RMJ 444R is the story of a 1000 Jota, purchased new from Laverda specialists Morphy Motors of Tring (Hertfordshire) on 22 December 1976 by Don Hunt, which has remained in the same family for almost a quarter of a century. The sales invoice shows the on-the-road price to have been £2708.40; less a 1974 3C model traded in for £900, leaving a balance of £1808.40. Originally delivered from the factory in red, RMJ 444R was specially painted by Morphy Motors in orange. The first Jota to be so finished - and later copied by Slaters and then the factory.

Don Hunt's son Andrew (then 18 years of age) used to 'borrow' the Jota and ride it to school (disconnecting the speedo cable) when his father was away in Europe on business. A 'thrash' up the road by Andrew with one of his school chums on the pillion would more often than not result in the said passenger returning with an ashen face! It was not until almost twenty years had past that Andrew told his father what used to go on in his absence - over a family dinner no less!

After (legally!) owning a Ducati 900GTS, a Laverda Jarama and for a very short period a Yamaha XS1100, Andrew Hunt purchased RMJ 444R from his father in 1981. By then it had clocked up 45,000 (registered!) miles with no breakdowns. In 1983 and at 52,000 miles the top end was given an overhaul by former Laverda racer Roger Winterburn. At the same time Andrew repainted the Jota BMW car Cloud Blue Metallic in a chicken shed with his chicken farmer pal John Mead in Tring. The plating was rechromed and the alloy polished. But Andrew summed up the exercise 'although she (the Jota) looked beautiful on her maiden trip to the 1983 Isle of Man TT, she should have remained the original orange'.

In 1989 Richard Slater carried out a top end rebore/rebuild and a bottom end inspection, the latter being found in perfect condition (costing £848.50). Then, together with his newly wed German wife Claudia (top picture) Andrew took the Jota on a 2,500 mile tour of the Scottish Coastline - following every minor road/lane/track around the whole of Scotland. They carried (or should it say the Jota carried) a lot of gear for the two week camping holiday - including tent, cooker, sleeping bags, air beds, mattresses, rabbit snares, fishing tackle, bike spares, clothes and food. It's a fact so Andrew says that Laverdas improve their handling with more weight at the rear - and he's tested this theory to the limit!

In 1992 Claudia and Andrew Hunt made a marathon trip to East Germany and Poland - a year after the Berlin Wall came down. Although they didn't get to have tea with Lech Walesa in Gdansk as the Solidarity offices were shut they still had fun. Andrew takes up the story again:

The roads on the German/Polish border are built for Laverdas; up to five miles long and about the width of a motorway in a straight line and not a hint of traffic signs/police/cameras or sheep! We did 130mph several times two up with luggage. The roads had originally been built for Russian mobile nuclear missile transporters. In all we covered some 3000 miles in under two weeks. But this trip was to prove the last for RMJ 444R, as we hit a 6 inch high railway track at about 70mph. The front wheel buckled, the frame cracked at the steering head and the fork seals blew! We limped back to Britain!

Since the German/Polish trip of 1992, Andrew has changed the wheel but left the frame and seals and just used the Jota for the odd short run. In 1994 at the grand old age of 75,000 miles RMJ 444R was 'oiled up' and put in the back of his shed. The crack in the frame had completed its slow journey around the nearside downtube, leaving the remaining downtube to support what is after all a pretty heavy engine and passengers to the steering head. Andrew Hunt's future plan is to finish off a current Ducati restoration and then begin to rebuild RMJ 444R - or total restoration would be a better word which includes a super orange paint job! Old Laverdas never die, they are simply reborn.

Source Laverda Twins & Triples