Cars and bikes I’ve come across in my travels

Some days there is not so much to photograph that is truly unusual.

Fortunately for me, as an American abroad there is literally a whole world of vehicles that I’ve only read about. Inevitably, there will be some that are seen every day in many other places but they are still new to me.
I’m also very interested in moto culture, like the cheap tiddlers that kids are customizing. The bikes are crap, it is what they do with them that’s so cool. They have to start somewhere with what they can afford now, eventually some will move up to Ducatis or even Laverdas!
 
I guess the first line on the home page doesn't apply anymore,

This is the place to read, learn, ask questions and share stories about Laverda motorcycles. We are a worldwide community and extend a welcome to everyone.

Maybe it should be changed to include travel blogs, cooking advice and adverts for Chinese shite.

Dont worry Jim,
Im coming here less and less.

See ya.

sorry (not sorry)
what does that even mean?
Sounds like something a small boy would say.
 
I really need to understand what the issue is. We have a couple of thousand members here and today there were 9 posts including this one. That's pretty pathetic for a bunch that always has something interesting or not to say. If we keep abusing posters that apparently don't comply with some unwritten rules what do you think the effect will be? This is incantation 3 of various Laverda message groups and the first 2 especially the second exploded and disappeared for reasons that I still cannot get my head around. I rarely read the Oz ball sports thread as it doesn't interest me a jot but I have no interest in conspiring to ban it or not come here because it offends my sensibility. I just ignore it with zero effect on me. My guess is there are typically 2 types here, busy types still in the workforce who value every second of their downtime and people like me with hours to kill and no one to talk to or travellers who love to share. More power to the latter who post their moto travel stories. Where is the harm in any of this? Gotta go I have Atlas stuff to post.
 
Alzero said:
Something a bit different although it may be a sort of vehicle. I’m a sucker for a brave dog and a loving owner, so I gave her some USD to help care for him/her. She got choked up and so did I. Then 10 minutes later I was nearly bitten by another dog tied up to a lamppost that lunged at me as I walked by. No good deed goes unpunished! View attachment 69951View attachment 69950
Here is some automotive content, a classic hot hatch:View attachment 69954
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If I were her, I’d take your money and race off the the doggy wheelchair repair place for a wheel alignment.
 
Here is an electrician's ute (truck) in Kathmandu. He could have used a Laverda.
 

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Hey Alzero, I enjoy your photos from South America. When the day comes that you post a picture of a Laverda in Bolivia, or wherever, all this stuff will be seen as context! Enjoy your travels mate. We were booked to spend some time in South America when COVID hit so we had to cancel our trip. Perhaps one day I will get there but until then your posts have to suffice. Cheers Bottler
 
Alzero said:
A couple of Chinese (or is the KTM Indian?) made bikes, you may not like the styling, but you cannot deny the engineering advances in the last five years or so. Build quality has apparently advanced too, how long before we see Chinese or Indian made bikes in top level racing?
View attachment 69977View attachment 69978
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There will be Chinese and Indian bikes in top level racing soon, they'll be electric, they'll win.
Paul
 
Alzero said:
Thanks for the kind words, I’ll do my best to keep coming up with content, but really it’s up to the local people wherever we are on a given day. It was slim pickings in the Caribbean and Panama!View attachment 70020View attachment 70019
Small bore bikes in a museum in Churasco, Italy.
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We never got these in UK- most exotic we got was Batavus or the dreaded Casal! Twin filler cap tank is supper cool- seen that shape somewhere..
 
They are great little tiddlers arent they? I would wager that the yoofs of the day, first owner maybe less so, but second and third would have thrashed them into scrap, I bet they had a load of fun, I learned last week, that when my sons were 16/17 that in the gang of about seven 50cc riders, one crashed every single night! no one ever got badly hurt, lucky little blighters.
CLEM
 
Exmoor beast said:
We never got these in UK- most exotic we got was Batavus or the dreaded Casal! Twin filler cap tank is supper cool- seen that shape somewhere..
Click to expand...
You could ride a motorcycle on L plates in the UK, not over here, you needed a bike test apart from on 49.9cc machines, so they ware a plenty. Otherwise, people rode big bikes without a license. I have several friends who turned up to pass their test on a large capacity bike.

Paul
 
It’s a lot more fun to ride a small bike quickly than a big bike slowly. It’s great to bang every shift at redline and still be under the speed limit. Applies to cars too although I dearly love a big lazy motor for just cruising. I ran a 600SL Mercedes for a few years and it was a wonderful road trip car. It would just devour the miles and all it took was a curl of the big toe to zoom past the slowpokes.
If we decide to move to Argentina permanently, I’d like to import one: fuel is $1.58 a gallon for 95 octane! That’s at the Blue Dollar rate, locals pay $3.60, under $1.00 a liter.
 
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you are correct Paul, but the 16 year olds on their 50's are not allowed on the road until they are holding a certificate that states that they have completed "compulsory basic training" at 17 you can ride a 125 on L plates, but only for two years, then a test is compulsory or you loose the entitlement after that it gets complicated written tests are involved as well.
You can no longer ride a bike on L plates indefinately, but I seem to recall you can drive a three wheeler indefinately either car or sidecar outfit.

Years ago I was working at the US embassy in London and asked to borrow a car from the pool, they only had reliant 3 wheel vans left, so i attempted to take one, produced my license to the manager who informed me that I dont have three wheeled entitlement!, at the time (and still current) I was holding HGV class 1, so in theory I could drive an artic with up to 26 tonnes load, and again in theory that is about 26 Reliants! in practice you might get ten on, if piled high, but no I cant take out a Reliant van. That error has since been rectified, because as you know I do like sidecars and will probably return there a some point.
CLEM
 
CLEMTOG said:
you are correct Paul, but the 16 year olds on their 50's are not allowed on the road until they are holding a certificate that states that they have completed "compulsory basic training" at 17 you can ride a 125 on L plates, but only for two years, then a test is compulsory or you loose the entitlement after that it gets complicated written tests are involved as well.
You can no longer ride a bike on L plates indefinately, but I seem to recall you can drive a three wheeler indefinately either car or sidecar outfit.

Years ago I was working at the US embassy in London and asked to borrow a car from the pool, they only had reliant 3 wheel vans left, so i attempted to take one, produced my license to the manager who informed me that I dont have three wheeled entitlement!, at the time (and still current) I was holding HGV class 1, so in theory I could drive an artic with up to 26 tonnes load, and again in theory that is about 26 Reliants! in practice you might get ten on, if piled high, but no I cant take out a Reliant van. That error has since been rectified, because as you know I do like sidecars and will probably return there a some point.
CLEM
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In the day Clem, in France, you could ride a 50 at 14 with no other formality, the bike had to have pedals,, ride a 125 at 16 having learnt the highway code and then move on.

Until recently, you were allowed to ride a motorcycle in Belgium if you had a car license.

Paul
 
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