Laverda 1200TS Mirage
Laverda 1200TS Mirage
.A search for motor cycle individuality, for a bike with its own special brandof charm and charisma which offers a return to 'real' motor cycling and distinctbreak from the humdrum world of highly efficient, almost characterless, missilesexported from the Land of the Rising Sun, could lead to the summit of thedashing Italian Laverda range, the 1,200 cc TS.
Characteristic of Mars, God of War, the restyled 1980 Mirage thundersmenacingly, resembling a low-level flight path of the French jet fighter bearingthe same name. It is an individual, oozing with character, but like so manyindividuals a prospective owner should be aware of foibles, some important,others purely niggling.
The most radical and conspicuous adornment to the originally naked Mirage isthe cockpit handlebar fairing, shielding more comprehensive instrumentation, andthe engine cowling. Those components, like the tank, side panels and seat tail,are finished in matching silver paintwork -shades of David Essex' Silver DreamRacer -distinguishing the model quite clearly from the three optional bigtriples from the Italian Breganze factory, the fabulous 981 cc race-bred Jota,new Jarama (formerly the 3CL) and standard 1200.
The 130-mile return ride to London from Laverda importers Slater Bros, basednear Bromyard, Herefordshire in undulating Welsh border country, soonestablished some of the model's virtues and vices. The route is tortuous tostart with, a mixture of wide open fast bends and slow ever-tightening tarmacribbon, connected by short straights. The bike is seldom upright, and the roadsare of a type to catch out the unwary and slow reacting.
On a journey like this the Mirage is supreme. Steering is neutral andhandling delightfully precise, the ride noticeably more forgiving andcomfortable since Laverda began fitting Italian Marzocchi equipment to absorbthe bumps.
Ceriani front legs were replaced some time ago, and now the factory have gonea stage further. The original rear Corte e Cosse remote suspension units havebeen replaced by Mar-zocchis to match the front, which makes sense. They are airand gas shock absorbers with the valve, beneath its dust cover, located on topof a remote reservoir. Maximum permitted pressure they can contain is only 2-6psi, so needless to say they must be inflated by hand pump since an air linewould blow the seals.
Making sure the bike stays glued to the road are H-rated Pirelli Gordons,although some models are fitted with the latest equivalent French-made DunlopK181 TT100s, the make of tyre so much favoured by the importers in the past.
Brembo's cast-iron disc brake combination has for long set the standard for anumber of road testers, by which others are compared. Our figures achieved fromcrash stops of 30 mph and 60 mph are good, 28 ft and 126 ft respectively.Although no problems were encountered in the duration of the test, they couldprobably not have been bettered but for slight sponginess felt through thecontrols, in particular through the rear brake pedal, which indicated air in thelines.
The long-legged highly-geared Mirage (overall ratio in top is 4-335 to 1)burbles with ease up sweeping lefts and rights, wrapped up in a tautlithe-handling frame, exhaust growling like three angry Manx Nortons, itching tospin Pirelli Gordon rubber. One of the charms of the thundering model is toaccelerate from 2,000 to 4,000 rpm in top, opening and closing the throttle,just to listen to the unmistakeable bark and twitter from the pipes. Thatencourages the adrenalin to flow!
Make the same dizzy trip at night and you cannot be better equipped than withthe standard candlepower provided. The Bosch 60/55-watt quartz halogen bulb and7 in-diameter reflector bathe your depth of field, and hedgerows, in brilliantlight more precisely than an aircraft landing light.
But as we have mentioned, the Mirage is an individual character and displayssome frustrating foibles.
The stiff gear lever can progressively make a right toe sore (right foot, ofcourse, since cog-swopping is performed in old-fashioned rightfoot style, onedown and four up). The gear change action is heavy and long, and it would havebeen appreciably more comfortable if the rubber was more substantial and also enclosed the end of the lever, the crux of the problem. Fitting the gearlever rubber from a BSA Gold Star gave a dramatic improvement and for minimalcost.
Clutch operation, too, is heavier than its counterparts on Japanese machines,but seemingly half the effort it once was how that disengagement is operated bya new Brembo hydraulic system.
In line with current Laverda practice Japanese parts are incorporated on thebike - the instruments. The speedometer, opposite a matching rev counter, provedvery accurate at speed (just one percent optimistic at 100 mph), and both arewell illuminated and conspicuous for night riding. The speedo is calibrated inkph, the mph scale being too indistinct for practical use. The less importantmileage recorder which divides the two instruments is poorly lit, but all-in-allthe separate flasher indicators, the neutral, charge and high-beam warninglights, are a neat improvement.
On the motorways, however, vibration from the big 1,116 cc three becomesprevalent. Although the crankshaft throws are at 180 degrees, the centre pistonmoving in opposition to its outer partners, vibes loom ominously as soon as3,500 rpm are indicated. At the ton, 5,700 rpm in top, the vibration transmittedto the rider is acceptable through the tank, seat and footrests, but it isreally annoying through the handlebar and hands soon become numbed.
The handlebar position itself is very comfortable indeed and adjustable tosuit, while short riders will find the 32-5 in seat height a stretch whenmanoeuvring in congested traffic. Foot-rests are sensibly rigid and adjustablefor height, and the turning circle is a convenient 18 ft.
The filler cap of the 4-3 gallon tank is now lockable but had its problems -it springs open. And it was an intrusion that occurred regularly when blastingalong motorway - nowhere else -an action prompted by vibration. A matter ofclunk, click on every motorway trip . . . unfortunately.
Equally annoying, it would leak after the tank had been filled to the brim,the flow not stopping until some 20 miles had been covered. It leaked with orwithout the rubber sleeve in the filler neck, fitted to prevent the problem.
Engine modifications to the 1980 Mirage led the bike away a little from themarque's sporting image - which has the Jota as its ambassador. It is morecivilised, intended to be more economical and consequently more attractive tothe riding-for-pleasure, touring rider. Hence the effective' cockpit fairing and'The Executive Jet' publicity. The 'extras' increase weight by nearly 30 lb to ahefty 542 lb. A similar weight to many Oriental multis in fact.
It is a re-styling and promotion exercise proving successful, judging bysales, for the Mirage is fast approaching the popularity of the lean Jota.
Mods included twin cams without the Jota's high lift - from the standard1200. And the Jota's raucous, deep bellowing silencers, fitted to the firstMirages in 1978, dropped in favour of the 1200's mufflers.
The less mountainous cams open larger valves, increased from 38 mm to 39-3 mminlet and from 35 mm to 36-2 mm exhaust, and the inlet tracts masked by an airfilter. Other mods to the Mirage's cylinder head (which is the same as the 1980Jota) have been made to improve engine tractability and assist fuel economyrather than add boost to top end power.
Unfortunately our performance testing did not prove entirely satisfactory,highlighted by a comparatively low mean top speed of 126-34 mph.
In spite of the valiant effort, made by local Laverda dealers, our testMirage refused to run sweetly at full bore pulling top gear, nowhere near aswell as we have experienced riding other examples of the big Italian triples. Atbest 134-49 mph, albeit with the aid of a howling tail wind, is an indication ofits true potential. Struggling against the elements the corresponding 118-19 mphdropped the average dramatically.
A fair comparison can be drawn with the standard 1200. In calmer conditionsthat ran a best 135-2 mph, mean 1321 mph. Running properly, there seems to be noreason why the Mirage TS would not achieve, if anything, slightly higherfigures.
With the rider sitting-up in a two-piece suit holding a normal ridingposition, the Mirage TS surpasses the standard 1200 by 8 mph, giving asatisfying aggregate of 126-1 mph.
Laverdas are expensive, they always have been, but are cheap in terms oftheir macho individuality which attracts a partisan enthusiastic following.
Road test 1979