How do you tell a real factory built Jota?

julian said:
Paul there is a difference with your analogy

A triple supplied by the factory or designated factory appointed representative as a Jota with a Jota badge is a Jota
Specification is irrelevant.

A Desmo is a description of a mechanical principle. If it wasn’t supplied by the factory with that feature then it is not a genuine Desmo.

One can argue split hairs but the basics are clear.

However not all Desmos are the same, just like not all Jotas are the same,
Then and now.

J

For me however, I want a Slater 180 in orange and silver, the rest just ain’t got it baby
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Nope, a triple without the Jota innards is not a proper Jota. It's a bit like all this LGBT stuff, a man in a dress isn't a woman. Sorry if I missed anyone out.
 
I have to agree, if it does not have the cams and pistons, it's not really a Jota. But................... my local Laverda dealer back in the day, would take new 3CL's and add his own high compression pistons, Axtell camshafts, Jota exhaust and a flowed head. They were sold as a Jota and were actually faster than the factory ones. Now can we call them a Jota?

Also, did the factory ever make series II 180 motors with the Jota cams and pistons or is it just a standard bike with a Jota decal?

Here in the US we also had the Jota 1200 America which is not really a Jota either.
 
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1200ts said:
I have to agree, if it does not have the cams and pistons, it's not really a Jota. But................... my local Laverda dealer back in the day, would take new 3CL's and add his own high compression pistons, Axtell camshafts, Jota exhaust and a flowed head. They were sold as a Jota and were actually faster than the factory ones. Now can we call them a Jota?

Also, did the factory ever make series II 180 motors with the Jota cams and pistons or is it just a standard bike with a Jota decal?

Here in the US we also had the Jota 1200 America which is not really a Jota either.
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Serried 2 180 Jota’s delivered to Australia with all the good bits in them, pretty sure it wasn’t only Australia.
Some countries got the real deal, others did not depending on the legislation of the day.
 
In answer to your original question the only way that you maybe able to identify a genuine factory built could be through the compliance plate attached to the motorcycle in its country of origin (possibly stating Jota somewhere)
In saying that I have 3 Laverdas that were built as Jota's at the factory all those years ago and even the Australian compliance plates don't mention Jota anywhere.
To be frank there are most likely more Jota's out there now than were built by Slater and later Moto Laverda during those golden years.
 
I like the concept of Jotaising a Laverda, any triple can be Jotaised. Even Highly Jotaised is a thing to me. It's been done all over the world by people who like the concept.
 
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Maybe I should issue a gilded-edged Certificate of Authenticity next time I Jotarise a triple... as I haven't done as many as Slaters, mine will be worth more. :rolleyes:

piet
 
Sir Sidney Ruffdiamond said:
Nothing wrong with having or wanting a Jota Paul 😀 it’s only when you learn more about the brand that potential new owners can see how wide that question is - it definitely attracts people to the marque and then you go on - I initially rode Lemons RGA Jota but ended up with a factory 3 cross Jota - a very different animal - it’s a very important model to draw people in !
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Another few years of that and like with Ducati singles, it'll be difficult finding a nice original Mk 1 or 3, there all Desmo lookalikes or SS lookalikes for the twins. And a lot of nice 750s are becoming botched orange SFC "replicas".

Laverda made nice bikes. Debunking the Jota myth can only help to keep them nice and original and not massacred to maintain a publicity stunt alive or to make a quick buck. Keeping the Jota myth alive to attract people who know nothing about the marque is not doing Laverda any good.

Paul
 
julian said:
Paul there is a difference with your analogy

A triple supplied by the factory or designated factory appointed representative as a Jota with a Jota badge is a Jota
Specification is irrelevant.

A Desmo is a description of a mechanical principle. If it wasn’t supplied by the factory with that feature then it is not a genuine Desmo.

One can argue split hairs but the basics are clear.

However not all Desmos are the same, just like not all Jotas are the same,
Then and now.

J

For me however, I want a Slater 180 in orange and silver, the rest just ain’t got it baby
Click to expand...
The vast majority don't give a shit if it's got Desmo valve gear or Jota innards. The average punter knows nothing about the bikes other than the desirability, and he's not going to ride them much other than to places where he can be seen with the machine and if that place is too far, it'll be trailer or van.
Cash value is also important, like with cars. The more expensive it is, the more desirable it is.

Paul
 
I probably should have added my Laverda triple is way more tuned than a Jota, but there is no way I would add a Jota sign on it. It's a 3c, I know a Jota when I see one and mine is defiantly not a Jota.
 
Paul Marx said:
Another few years of that and like with Ducati singles, it'll be difficult finding a nice original Mk 1 or 3, there all Desmo lookalikes or SS lookalikes for the twins. And a lot of nice 750s are becoming botched orange SFC "replicas".

Laverda made nice bikes. Debunking the Jota myth can only help to keep them nice and original and not massacred to maintain a publicity stunt alive or to make a quick buck. Keeping the Jota myth alive to attract people who know nothing about the marque is not doing Laverda any good.

Paul
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Paul have you taken your meds - you are in danger of repeating yourself 😀
 
You’d be better off looking for a Redax, Pieted or Narnianded laverda, the rest mostly will be piles of shit… beware of the immaculate bike, mostly…
 
Cosi said:
You’d be better off looking for a Redax, Pieted or Narnianded laverda, the rest mostly will be piles of shit… beware of the immaculate bike, mostly…
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Almost ANY Laverda will need close attention, parts are 40 years or older and they simply are not as they left the company then. I tend to think that I have done nothing to stressfull to my engine, just standard things like more capacity (1117ccm or what ever the 80.x pistons give you) with slightly higher compression, 4/C cams, bigger ports and valves, bigger, better breathing exhaust, more modern carbs and DMC ignition - that's it.

However, the recent opening of this "can of worms" revealed a lot of things, that need fixing...

-valve guides shot
-valves partly not the same
-crack in the head
-gasket-area of the head not flat/parallel
-signs of rust in one cylinder
-crank bearing shot
-gearbox bearings shot
-starter clutch shot

And this bike has done only 30.000km since the last re-built... Nothing spectacular, the bike was still running and had lots of grunt and was oil-tight. It was just having a bad mechanical sound, that's why we (well - OCT) opened it...
 
Vince said:
I probably should have added my Laverda triple is way more tuned than a Jota, but there is no way I would add a Jota sign on it. It's a 3c, I know a Jota when I see one and mine is defiantly not a Jota.
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Feck it, I did. And number plate. Got sick of explaining the difference every time some would comment on the bike "Wow, I haven't seen a Jota in ages", with the reply "Actually, it is a - aw feck it...

I had actually designed a Jota sticker with Redax overlaid on it and ran it past Red but he wasn't keen. Maybe next time it needs paint...
 
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