Description
This motorcycle is Lot 330 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Spring Stafford Sale (The International Classic MotorCycle Show) on April 25th & 26th, please see the Bonhams Motorcycles Website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 1 - 94 are to be sold from 14:30 on Saturday 25th April 2026.
Lots 201 - 353 are to be sold from 11:30am on Sunday 26th April 2026.
Public Viewing:
Available 25th & 26th April 2026 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Staffordshire County Showground (The International Classic MotorCycle Show).
** 1986 Laverda SFC1000**
Registration no. C255 UUY
Frame no. LAV1000RGS/ 1* 2964*
Engine no. LAV1000RGS * 2964*
Founded in 1873, Laverda started out making farm machinery, only turning to motorcycle manufacture in the immediate aftermath of WW2. Lightweights, scooters and mopeds continued to form the mainstay of Laverda production up to the late 1960s when the small Italian concern, hitherto little known outside its home country, astonished the motorcycling world by introducing a 650cc parallel twin.
Introduced in 1972, the '3C' was the first of Laverda's much admired family of three-cylinder 'musclebikes' which would do so much to establish its reputation as one of Italy's foremost purveyors of high-performance motorcycles. Displacing 1, 000cc, the new engine had a character all of its own; no longer conceived along Honda lines like its twin-cylinder predecessors, Laverda's triple was a twin-overhead-camshaft design with, initially, a 180-degree 'flat' crankshaft. The 3C spawned an entire range of models, arguably the best known being the Jota superbike.
By the mid-1980s however, Laverda was in trouble and a succession of takeovers precipitated the end of triple production in 1987. Immediately before its demise, one of the firm's last products had been the SFC1000. The latter debuted at the Cologne Show in 1984, reviving the 'SFC' designation of the old production racers and inheriting its tweaked 120-degree crank motor from the RGS1000 Corsa. Tested by Bike magazine in 1984, the latter produced a genuine 84. 4bhp, good enough to endow the big 'Lav' with a top speed of 140mph-plus. As ever, this last of the big Laverdas was an exclusive beast: the final few SFC1000s sold in the UK in 1987 for £4, 750 (list price) - around double the price of a Kawasaki Z1000J. Today the Laverda triples are becoming increasingly collectible, with limited-edition models such as the last-of-the-line SFC1000 highly sought after.
This particular SFC1000 has belonged to the current (second) owner since 1988 and benefits from a full restoration carried out by Laverda Scozia in 2013-2014, including a new wiring loom (see emails on file). (The list of the works undertaken takes the form of an estimate from Laverda Scozia dated 5th February 2026, which is the date that computer file was last accessed, not the date the work was done.) Several upgrades were incorporated during the restoration: Jota exhaust pipes; Moto Witt DMC2 electronic ignition; Mikuni RS36 flat-slide carburettors; foam air filters; Wilbers shock absorbers; braided hoses; bar-end mirror; updated switch gear; and a lithium battery.'
As one would expect of a machine benefiting from single ownership for almost 40 years, the amount of accumulated bills for parts and services is substantial. Last run in 2025, the machine was currently MoT'd at time of cataloguing and comes with a V5C document. It also comes with the original exhaust pipes and Del'orto carburettors.
Offered with key
All lots are sold ‘as is/ where is’ and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
