TIMELINE: The Chott and Beyond

The original Chott ran from 1974 to 1976 pretty much unaltered other than paintwork schemes. Seeking to maximise return on their efforts the factory latterly revised and updated the basic design to deliver the 2TR. Focusing purely on competition now with minimal tarmac appeal the bike lost its gauges, the magnesium castings were replaced with aluminium alloys, and the previously stainless steel front guard became plastic. Now very much a niche market machine the 2TR was much more in line with a customer base that wanted a proper off-road tool. At the same time the Breganze hierarchy was looking to expand its markets and particularly within the dirt arena. Sales of off-road machinery were booming and quite reasonably Laverda wanted a slice of the action. The Italian factory linked up with Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna to produce Italian-built machines utilising Swedish-built engines. The subsequent LH125 and LH250 both proved to be very successful, justifying the partnership. Although profitable, the LH models alone were never going to be enough to keep the firm afloat and so, by the mid-80s, the factory was looking to build additional dirt bikes. With limited funds the R&D team took the old 500cc Alpino twin motor from the roadgoing one, boring it out to 572cc, reworking the cams and reworking the old bike’s running gear. This bike, marketed as a Laverda Atlas, was sold from 1986 to 1989, but its high price meant only some 500 were ever produced.