ADVICE ON BUYING A JOTA - BOUGHT A MIRAGE

martymoose said:
Been overtaken by an sf3 when i was doing 100 mph, wouldnt call twins slow.......
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I remember about 20 years ago riding through the twisties in the Swiss Alps on my CBXz1000 dropping the knee, grunting getting her round corners, brakes had gone mushy... this was pure Barry Sheene at his best when some w@nker on his BMW F650 two up with his bird shot past and tooted their horn. Spoilt my day.
 
Richard 180.S2 said:
I remember about 20 years ago riding through the twisties in the Swiss Alps on my CBXz1000 dropping the knee, grunting getting her round corners, brakes had gone mushy... this was pure Barry Sheene at his best when some w@nker on his BMW F650 two up with his bird shot past and tooted their horn. Spoilt my day.
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Brill - I bet you were out of breath as well - I think quite a lot of people had this happen if they were honest - for sure hauling my Busa around Alpine bends was the same - my Triumph explorer is much quicker just punches out of corners  :D
 
78jotadave said:
Geoff, so you want a Jota eh? Good on you mate, they are a great bike, built solid, handle reasonably well, and can be made to handle really well (for a 70's era bike) with the addition of modern suspension components. The RGS models are more refined, the 3C is a beast when given the full-throttle but much more friendly to the rider. The JOTA has no apologies in its vocabulary, its an animal, not for sissy boys but for men with big balls or those who wish they had. The brute power that kicks in around 6600 RPM and onwards is a huge thrill every time you wind it up. The noise, the thrill of acceleration, the pull on your arms trying to rip them from the bars, the engine noise with exhaust note turns you into a hooligan again and again. Sure an R1 goes faster but anyone can ride an R1 fast, riding a JOTA fast is one of life's memorable experiences. Good luck with your search for your JOTA.
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And if you have a bit of spare cash and you want to get real manly you can have a bit of work done and have 120hp at the read
 
Cosi said:
And if you have a bit of spare cash and you want to get real manly you can have a bit of work done and have 120hp at the read
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Cosi, 120HP at the rear wheel? not necessary and not likely. You will spend more money and wasted weekends trying to get a standard Jota to handle that much power if you can ever get that much. Better to get out and ride the bike than trying to turn it into something it isn't.
 
Some might know more about this,but there was a guy known as Cico who worked at the Laverda factory,then set up his own tuning shop nearby who would produce tuned triples to order?
He took one out to 1203cc,got the weight down to 330 lbs,and it gave 110 bhp through it`s rear wheel apparently.(Or it may have been crank,probably more likely,which would give about 90 at the rear wheel,still a fair bit though).
 
Richard 180.S2 said:
I remember about 20 years ago riding through the twisties in the Swiss Alps on my CBXz1000 dropping the knee, grunting getting her round corners, brakes had gone mushy... this was pure Barry Sheene at his best when some w@nker on his BMW F650 two up with his bird shot past and tooted their horn. Spoilt my day.
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I've mentioned on here before how impressed I was when i rode my brother in law's F650. He lives at the base of a very twisty mountain road (Mt Donna Buang). Within about 10 seconds I felt totally at ease on that bike, and could ride it very quickly up and down the mountain, never once scaring myself or making an error. If the corner tightened a little, just lean it further. Coming down I went past a couple of Hog tootlers and i reckon they must have been astonished at how quickly I went past and how fast a moto can go on a road like that. Just so easy to ride.
 
lawrence said:
And those 650 singles were smoother than any big thumper had a right to be.  :)
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BM have a fancy counterbalance system that runs off the big end - very clever engineering. Not sure it's on the 650 but certainly on the F850 (270 deg?) twins.
 
The third leg counterbalance was on their 360 deg twins.
I agree with you Dave that a good standard Jota engine is about the limit for what the rest of the package can cope with. Does a triple engine in a trick frame with modern suspension qualify to be called a Jota? Ask the Slater?s for a Jota certificate.
 
Piranha Brother 2 said:
BM have a fancy counterbalance system that runs off the big end - very clever engineering. Not sure it's on the 650 but certainly on the F850 (270 deg?) twins.
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Quentin,
this balancing system is only available in the F series with the Rotax Twins. BMW later bought the rights to the Rotax engine, the engines of the (current) successor models are manufactured by Loncin in China ...

Sorry for OT
 
Hi Geoff I am a Laverda owner and have ridden triples since 1978, my first bike was a 1977 3CL converted to a Jota by the Australian dealer at the time Stanco, well that was 42 years ago and I still get a thrill from riding these personality filled bikes in fact I rode my 1979 Jota for a weekend away this weekend just gone covering 2400kms and the experience is so great it is difficult to describe.
See if you can get a ride on a 3CL or Jota just to see what its like then I am sure you will buy one as soon as you find the right bike.
All the best with your choice.
 
maurice turner said:
Hi Geoff I am a Laverda owner and have ridden triples since 1978, my first bike was a 1977 3CL converted to a Jota by the Australian dealer at the time Stanco, well that was 42 years ago and I still get a thrill from riding these personality filled bikes in fact I rode my 1979 Jota for a weekend away this weekend just gone covering 2400kms and the experience is so great it is difficult to describe.
See if you can get a ride on a 3CL or Jota just to see what its like then I am sure you will buy one as soon as you find the right bike.
All the best with your choice.
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Thanks Maurice.

What a great place you live for riding. My wife & I did Darwen to Adelaide, then she flew to Sydney & I rode there solo to meet her. I loved riding the Grampains, the Great Ocean Road & the Snowies. I was on a BMW R1200GS & it was brilliant, bet it's even better on a Laverda!!!!!
 
gvhbiker said:
I was on a BMW R1200GS & it was brilliant, bet it's even better on a Laverda!!!!!
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Depends on your definition of 'better'.  If your definition includes the word 'interesting' then yes, maybe. But if you have ageing bones and are likely to suffer from riding with clip-ons and rear set footrests for hours on end, then perhaps you'll want to reconsider. On a long trip such as you describe, there's no way I'd opt for a Jota over a GS Beemer.

A year or two ago I was on a weekend ride with some friends. We were on a mixed bunch of bikes - Yamaha MT01, a couple of Ducati Multistradas, BMW R1200GS and another BMW of some sort (I think - they all look the same to me  ::)). Late on the first day some of us did the usual bike swap.

Getting off the Jota and onto the 1200GS after several hours in the saddle was like getting off a torture rack and onto an plush armchair. The Beemer was so much more comfortable than the Jota. Boring as bat shit though. I'd never buy one.

I really liked the Multistrada 1200 though. A very capable bike and comfortable to ride, and it had a bit of Italian character. I was so impressed that I subsequently kept an eye out for a good value used one (ended up buying something else - but that's another story).

Those who rode the Jota on that bike trip liked it, but they were only on it for 20 mins at a time. Long enough to get a taste of the unique Laverda experience, but not long enough to experience all the aches and pains it inevitably induces. I've noticed that as I get older, the Jota gets less suitable as a bike to do long mileages on. I'm obviously not as supple as young whipper-snappers like Maurice  ;).

Cheers,
Cam
 
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