BUYING AND SELLING
A jaunty Jota and some words of wisdom on current bike sales
Jotas are orange, right? Well, not always. The legendary triple was also available in red, silver, metallic gold – and, in the case of some of the last of the 180° crank models – in black and gold. Whatever colour it may be, though, a Jota will always bring a smile to the face of anyone who enjoys raw Italian sports bikes.
Rawest of the raw is the first, 1976-model Jota. Developed by British Laverda importers Slater Brothers and initially only sold in the UK, the Jota proved so popular that the factory started producing it as an official model from 1980.
Slater Bothers initially brought out the 3CE (E for England), a 3C triple with 10:1 compression pistons, 4C race cams (both available from the factory as racing upgrades) and a tuned exhaust designed by Ariel Square Four specialist Tim Healy. When the updated 3CL, with cast wheels, appeared for 1976, the brothers applied their tuning tweaks to that and the Jota was born. At the time, it was the fastest production road bike in the world, tested at 140mph and was cleaning up in domestic production racing.
Those early bikes are the most collectable – and pricey – but the so-called Series 2 180 models have a lot going for them, too. They retain the soulful 180° crank and off-beat exhaust note of the earlier models, but feature an improved 250-Watt alternator, revised ignition and – mercifully – hydraulic clutch operation in place of the horrendously heavy cable clutch of the original.
The final incarnation of the Jota, introduced in 1982, is quite a different beast. With a 120° crank it’s smoother and more civilised than the 180 engine, but many Laverda fans think it lost a little of its character. It may be a better bike on paper, but since when did Italian bike fanatics ride on paper?
This lovely Series 2 180 is on sale at The Bike Specialists in Sheffield
for £15,980. Originally supplied to the Netherlands, it was imported to the UK in 2015, when it was fully recommissioned, having been in a private collection for some time.
Over the last three years, the previous owner of the machine has tweaked it a little, fitting a single seat, a fork brace, lightweight lithium battery, fully adjustable Hagon shocks and sticky Dunlop Sport Demon tyres.
Ready for what we hope will be a long, hot summer of riding, this last-of-the-line 180 Jota certainly looks the real deal.
thebikespecialists.com