The 500 twin was designed by Luciano Zen and Adriano Valente, with styling by Lino Borghesan. It stood at the 1975 Milan show, but production in Breganze only got going in 1977. It was a modern engine: twin overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, a 180° crankshaft and electronic Bosch ignition.

The name differed per country. At first it was called ‘Alpina’, but after an objection from BMW (Alpina) it became, in England, the Alpino and in the USA the Zeta; in much of Europe it was simply called the ‘500’. In mid-1978 a balance shaft was added against the vibration.

For racing Laverda built the Formula 500 for its own race series in Italy (1978–1981). How many were made differs by source; around 210 is usually mentioned. After class wins in the Montjuïc 24 hours (Barcelona) in 1978 and 1979, the English importer Slater Brothers made the Montjuic: an Alpino with a tuned engine, racer-style panels and a small fairing.

According to the English Wikipedia about 5,000 of these 350 and 500 twins were built in total. The French club Laverdamania gives 2,750 of the 500 (1977–1982) and 2,280 of the 350 (1978–1980).

500 / Alpino / Zeta (1977–1982); from mid-1978 with balance shaft, in some countries called the 500 S . Recognisable by an extra bulge on the primary cover and a narrower tank.

350 (1978–1980): smaller version (345 cc) for the Italian market, because of the higher tax on bigger motorcycles.

Formula 500 (1978–1981): pure racer, delivered without registration.

Montjuic Mk1 (1979) and Mk2 (approx. 1982–1984, new panels and a bigger frame-mounted fairing). According to Motorcycle Classics about 250 made in total.

Later the engine became the basis of the Laverda Atlas 600 (1985).

The best-known problem is the camshafts and above all their bearings. On the Laverda forum it is said that these engines ‘eat both camshafts’; too low an oil level is mentioned as a possible cause. On the Montjuic Mk2 the bearing caps were strengthened. Warped cylinder heads and small cracks in the crankcase at the right front stud also occur on hard-used engines.

Real Classic warns: if the balance shaft is wrongly set, the engine vibrates ‘like a paint mixer’. The ignition has no advance curve and the pick-ups are often wrongly set; have the timing checked with a strobe light. The gear shaft can work its way out if the retaining pin is missing.

Cycle World (1978) mentions vibration, a fierce clutch, stiff shifting, difficulty finding neutral, weaving above approx. 130 km/h and flooding on a cold start. The Montjuic runs poorly below 3000 rpm and has hard suspension.

No single source gives a clear picture of the parts situation. According to the Laverda forum new exhaust camshafts are no longer available. Suppliers mentioned are Wolfgang Haerter (Canadian Laverda), Redax Laverda and DAM Classic Racing (Australia) and Cox Engineering (England, exhausts). The club Laverdamania organises group orders.

Price indication: an original, unrestored 1977 Alpino sold at Iconic Auctioneers in November 2023 for 4,830 pounds. A 1979 Montjuic Mk1 fetched 11,500 pounds at Bonhams in April 2023; another Mk1 on the same list went for 5,520 pounds. Roughly: Alpino €5,000–7,000, Montjuic €6,500–13,000 (2023). A Formula with racing history was offered for sale in 2017–18 for about 20,000 pounds (asking price, not a sale).