1979 Laverda 1200 Mirage green???

I think it looks ok on a brightly coloured RGS where the bulk of the fairing and bodywork balance the darkness of the wheels. Keith's RGS is a good example, stunning combination especially with the GSXR wheels.
The Mirage I have looks out of balance to me with black wheels. My 0.02 would be if you do decide to go away from original light silver/grey would be to look at a darker grey or even charcoal grey shade. Personally I like the original colour on the Mirage.
 
Black eye make up slutty? I dunno what you mean Drikko

pris.jpg


I wouldn't climb over Daryl Hannah to get to you  :D

 
Grant said:
I think it looks ok on a brightly coloured RGS where the bulk of the fairing and bodywork balance the darkness of the wheels. Keith's RGS is a good example, stunning combination especially with the GSXR wheels.
The Mirage I have looks out of balance to me with black wheels. My 0.02 would be if you do decide to go away from original light silver/grey would be to look at a darker grey or even charcoal grey shade. Personally I like the original colour on the Mirage.
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Hi Grant

I put the silver RGS thin web wheels on the 79 1200 Mirage as I didn't like the gold the thick web 1200 wheels were painted long ago by a previous owner, especially after I had completed removing all the other gold bits from the previous owner. So, to put the thick web wheels back on I need to strip and paint them. Thanks for the photo of your black wheeled Mirage, I agree, it looks a bit out of balance with all black wheels, I'll have to think this over a bit more.

Paul LeClair
 
While I do like black wheels the whole effect of a black wheel/tire combination looks heavy. In motorcycles, where weight is the enemy, I don't think it looks particularly flattering.
Perhaps a color strip would help break up all the black.
 
Dellortoman said:
Hi Paul

Before you take the bearings out of the wheels, spin them against a pointer to make sure they're not bent (edit: don't use a dial gauge, it'll only scare you  :o). They're quite soft alloy and dent easily so it's worth making sure before you paint 'em. On the positive side, being soft, a good wheel doctor can straighten them without cracking them.

Cheers,
Cam
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Hi Cam

I have been sidetracked by a couple of non motorcycle projects, including rebuilding a 93 Toyota Camry engine for my youngest son to get the car ready for sale. Toyota made however gazillions of the Camry's, but it is easier here in Calgary to get parts for a Laverda triple than to get simple things like valve shims for a twin cam four valve Toyota engine, Alberta dealers don't carry any valve shims in stock (large flat shims for shim over bucket), I guess Toyota engines aren't meant to be repaired.... takes a lot longer to grind down a large flat shim the size of the entire top of a valve bucket than it does to grind down the tiny little Laverda shims, but harder to get a shim that large completely flat against the side of a grinding wheel, and as my youngest son found out for himself, man do those big suckers fly :o At least they are big enough they are easier to find when they go hurtling across the garage :D

yes, the Laverda wheels are quite soft, found that out the hard way about ten years ago when I was stupid enough to take the thick web wheels from the 79 1200 to the local big box motorcycle retailer for installation of new tires. Unknown to me, they had a very fancy powerful motorized tire changer, operated by the shop gorilla......... bent the crap out of both wheels and tried to give them back to me in that condition.

At the expense of the motorycle shop, I took both wheels to Alberta Wheel Repair, they did a beautiful job of straightening both wheels pretty much perfectly, as well as polishing out all the fresh gouges on the rim edges. I have taken several sets of wheels to Alberta Wheel Repair since, great job each time, when I took them a set of five 16 inch matte finished Jaguar wheels I had them sand/mirror polish/clear those wheels, they look fabulous and now 7 years later they still look incredible. Highly recomended for anyone in the Calgary area for both motorcycle and auto wheels.

so, good idea, I will spin the Laverda wheels against a pointer and make sure they are still as true as old Laverda cast wheels ever get, thanks. I am buttoning up the Toyota engine today and once it is out of my garage I'll turn my attention back to the Laverda's. I ilke working on my motorcycles MUCH more than cars, most car engines are just plain ugly, with the possible exception of the spare straight six Jaguar engine I have on an engine stand in the back of my garage.

Paul LeClair
 
Toyota engines don't normally wear out before the rest of the car does. My landcruiser engine has 270k kms on it and still runs like new, apart from the cam belt being changed and normal service items it has never had a spanner laid on it. There are many examples of the same engine still in the same condition with 500k kms so I guess I'll never know whats inside the sucker fortunately.

Not even new bikes can hope for that sort of life.
 
drikko said:
Toyota engines don't normally wear out before the rest of the car does. My landcruiser engine has 270k kms on it and still runs like new, apart from the cam belt being changed and normal service items it has never had a spanner laid on it. There are many examples of the same engine still in the same condition with 500k kms so I guess I'll never know whats inside the sucker fortunately.

Not even new bikes can hope for that sort of life.
Click to expand...

in this particular Toyota's case, at 188,000 kms a rod bearing let go, made the 2.2 gasoline engine sound an awful lot like a diesel. It was still running when the 19 year old drove it home, but what a racket..... I accused him of stuffing the transmission into "R' for Race at high speed like his idiot older brother "accidently" once did to another of the family's long string of beater cars for teenagers, but he is denying it ;)

In researching the rod bearing issue on various Toyota internet forums, seems like a common problem, not sure the Toyota engine's bulletproof reputation is really warranted, at least for the gasoline engines. Now Honda, we have in the extended family an old Honda Accord that I gave away at 468,000 kms to a distant family member some time ago that just turned up at a family gathering last weekend showing 575,000 kms that had been driven 7 hours one way to get to the family gathering. The car looks like an escapee from the junk yard, but it is still running great.

also, at least on most of the Toyota forums I checked, the average mechanical sophistication of the average Toyota owner appears to be quite low, for example setting valve clearances on an overhead valve bucket/shim engine seems to be a mystical rumour well beyond even a Toyota dealerships abilities, rather than attempt such a terrifying feat, a new engine should be installed :o ???

anyway, back to Laverda's, the Mirage green paint is very shiny today :D

Paul LeClair
 
Haha, yes the RGS looks nice in the sun too. The "beater" car I have for the teen driver in my house is a Honda Accord '97 model but it only has 130k k's on it, sounds like it will go a while yet!! Boring as batshit but with ABS and airbags I figure it will keep him alive through the crazy driving years....

 
wasn't someone looking for this - gsxr wheel

http://cgi.ebay.de/GSXR750-G-H-Slabside-85-86-Rear-Wheel-Brake-Disc-/350418386146?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DDLSL%252BSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D160589601502%252B160589601502%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D696312344683097681
 
Henry

They're getting fairly rare now. That's off a 750 so is probably only 3.50 inches, really not wide enough for a triple upgrade. Should be good on a cast wheel 750 though, they weigh a LOT less than the standard cast wheels. And tubeless tyres don't fall off if you get a flat.

Ken
 
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