Giacomo Agostini checks out a Trident in 1969
Meanwhile on the race track, the late 60s
and early 70s belonged to the Italian 350 and
500cc MV Agustas. The three cylinder 350
appeared in 1965, when the four cylinder was
beginning to show its age. The 500 appeared
the following year. The cylinders of the 350
were bored out to 377cc, then to 420 and again
to 497.9cc. The three cylinder bikes heralded
one of the most successful periods in the
history of Grand Prix racing. Giacomo Agostini
rode the 500 to his first world championship
win in an unbroken series of championship
wins that lasted until 1972. The 350 won four
consecutive world championships from 1968
to 1971. The 350 MV trip le produced 62.5bhp
at 13,500rpm and the 500 78bhp at 12,000rpm.
The 350 weighed 116kg and the 500 118kg.
Another Italian machine that made an indelible
impression on sports bike connoisseurs was
Laverda and, more specifically, the Jota. The
three cylinder model appeared at the Milan
Show of 1969, and was the first Laverda with
more than two cylinders. Production didn’t
begin until 1973, and it wasn’t until 1976 that
the title Jota, the name of an energetic Spanish
dance, was given to the model. It turned out
to be a fiery 981cc triple producing 79bhp
with a top speed of 225km/h. The British
Motor Cycle magazine of August 1976 said
it was the fastest bike they had ever tested.
Production of the Jota ended in 1982.
One of the most sensational triples of the late
1960s sent the sports bike market reeling with
the Kawasaki H1 500 or Mach 111. It was noisy,
smoky, anti-social, very thirsty, but extremely
fast, especially on acceleration (standing
quarter mile in 13 secs or 0 to 96km/h in 4.3
secs). Top speed on the first models wasn’t
remarkable. Some road tests quoted 178km/h,
but it soon changed to 193km/h. Many riders
at the time were critical of the bike’s handling
characteristics, and as so often happens it was
on the race track that the H1 began to get the
attention and development it obviously needed.
In 1971 Kawasaki launched the H2 750 which
also benefited from race track development.
The factory also produced 250, 350,and
400 two-stroke triples. The production of
the legendary triples, which began in 1968,
eventually came to an end in 1980.
Giacomo Agostini on the 500cc MV at the Dutch TT 1966
Sharing your passion
facebo
ok.com
68 KIWI RIDER
/Caffein
eAndCla
ssics