Laverda was an Italian manufacturer of high performance motorcycles. The company's roots go back to 1873, when they began producing agricultural engines. In 1947 they began designing motorcycles that gained a reputation for being robust and innovative. Over the next 2 decades, Laverda would go on to produce new models of ever increasing capacity and capability, in different sectors of the market. In the late 1960's Laverda began working on their 1000cc prototype, which was basically a 750 twin with a additional cylinder. In 1972 production of the 1000 Laverda Triple began. The 981cc triple provided more power than the outgoing twins, with not much more weight.