LV00 project

The Laverda motorbikes are just like unachieved masterpieces. Their strong statute of ultimate superbike had to cope with the limited resources of the company: The legend stays but the huge potential of the brand was undoubtely never really exploited, also nowadays as we are still waiting that the new owners of the name could build a new legend.
There is then a gap to fill, at least to maintain the legend...
LV00 is in keeping with this logical. Radically different of the current neo-classic models, this is above all a design research which creates an alchemy between an avant-garde motorcycle and a style joining design and technology of the most symbolic aspects through the historic Laverda motorbikes.
Ideally, the engine is a highly modified Laverda triple while keeping an external aspect and some technical options close to the original 3 cylinders engine timed to 180 degrees. However, a modern Benelli triple engine (close to the 3 cylinder project conceived at Zane in the 90') can be adapted without many mods to the frame.
The concept basis, specification list, main choices in terms of design and technology, most of the chassis geometry were made in 2005, then the first drawings came in 2006.
Now the target is to begin the chassis at spring 2010.

One of our greatest challenge will be to prove to ourselves that individuals, without a great budget but with a great dose of reflection and work cand do something very special.

The goal is to loose weight everywhere without sacrificing the design. An original Laverda frame weights about 24 kgs, a space frame replica about 15, the LV00 frame might be lighter yet... This means that some high-tech metals have to be used. Probably the frame will be in 2 parts, a tubular 15CDV6 steel treillis on the front and a sort of omega box in machined aluminium, aircraft quality, to the rear. Of course the 15CDV6 steel cannot be bent so the original design will have to be modified a bit...
The project have been stopped for one year and half due to many problems, so we have now to redesign everything. The initial studies will be our reference, the final result will have to get close to them, at least for the main concept.
Our 3D images maker is gone (found a new job and has no time anymore to work on the project) so we have to use ourselves softwares like Autocad and Solidworks. Not as good as the high-tech 3D software used before, but they should be sufficient to help us.