space-frame triple endurance machines, the ’75 750 SFC that won the Belgian Championship and the company’s only GP bike – the ’87 125cc prototype (link).
One of the original drafting boards.
Laverda manufactured a wide range of agricultural equipment from their founding in 1873, such as this press.
While no longer in family hands, the Laverda company still makes tractors and other heavy farm machinery.
There is a wide range of memorabilia on display. Also a neat 200cc twin and several scooter models.
The Police version of the 750 GTL.
This is most likely the 1000cc triple prototype bike that Laverda displayed at the Milan Show in 1971.
A 1981 RGS 1000 fitted with the saddlebags and fairing from the later Executive model.
Laverda is hardly known for its off road models but the company produced quite a number over the years. Here a 600 Atlas (left) and a 250 Chott (right) find themselves above the Husqvarna powered LH3 (125cc) and LH4 (250cc).
The 250TR Chott, ISDE version.
A line up of early bikes.
The Navarro was released in 1990 as the update to the Lesmo. The bodywork was more encompassing, the wheels 17 inch and disc brakes fitted front and rear. The 125cc 2-stroke was the same motor fitted to the Cagiva Freccia C12R. Only a few hundred were sold due to the combination of somewhat dated specification and high price. Power was 29 hp at 10,300 rpm, with a dry weight of 115 kg.
The first of the “new” vertical twins was the 650 which was introduced in May 1968 (link) before quickly being superseded by the 750. Somewhere between 50 and 200 were built.
The 1000 prototype with a 750GT.
