Anyone recall this Laverda

You know for good clean fun tell onlookers that your Bridgestone was built in the
Midlands not too far from Meriden. I wish I had a dollar for every old git (probably
...no surely dead now that rode a military model in one of the Allied forces during
the Second Great unpleasantness.)
 
Exmoor beast said:
but there are no Laverda stories because no one’s Dad had one.
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My son can tell the story of "My dad had even several and I even rode one of them already"

All a question of time... My father had a German Triumph and a Lambretta and a Fiat Topolino. I am neither riding a Triumph nor a Lambretta nor a Fiat... ;-) But I get your point, Laverdas are still fairly unknown outside our community. And those that have heard of them regard them as non-reliable, exotic, overweighted beasts. Well, not totally wrong, right?
:unsure: 😇
 
My dad never owned a bike and drove things like, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Jensen Healy, Ford Capri etc. I drive a van.
I am just as likely to meet people (who have an interest in bikes) who owned or new someone that owned a ‘Jota’, as someone who has never heard of Laverda.
 
Exmoor beast said:
All the retros that are selling well have their own bespoke engine that gives them an identity that people relate to.
Using an existing motor you just end up with a bitza. Triumph & Royal Enfield are selling to people who don’t remember the original bikes but the brand is familiar. Bikers look at my bike, ask what is it? a Laverda..What’s a Laverda?
Motorcycle folklore is full of ” my Dad had a BSA/ Triumph/Norton, sold a Vincent for a fiver ( no one ever bought one for a fiver!) had a Bonneville/ Goldstar/ Commando when they first came out…but there are no Laverda stories because no one’s Dad had one.
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I think a lot of the people I meet who have bought modern triumphs and enfields DO remember the original bikes. In fact a friend who owns a ‘modern’ 500 Enfield gets really offended when people say it’s not a proper Enfield as he says it is just a version of a bike that has been in production for decades.
 
Andy J said:
I think a lot of the people I meet who have bought modern triumphs and enfields DO remember the original bikes. In fact a friend who owns a ‘modern’ 500 Enfield gets really offended when people say it’s not a proper Enfield as he says it is just a version of a bike that has been in production for decades.
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What's the proportion of younger people? Anybody who remembers the originals is 60 or over.
The last ones were made near 40 years ago now.

Paul
 
Andy J said:
My dad never owned a bike and drove things like, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Jensen Healy, Ford Capri etc. I drive a van.
I am just as likely to meet people (who have an interest in bikes) who owned or new someone that owned a ‘Jota’, as someone who has never heard of Laverda.
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You live in the Isle of Man, little old lady in the chip shop knows what a Laverda is !
 
There was a Breton running a chippy in Onchan back in 92. We'd go across the road to buy a bottle of wine or two at the off license and then back to the chippy for wine and chips.

Paul
 
Exmoor beast said:
My lasting memory of the Port Jack chippy was they were closed at dinner time, the choice of fish was “ fish” and they covered chips in onion gravy!
I
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It’s actually ‘chips, cheese and gravy’ if you want the full blown Manx comfort dish. Last week the island had a celebration of the national dish.
 
Paul Marx said:
What's the proportion of younger people? Anybody who remembers the originals is 60 or over.
The last ones were made near 40 years ago now.

Paul
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You’re right Paul the Meriden factory shut up shop 40 years ago, but Les Harris kept on producing Bonnies for a few more years and there were plenty of s/h ‘old’ Triumphs knocking around in dealers etc. for a good many years after. So many a young lad buying a bike in the 90’s and naughties will have had a dad or uncle etc that owned an old British bike, so I don’t think it’s just over 60’s that remember them.
And as previously mentioned, Enfields have been in continuous production.
 
Andy J said:
You can still get your kipper bap, but these days most likely in a Tesco supplied bap as the last big bakery on the island, Ramsey Bakery closed its doors last year.
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You’ll be telling me the Palace lido &Tram shunter have gone next..
Andy J said:
You’re right Paul the Meriden factory shut up shop 40 years ago, but Les Harris kept on producing Bonnies for a few more years and there were plenty of s/h ‘old’ Triumphs knocking around in dealers etc. for a good many years after. So many a young lad buying a bike in the 90’s and naughties will have had a dad or uncle etc that owned an old British bike, so I don’t think it’s just over 60’s that remember them.
And as previously mentioned, Enfields have been in continuous production.
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Les Harris phoned us and asked if we would sell his Bonneville- I talked Des into getting a U.S & a U.K spec bike to see how they went…we had no interest in them at all and were stuck with them for over a year.
For years after I had “ ..like those Triumphs you told us to get!”
 
Andy J said:
You’re right Paul the Meriden factory shut up shop 40 years ago, but Les Harris kept on producing Bonnies for a few more years and there were plenty of s/h ‘old’ Triumphs knocking around in dealers etc. for a good many years after. So many a young lad buying a bike in the 90’s and naughties will have had a dad or uncle etc that owned an old British bike, so I don’t think it’s just over 60’s that remember them.
And as previously mentioned, Enfields have been in continuous production.
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One doesn't see time go by. The 90s was 30 years ago now. The lad buying a bike in the 90s is now 50.
It's his grown up children we're talking about.

Paul
 
Alzero said:
Mmmm, French fries and gravy! I’ve finished many a night of drinking with a stop at the all-night diner for a plateful.
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No chips, not French fries.
Please.

More or less local to Northern and Eastern France. They don't know how to make them down South.
Here in Northern France, we consider "les frites" to be a Belgian speciality anyway.

Paul
 
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