Selling my 1000 SFC

Not long after I bought my Jota new in '79 I spotted a black and gold SS being delivered on a trailer. I wasn't a fan until that day. MHR I purchased over here (from one of Kenny Roberts' mechanics) has some things I prefer, like Japanese cockpit. And physical connection to NCR and the legendary TT win. Still hope to find a black and gold SS one day. So there's two you have that I want. We both already own what I think is the best Guzz. About 350 ever produced.
 
Lothar,
I will go against the current by saying this:
I think I wrote it before: just don't sell it. It is a beautiful bike. Let the rivet counters count the rivets and money on their specimen, and let the rest of us, ride our bikes. Don't let them story-tell you into tricking you into off-loading your beautiful SFC1000 for nil. They will gain on it asap. The guy who bought my former RGS from me, did exactly that by telling me he had no money, he was sooo interested, never wanting to sell it bla bla bla, and I was naive enough to believe him. Of course he sold it on real fast and made a good amount of money. But that was his luck, and I don't mind. Don't let anyone say things like: Oh, but demand is less, it is not a real SFC, it is not a true Laverda which is of course in their view a 180 degree etc. Just don't accept that crap. It is utterly nonsense. The first Laverda 1000 engine was a 120 degree, and the last real Laverda 1000 was a 120 degree. So make of that what you want. I am staying 120 degree. Better and later and more development and implementation of so many updates and parts. Hmm: gearbox, frame, clutch, cylinderhead, ignition, charging system, brakes and so on and so on. Oh well, a lot of the 180 people wants those parts. Guess why? Because they are better. Why not? What bike did they come from? a Laverda 1000 120 degree RGS series (and possibly a Jota 120). But of course each to his own. That is clear. So no worries. But should we then all split up every 120 degree 1000 Laverda's into spares for the rest? Of course not. "Oh, but a real Laverda is an orange 180 Jota". Hmm... Maybe there are more orange 180 Jota's than they ever built in the UK and in Italy. And the real connoisseurs say it is a silver or gold Jota (or what ever). Who cares? As long as you get the Laverda YOU want. But personally, I DO NOT like the conversion from 120 degree, to 180. Those people KILL beautiful Laverda's. Okay, back to the sale. Oh no, but wait: this IS a remark of why a beautiful Laverda SFC1000 is apparently worth nil. Even a scrap bike like honda 750 four with a single overhead cam is suddenly worth more in so-called specialists minds, who suck blood from seemingly knowing what anything is worth these days. They have to justify the "trends", the "market", and in reality, they protect their own income. Cheap or expensive. They will never get my respect. They don't bring ANYTHING to the table of Laverda, nor anything else for that matter. This is in my humble view very much a British phenomenon, but goes elsewhere too. Then there is the story-telling: Oh, but Massimo once saw this bike when he passed by on the street, and it was once touched by Mr. XXX who raced an XXX on XXX track, or something along those lines. Suddenly, the same bike, same parts, same everything, is worth SO much more... I mean come on, use the brains. Every single Laverda was built with passion, sometimes leading to a little too much going on, strikes planned ahead etc. etc. ;) Do people really think that Massimo would have looked down at improvements or attempts to improve or stabilise? Of course not. I seriously think he would have looked carefully at them and said something like: Hmm. Interesting, good idea, good improvement. And then maybe he would have even taken a ride on the bike and commented on the changes. That is what I believe, because Massimo was a gentleman and a creator, not a rivet counter or a person who estimate values on other peoples stuff. No, he was never seeing the bike as a final bike, but as a steady on-going development. A rolling development.
Your bike Lothar, is reworked where it matters, and completely better than a standard bike. It takes a proper Laverdisti to recongnize that. Not the wannabe jerk, who just got his father to pay him some money, and the cafe latté friends told him from their hipster beards, that Laverda SFC1000 is rare and must be owned, but for nil or a lot of money. Note: Owned. Not ridden. Oh Uh ah! Never ride it!" It will loose SOOOO much money, so you might as well give it away for free. I know there are some people who say: OH, but it is always a market demand. The market decide. The market this, the market that. I tell them a strict NO! It is never market demand. And contrary to most of those self-made "specialists", I have been working many years with serious amounts of money. I developed the computerized trading system (not alone of course) as a pilot project, later for the World to use. and I made it run. Working 60 hours per week. If it broke down, we lost 1 million usd per minute. Billions per day was traded. As someone else wrote here earlier, it is not a commodity (well said, sir), but a hand built piece of Italian motorcycle history. It should sell for a lot more than what you demand. Period. I find your price very cheap indeed. If some people are too cheap skates to see the value, then maybe forget about it. Go somewhere else and play a little market-economic-wise-guy from Uni, and give ill advice to other people, being a so-called "specialist". If I come to sell mine one day, I will decide. Not cheap, not expensive. I will charge what I think it should cost. To the right owner.
Todays selling price is much less than what the new price represented at the time the bike was originally sold first time.
Personally, I would rather see my Laverda buried with me, than give it away for pennies. That is so absolutely disrespectful to the bike and all the hours spent making it and making it better, as well as keeping it in good shape. Even if it was scrap like. Go get a six-pack of chinese xxxx instead, and instead of changing engine oil, just dump it at the mall or better still, the café, and press out a new chinese xxxx bike from the six-pack boble plastic.
I can almost hear them scream: "Oh, but there is a war in Europe. The russians are coming", petrol is SO expensive, no demand for these bikes, new generations are not interested bla bla bla. So what? It such times, there were always people who bought up interesting machines, collectable pieces, watches, and what not, for pennies, and sold them off far more expensive, later on, after the conflict ended, and new found optimism came about.
YOU are the owner Lothar. YOU are the seller Lothar. YOU Lothar decide when, where and how much. Raise your price. It is too cheap.
Or better still: keep it, enjoy it once in a while. It is NOT too expensive to have there just standing. If my own or the life of my wife depends on my Laverda being exchanged for pennies, then there is a systemic economical problem elsewhere that I need to solve; or maybe fatal illness in which case, I may decide to pass the bike on for pennies and hopefully make someone else happy about it. The last coat does not have any pockets. But this is not your case at all. You do fine, your family is doing fine. And you are not hard pressed to skip it for nil. And clearly you won't.
Raise the price.

Take care Lothar and enjoy it when you can, for it is such a good and beautiful bike. I mean that.
Jacques
ps: and my SFC1000 says hello too, despite being red and gold, ha ha! ;)
It was really really warm to ride it last Friday. Phew.
 
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That’s an awfully long message ;-)

If everybody rode and liked the same thing it’d be a boring world. I bought an SFC 1000 recently because it was the only Laverda that I wanted, except that I would have been happy with a really nice RGS had one presented itself nearby. I spent real money for the SFC 1000 because it was exactly what I’d been aiming to find and a little bit more. People have different interests and none of the earlier twins or 180 degree cranked Laverdas motivate me in comparison with the smoother Guzzis and Ducatis I’ve been riding for 40 years. I also really like the sound of the 120 degree engine - it’s one of the main attractions.

For sure interesting and unusual motorcycles are not a commodity and if they become one it’s probably a bubble.
 
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Inquiring minds here...anyone fess up to buying an SFC 1000 in the last year or so from Iconic Motorbikes in
Los Angeles. The bike was imported from Canada and then put up for sale. Seems to me it didn't go for big
money.
 
180s would have to be better if they rephrased the crank from 120 on the original design concept!!
They also sound better.
The 180° crank was used to avoid the punishing high frequency vibration of the 120° prototype Triple, Rob.
Noise regs. forced the re-adoption of the 120° phasing, the inherent vibes forced the rubber mountings.
I'm with you on the sound but, of course, I would say that.
 
Lothar,
I will go against the current by saying this:
I think I wrote it before: just don't sell it. It is a beautiful bike. Let the rivet counters count the rivets and money on their specimen, and let the rest of us, ride our bikes. Don't let them story-tell you into tricking you into off-loading your beautiful SFC1000 for nil.

Take care Lothar and enjoy it when you can, for it is such a good and beautiful bike. I mean that.
Jacques
ps: and my SFC1000 says hello too, despite being red and gold, ha ha! ;)
It was really really warm to ride it last Friday. Phew.
Thanks for sharing your point of view and your encouragement.

I have sold 4 Laverdas in my whole life so far, a 750 S(0) that I restored, a 1000 SFC Classic that I restored, the #0001 1000 SFC and a 750 S Formula. All raised tons of concerns about the price being to high, both sold for the price that I wanted. Tyre-kickers and people without money or those that try to rob me, have no chance, sorry.

I offer fair value for what I ask for. If someone does not agree, go and find a different bike in that state, I don't care. I am not selling for the money, I am just selling because the garage could benefit from a bit less motorbikes in it and because I had 26 years of fun with this bike, which I regard as enough.

What a buyer gets is a bike that is far more rideable, far more powerful and better than original in almost any regards. Don't like the modifications? Don't consider buying. Find an original one and live with what you have or spend the incredable amount of money and time that mine has taken to get it where it is. Or buy mine, put everything back to original and be disapointed. 💁‍♂️

I do not have to sell, as said before. Bike is registered and ready to ride, will maybe take it out for another ride just to confirm to sell it. Who knows.

If no-one wants it, I will keep it. That is not what i want to though. I want it to be used more than I do
 
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Get divorced, disown your kids, quit your job, let your dog run away and find a miracle cure for all your ailments.....you will have a way more time to ride it.
 
FWIW the US (and in much of Europe) classic bike market collapsed a couple of years ago and is in a free fall. Where I could have gotten maybe $15K for a superb, fully updated RGS 4 years ago, now I'd be lucky to get 10-12k. Same for everything else, and indeed the entire motorcycle industry. Gen Z is primarily interested in their online presences and being soft, and Millennials quit their brief motorcycle flirtation that gave us the terrible wave of chopped-up classics as "café racers" starting around 15-20 years ago.

This is evident in how few classic bike mechanics/shops there are, meaning it's difficult to get your newly-bought classic serviced if you're not a dab hand, and main dealerships are also gone. American dealerships operate in a state of near-constant disaster, and sit on more than 60,000 unsold bikes.
 
From the tuned-in advice/expertise of a local Chuckanut Dr. guy. One hundred percent correct in that the "market"
is in the dumpster. Things that were saleable two or three years ago are now almost not worth listing. My only
solace is that everybody involved with bikes,cars,airplanes are all experiencing this malaise OR perhaps still believing
that they can leave a little something for their grandchildren. What a delusion that is !
 
And so its a great time to buy :)

When cash is king use it if you have it, and get what you think is good stuff

Shortly after I bought my bevel SS for $5700 in 1993, while buying parts from remaining dealer stock I was scoffed at by Pro Italia as being completely out of touch in my appreciation of the bike. They said it was almost unsalable in the US and advised to sell it in Australia quickly because that market was still living in the past due to the Australian tax situation on new bikes, but would catch on to the 90s trends eventually. Pro Italia was meanwhile selling belt drive 900SSs for about $6500, substantially more at the time than my 'yesterday's news' bevel SS but a nice one is today worth a fraction as much regardless of current prices. They're fun to ride but a cheap POS by comparison and always will be. New 2026 bikes are even worse in that regard and will all be throw-aways, along with almost anything now manufactured.

I remember saying 'nice bike' to a German with a Laverda 3C at an Autobahn or Autostrada petrol station in 1989. He grunted 'its old junk' in reply which puzzled me, I thought it was wonderful but I suppose he had his eye on a pastel painted GSXR.

Good stuff does not stop being good due to market waves. Adjustments occur but value remains while some other stuff depreciates over time to nothing and stays there.
 
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And so its a great time to buy :)

When cash is king use it if you have it, and get what you think is good stuff

Shortly after I bought my bevel SS for $5700 in 1993, while buying parts from remaining dealer stock I was scoffed at by Pro Italia as being completely out of touch in my appreciation of the bike. They said it was almost unsalable in the US and advised to sell it in Australia quickly because that market was still living in the past due to the Australian tax situation on new bikes, but would catch on to the 90s trends eventually. Pro Italia was meanwhile selling belt drive 900SSs for about $6500, substantially more at the time than my 'yesterday's news' bevel SS but a nice one is today worth a fraction as much regardless of current prices. They're fun to ride but a cheap POS by comparison and always will be. New 2026 bikes are even worse in that regard and will all be throw-aways, along with almost anything now manufactured.

I remember saying 'nice bike' to a German with a Laverda 3C at an Autobahn or Autostrada petrol station in 1989. He grunted 'its old junk' in reply which puzzled me, I thought it was wonderful but I suppose he had his eye on a pastel painted GSXR.

Good stuff does not stop being good due to market waves. Adjustments occur but value remains while some other stuff depreciates over time to nothing and stays there.
I wish more people thought like you.
 
And so its a great time to buy :)

When cash is king use it if you have it, and get what you think is good stuff

Shortly after I bought my bevel SS for $5700 in 1993, while buying parts from remaining dealer stock I was scoffed at by Pro Italia as being completely out of touch in my appreciation of the bike. They said it was almost unsalable in the US and advised to sell it in Australia quickly because that market was still living in the past due to the Australian tax situation on new bikes, but would catch on to the 90s trends eventually. Pro Italia was meanwhile selling belt drive 900SSs for about $6500, substantially more at the time than my 'yesterday's news' bevel SS but a nice one is today worth a fraction as much regardless of current prices. They're fun to ride but a cheap POS by comparison and always will be. New 2026 bikes are even worse in that regard and will all be throw-aways, along with almost anything now manufactured.

I remember saying 'nice bike' to a German with a Laverda 3C at an Autobahn or Autostrada petrol station in 1989. He grunted 'its old junk' in reply which puzzled me, I thought it was wonderful but I suppose he had his eye on a pastel painted GSXR.

Good stuff does not stop being good due to market waves. Adjustments occur but value remains while some other stuff depreciates over time to nothing and stays there.
Yes, bikes are for riding.
Forget the rest.
The collapse of the dreaded market is an excellent thing since it makes nice old bikes available to motorcyclists.
However, the bikes not being ridden has led to the disappearance of parts and people capable of working on them. We've only been warning about that issue for the last quarter of a century but owners were too busy polishing and looking smugly at auction results.

Posts on this forum concerning bikes being ridden have become few and far between. Talking about Gen Z spending their time online is a joke.

There are good mechanics out there and always will be only for us Laverda owners, we'll have to understand that it'll soon be easier to have a JAP V twin sorted, or a Vincent, than a Laverda triple.

Paul
 
A good mechanic should seek information here and elsewhere if not familiar with the marque. I was able to rebuild the bottom end of my ball bearing crank Jota decades before the info (or internet) on here was available. Not so sure I could have tackled a bevel Ducati. Point is, for an overhead cam these engines are doable.
 
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