75th Anniversary July 2024

[Jo]

1st day of way home. Although I checked today's leg with Google Maps beforehand, we found it (officially) closed. Part of it was washed out, but there was a bypass where you could pass through filled with coarse gravel.

I've always wanted to ride this pass, but it required patience. Very small and narrow, we couldn't use more than third gear for more than 1 hour.

 

[Haggis]

Hi Jo. I had a similar worry this afternoon, after travelling over to, then getting on, the B500 in the Germanski Schwarzwald.

A road I like, but haven't ridden for a long time and I was really looking forward to it.

It was reduced to one lane with a 30kph limit (luckily the open lane going in my northwards direction from Freudenstadt). I disappointedly went on and stuck with it, even though I had no idea what was going on. About a third of the way up, luckily it was fully open as normal again.

 

[Jo]

Hurray, the forum is available again!

Juergen and I arrived safe and sound home, me half an hour ago. We'd a four-day trip back, starting last Tuesday. Our Laverdas never missed a beat which is kind of awesome! More later. Beer time now.

 

[Haggis]

I'm home, and missing those lovely, sweeping, smooth, grippy European roads already.

The last run was a long one, Baden-Baden to UK midlands in one hit (except the ferry of course).

Thanks to all for the excellent company over the 75th weekend. I enjoyed it a great deal and would not have made it without the encouragement of many as I went through the 3 breakdowns before hand.

Looking forward to doing it all again

 

[Jo]

Thursday and day 3 on our way to Breganze, Juergen and I met three more Laverdisti in the Oetz valley: Gentlemen start your engines!

Timmelsjoch / Passo Rombo

Timmelsjoch / Passo Rombo

Hofmahdjoch / Passo Castrin

Kaiserjägersteig / Strada del Menador

Piazza Mazzini, Breganze on friday

Marnix and Werner entering @saturday's Laverda dinner

Piazza Mazzini, Breganze on sunday

 

[Johluy]

Timmelsjoch, 4th july 2024

 

[Otto]

Umbria/Stelvio and Gavia, way back on the Timmelsjoch

 

[piranha-bro2]

What awesome roads and landscapes! Love the 'alto' rack on the SS!

 

[dude]

 

[Jo]

Some more pictures of mostly (from my point of view) interesting Laverdas:

Kalle’s blue Jota – ex 24h racer of Moto-Witt. I attended the race in Spa/Francorchamps in 1982 where it failed with a broken cam chain.

Piet’s long stroke (80mm) GTL – love the smooth and yet very powerful sound of it

Nice SF3 in 270° configuration – the owner told me with shining eyes about a much-improved performance

Reinhold’s “Pilot” immaculate Motoplast triple

Lovely early 3c in nice light-green livery

750 SFC of Thomas aus LAU

Henrik’s nicely set-up cantilever twin with interesting history

Former (Laimböck?) race triple

Long-legged Breganze twin - if the owner is serious about the intended use, he should perhaps protect his shafts better

tbc ...

 

[sfcpiet]

Finally arrived home, taking my time on the return trip. I left Breganze on Wednesday for an uneventful but very enjoyable, mostly dry ride north via Nassfeldpass/Passo Pramollo, Tauern "ferry" past Salzburg to Kirchdorf am Inn to spend a pleasant evening with Willi Werndl and a couple of non-Laverda related friends, then rolling on through the lower half of the republic in pleasant coolish weather. Managed to dodge a rain storm Friday afternoon, 4.3km from my destination! Sat it out in a bus shelter for about 20 minutes, only got moderately moist.

piet


"Temple" in Possagno. Actually a Catholic church.


Strapped down for the train ride through the mountain.


Willi


View over the countryside near Aschaffenburg

 

[The Sock]

Long-legged Breganze twin - if the owner is serious about the intended use, he should perhaps protect his shafts better

tbc ...

Marc Weytens’ unique SF, with lots of lovely touches, including a hydraulic front brake.
Wonderful to watch it float across the challenging road surfaces to our lunch stop, on the Asiago Plateau.

 

[The Sock]

Just realised my Returned Home musing, posted 10th July AM, was one of the casualties of the glitch. So, I'll repost:

Nine hours sleep and now on my second mug of coffee, I'm trying to assemble some thoughts about the wonderful weekend I just had.
Clothes are washed, T-shirts await ironing. Leathers and the bike require cleaning. Sadly, the rain-free nature of my 2,100 mile trip was abruptly ended a mere 20 miles from home.
It's difficult to express how wonderful a time I had to most of you, perhaps impossible to some.
The price, and I include the extortionate Autobahn fuel prices, was utterly irrelevant.
I've yet to organise my fuel receipts and add them to my records to calculate my fuel consumption. OCD, perhaps, but I keep trip and annual fuel/distance records.
Most importantly, it was the smiles per gallon that counted, and they would be in four, maybe five, figures.
To have shared the experience with so many. Some who had to overcome many obstacles to make it there, some who had travelled halfway round the world.
We all shared a companionship based on a connection to a particular make of motorcycle but, I would suggest. more of an openess of heart. I have no idea if other makes could inspire to that level, but I hope it's possible, too, for them.
Great to be able to put faces, and voices, to so many Laverda Forum friends, too numerous to mention individually. Thirteen charming Australians, and Tom, of course.
The warmth, kindness and generosity of the Owners, organisers and townspeople will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Already looking forward to the next one!

 

[The Sock]

Cont.

 

[Tippie]

Home now from the fantastic experience which was the 75th, upon which enough praise has been poured, just so bloody good to meet so many like-infected Laverda owners. Our route home was east into Slovenia then north through Austria, Czech, a corner of Poland, Germany keeping a radius of about 60km east and north of Berlin, then up to Rostock, ferry to Trelleborg and a blast up the motorway from Malmø to home. As neither Geir nor myself are good at stopping to take photos along the way as many on here are, I will load a just one up, about the busiest place we encountered but a memorable mountain pass in Silesian alps. All I can say is that the route we chose was mainly on tree lined and covered fantastic roads, very often riding through a green shaded tunnel, absolutely fantastic. We used by-roads almost exclusively which were very easy to follow by number, 168, 109 etc which occasionally caused confusion and we ended up backtracking 20 minutes after roadwork in a town. I have heard that this alternative to the usual route up western lands is fabulous but never having actually met someone who has done it, were unsure what would meet us. The only negative was Poland, maybe the motorways are good but the b-roads are as abysmal as anything I have ever been subjected to, think trying to stand on the pegs at 40km/h for many km, maybe we picked the bad ones but I would have bypassed the land.
And to the problems. My bike just went and went, satisfied with its vacuum hose and cracked fuse issues on the way to Breganze. Geir´s bike had an exhaust tappet close up, but was ok once opened to a "clack" as we didn't carry feelers. Then after these Polish roads, arriving in Boleslawiec still in the country his rear tyre deflated. OK, got 24 hr roadside assistance Europe wide. From 6pm he was on the phone to insurance in Norway, who waited "for a price" from 3 different mobs, at 1.30 in the morning with no help (we reckon the 24 hr refers to the waiting time) he whipped out the wheel and got a cab to the hotel where I had gone ahead to. Next day we found a really helpful bike shop where we were permitted to use the machine to fit a new tube. Tops. Two days later, in Germany at 100km/h it lets go again. Bloody amateurs had managed to catch the tube and it was fucked again, albeit the stiffest bastard of a tyre as any I have ever come across. Geir sent me ahead to Rostock to catch the booked ferry as I am on time constraints unlike him. ADAC were prompt on the case, loaded the bike and did all they could getting him back on the road, albeit the next day. I had to push it to catch the ferry, so unhooked "avoid motorways" on google maps, and stuck the 50 year old SF on 5000rpm, making the ferry with 8 minutes to spare. Oh, and Geir had got a cold the last day in Czech, and I was getting it the day of puncture nr 2, so I was feeling like shit, but slept most of the ferry tour. A fantastic hotel in Malmø, slept off most of the aches, then a 5 hour motorway tour back home. Geir managed to get the last spot on a ferry from Kiel to Gothenburg, and is probably asleep as I write, with just a short skip home from there. The big adventure that neither of us thought we could pull off. My bike first start two weeks before leaving, Geir's a bit before that. 2300km on my odo, filled 750ml oil in Malmö, as good as trouble free km. A few bits of rain, but mostly warm and sweaty with very little under our riding gear. The family we shared a dining table with made bloody good motorbikes.

 

[andre g]

I also made some fotos. I forgot my swimming trunks and could not use the pool at my hotel

 

[hooksey]

Thursday and day 3 on our way to Breganze, Juergen and I met three more Laverdisti in the Oetz valley: Gentlemen start your engines!

Timmelsjoch / Passo Rombo

Timmelsjoch / Passo Rombo

Hofmahdjoch / Passo Castrin

Kaiserjägersteig / Strada del Menador

Piazza Mazzini, Breganze on friday

Marnix and Werner entering @saturday's Laverda dinner

Piazza Mazzini, Breganze on sunday

Livin the dream you Blokes......Bravo!
Hear a rattle Mr Sock ....?

 

[Vince]

Fantastic reports one and all, seems Scott gets a Gold Star for his ex-race bikes as well.

 

[ozijotati]

Everyone that made the effort to get there deserves to get a gold star.What a wonderful rally , catching up with old friends,more importantly meeting and making new onesI’m in the fortunate position of having a local friend and his family adopt me and open doors that others wouldn’t otherwise have access to. I’m also fortunate in my friend Serge , a former president of our Laverda club who speaks the local dialect was in attendance and showed me some fascinating sights. He also introduced me to some people that I probably wouldn’t have met because of the language barrier, these people were so charming and gracious and willing to give time and information freely. This small town that made the bikes that we love is a truly a wonderful place.
Tom

 

[Jo]

Hi Jo. I had a similar worry this afternoon, after travelling over to, then getting on, the B500 in the Germanski Schwarzwald.

A road I like, but haven't ridden for a long time and I was really looking forward to it.

It was reduced to one lane with a 30kph limit (luckily the open lane going in my northwards direction from Freudenstadt). I disappointedly went on and stuck with it, even though I had no idea what was going on. About a third of the way up, luckily it was fully open as normal again.

Hi Haggis,
which route did you take from Breganze to the Austrian border, or rather, which passes did you drive over on this route?

After the Grossglockner and Königssee you were far east in Germanski, but then you found yourself 500km west in the Black Forest. I would be interested to know what all was on your bucket list? Just my curiosity as a passionate route planner …


Cheers,
Jo