Engines bigger than 1200cc
- Thread starter Vince
- Start date
Laverdalothar
Hero member
- Location
- Germany
just an asshole with insufficient knowledge that betrayed his customers by promissing things he never provided. He ruined several engines, partly even used cork (!!) to somehow "mount" pulled engine studs back in place and so on. His "Race engines with 1230ccm" that he claimed to have "special forged pistons from america" were acutally equiped with cheap Yamaha pistons, that he removed the Yamaha symbols and part numbers off of and wich were to short by several mm!! This resulted in a compression around 5:1. To compensate at least a bit and raise the compression, he skimmed down the cylinders and head so drastically that you couldn't even tighten the timing chain anymore... Result was a compression of 6,5:1 or so and a power output that was so way below the promised 100HP that they were even below the standard horsepower I think. Not sure what he thought he was doing...
There are one or two engines that seem to have the right pistons in and that were even raced. He used that to promote his work, but most of the other customers got betrayed.
Michael Gawlik (R.I.P) who worked at OCT for some time (and I think was also a co-owner) had a Jota with such an engine with these Yamaha pistons. The engine was running somewhat well, at least Michael was happy with it. He traveld to several Laverda meetings with his then girl friend, luggage etc.. He did the electrics on my Jota, which works perfectly ever since (25 years).
One day, I was at OCT and just had the Keihins installed and the exhaust issue fixed. I spoke with Michael about the bike and he was tempted to give it a ride to test out the Keihins and the overall running of the engine. I gave him the key and he jumped into his gear, started the bike and off he went.
one hour later (!) he came back, stopped the engine right at the entrance but kept sitting on the bike. I went over to him, asking if everything is Ok, as he sat there, looking down onto the tank like mentally in a different world. After a while he looked up to me and said: "What the hell is THAT?" I thought something is wrong with the bike and asked what he means. He said: "This bike goes like hell, I have never ridden something like it before, at least not from Laverda!" I was a bit in disbelief as yes, the bike was good, but there must have been other bikes with similar HP already in OCT's hands.
We started chatting about what I have changed on the engine etc. and after a while, Michael said: "If that is 100HP or more, mine must have something like 50 or 60..."
As far as I know, he (who always defended Claus Nieland due to his Jota running smooth and that engine was "tuned" by Nieland) took his bikes engine out and found exactly what I told him he would find... He was not that happy anymore with Claus I think...
Gerald
Hero member
Lothar has described what said con man was up to and AFAIK still is.
Recently he, or one of his relatives, seems to have advertised parts in German classifieds (Kleinanzeigen) for Porsche 928.
In days preceeding my ownership of digital cameras or smartphones, I pulled a friends triple engine apart.
Even back then I wished I had a camera with me to document the havoc he wreaked.
Top exhaust cam pillar far left was held in place with a Fischer rawl plug and wooden screw!
Bottom engine case had a large hole repair with automotive filler!
His ignorance and incompetence are second to none.
Gerald
Recently he, or one of his relatives, seems to have advertised parts in German classifieds (Kleinanzeigen) for Porsche 928.
In days preceeding my ownership of digital cameras or smartphones, I pulled a friends triple engine apart.
Even back then I wished I had a camera with me to document the havoc he wreaked.
Top exhaust cam pillar far left was held in place with a Fischer rawl plug and wooden screw!
Bottom engine case had a large hole repair with automotive filler!
His ignorance and incompetence are second to none.
Gerald
Last edited:
Gerald
Hero member
Still at least 2 of that kind out there......
Laverdalothar
Hero member
- Location
- Germany
not to sure to the same degree of incompetence...
The Nieland motor (twin) I once disassembled had Yamaha pistons, the crowns of which had been attacked with a wood rasp to match them to the squish bands of the head
piet
Exmoor beast
Hero member
- Location
- Minehead,Somerset, ENGLAND OF COURSE
I seem to recall a story about him bodging cam caps on a Laverda now you mention it- sounds a nightmare!
Laverdalothar
Hero member
- Location
- Germany
I think there is barely anything that he did not do wrong on these engines... Not sure if it was ignorance, missing knowledge or ability to fix it right or just that he wanted to be smarter than others - I don't know. I can say though that he spend some time in Jail as far as I know and was later seen as a cashier in a supermarket. Not sure I would trust him with money though...
My brother bought his first Laverda from him. One cam was one tooth out, the cables of the alternator were clamped in by the right hand engine cover (that's why the bike did never charge the battery due a shortage there) and some other points. The only good thing was, that CN only did service on the bike and had someone painting the tank, SFC-alike fairing and the one-person seat unit in orange, which looked spotless.
Friend of mine bought his first ever Laverda (early non-oil-cooler drum brakes 3 C, #1107 or so iirc), which was - aside of a good green paint job of the tank and side-covers - untouched. The second bike he bought from him was a "1230ccm" bike, that bent a valve on the first ride out (valve guide gap to tight). Happens. he returned the bike to him just to get it back some weeks later along with a more than 1.000,-DM bill for the repair. That very same valve snapped on the next ride-out, sticking in the piston... obviously other than he invoiced, he did not replace the valve but has straightened it without first softening the material and afterwards hardening it again... My buddy was so pissed, he called my brother and both together took out the engine and found the catastrophy as desribed above.
My brother bought his first Laverda from him. One cam was one tooth out, the cables of the alternator were clamped in by the right hand engine cover (that's why the bike did never charge the battery due a shortage there) and some other points. The only good thing was, that CN only did service on the bike and had someone painting the tank, SFC-alike fairing and the one-person seat unit in orange, which looked spotless.
Friend of mine bought his first ever Laverda (early non-oil-cooler drum brakes 3 C, #1107 or so iirc), which was - aside of a good green paint job of the tank and side-covers - untouched. The second bike he bought from him was a "1230ccm" bike, that bent a valve on the first ride out (valve guide gap to tight). Happens. he returned the bike to him just to get it back some weeks later along with a more than 1.000,-DM bill for the repair. That very same valve snapped on the next ride-out, sticking in the piston... obviously other than he invoiced, he did not replace the valve but has straightened it without first softening the material and afterwards hardening it again... My buddy was so pissed, he called my brother and both together took out the engine and found the catastrophy as desribed above.