Featherbed Laverda

The Sock said:
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Can I ask a couple of questions about your 3CE as I have recently rebuilt one and want to check a few things.
My cam box is chromed (badly) and I think I will remove that over the winter, is yours chromed or just polished?
My exhausts are ridiculously loud and the neighbours are complaining, are yours? ( Not the neighbours)
Is yours a ‘76? My number is 4989 are they all close numbers?
Mine has 32mm carbs although I was told 34mm by the owner when I bought it.
Is the stripe on the side panels stock as mine does not have it.
I could do with refitting the stock air box if I can find one as the carbs were full of a black grinding paste!
Thanks
Robin
 
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Robin Webster said:
Can I ask a couple of questions about your 3CE as I have recently rebuilt one and want to check a few things.
My cam box is chromed (badly) and I think I will remove that over the winter, is yours chromed or just polished?
My exhausts are ridiculously loud and the neighbours are complaining, are yours? ( Not the neighbours)
Is yours a ‘76? My number is 4989 are they all close numbers?
Mine has 32mm carbs although I was told 34mm by the owner when I bought it.
Is the stripe on the side panels stock as mine does not have it.
I could do with refitting the stock air box if I can find one as the carbs as the carbs were full of a black grinding paste!
Thanks
Robin
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Cambox is original alloy. Once they've been cromed, getting the chrome off and returning it to a polished state is tricky and expensive. Best to source a second hand one, from a reputable source. Make sure it's straight and crack free.

I don't think mine is "ridiculously loud" but I wear earplugs. If the neighbours complain, I don't hear them (or, frankly, give a ...., I've been here longer than they have).

I opened mine up June '76. Numbers are a little more than a 1,000 less than yours. Bear in mind that all Mark I Triples, including Drummers, 3c/Es, 3CLs and Jotas are sequentially numbered from 1001 in '72.

Mine came with 32mm PHFs from new. They were smoothbored to 36mm when Phil "Motodd Prepared" my motor.

The stripe was not standard, on mine, when new. IMO, without it the panel looks too big a block of colour and distracts from the shape of the tank. Initially, I added a thick black stripe, in '76, (photo attached) but switched to the dual stripe, back when side panels, in paint, were less than £20 a pop.
New airboxes are available from reputable dealers, also worth checking second hand suppliers.
Early, pre '79 models, were somewhat more brittle than the later ones.

Anything else you want to check, just ask?

1977 laverda 2.jpg
 
The Sock said:
Cambox is original alloy. Once they've been cromed, getting the chrome off and returning it to a polished state is tricky and expensive. Best to source a second hand one, from a reputable source. Make sure it's straight and crack free.

I don't think mine is "ridiculously loud" but I wear earplugs. If the neighbours complain, I don't hear them (or, frankly, give a ...., I've been here longer than they have).

I opened mine up June '76. Numbers are a little more than a 1,000 less than yours. Bear in mind that all Mark I Triples, including Drummers, 3c/Es, 3CLs and Jotas are sequentially numbered from 1001 in '72.

Mine came with 32mm PHFs from new. They were smoothbored to 36mm when Phil "Motodd Prepared" my motor.

The stripe was not standard, on mine, when new. IMO, without it the panel looks too big a block of colour and distracts from the shape of the tank. Initially, I added a thick black stripe, in '76, (photo attached) but switched to the dual stripe, back when side panels, in paint, were less than £20 a pop.
New airboxes are available from reputable dealers, also worth checking second hand suppliers.
Early, pre '79 models, were somewhat more brittle than the later ones.

Anything else you want to check, just ask?

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Thank you very much, good info.
Robin
 
I thought finding Air Boxs wasn't an option lately, which was why Grant was 3D printing them for big money. Happy to hear otherwise though.
 
rocketonarail said:
..... This guy made several " Spirit of the Sixties " Featherbed framed specials featured in MotorCycle Sport magazine some time ago , I believe .......

The Triple engined one has to be the most ill conceived and ungainly looking of the lot , I reckon ...... but then that`s just my opinion ..... :) ........
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You haven’t seen the Benelli Sei one, then.
 
I couldn’t see the sense of putting older, less capable forks onto an older chassis, that’s why I posted this. A triton has a lot of tradition behind it, but a Laverda into Norton?
 
Looked for an image of the Spirit of the Sixties Benelli Sei , but couldn`t find one .........

To be fair , his creations using the Hinckley / Thailand Triumph twins are a lot better ....... It`s just that early Laverda version with the gigantic curved rear downtubes ( originally to clear the oil tank ) , plus the downpipes / silencers and tiny fuel tank , that looks wrong to me ......

The visual appeal of a Laverda triple , or twin , is down to the balanced , integrated looks ..... something completely lacking here .....

No doubt it`s well engineered , and constructed ....... but judging by it`s top heavy looks , would it ride or handle any better than a standard bike ?
Seeing I`ve never ridden it , what would I know .... maybe it does and I should shut up here .... ! .......


One final thought ......

If he really wants to construct something in " The Spirit of the Sixties " ..... then maybe he should built something with crap tyres , rubbish brakes , truly lethal handling , teeth loosening vibration , barely functioning electrics , and an engine with the life expectancy of a hand grenade .........

That would be more like it ...... :whistle: .............
 
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When I was a kid The Featherbed was renowned as the ULTIMATE frame. What are we talking/ 1950s? There wasn't a lot to compare it to, so why you'd bother putting a Lav triple motor into one today when there are so many far superior options around is beyond me - form over function has never interested me in the slightest. At the end of the day the featherbed thing is only good for classic bike mags and 'look-at-me' cafe specials.
 
I have been in Gary Lawrence's garage to view his "spirit of the sixries" Featherbed Jota, he does not live that far away from me. I wanted to ride the bike, but that definately was not going to happen, so I didnt persue it, but (while he was making the coffee) I counted the front and rear sprockets 19/47, 47 being a standard Norton rear wheel sprocket, I presume, of course it goes like "runny shit off a shiny shovel" but it will run out of RPM's soon enough at maybe 95 MPH, (if lucky) on its 18" rear tyre, I also noted that there is about 65mm between the rear chain and swing arm pivot, what that must do for handling beggars belief, especially with the low gearing, but hey ho! each to his own, he is happy in the belief that the fetherbed is the best handling chassis in the world, and yes it is good with a Norton twin as factory or a Triumph twin as Triton, but even a Vincent is questionable (Norvin) because you cannot get the crankshaft centre low enough without chopping the bottom frame rails away (which has been done to good effect, (but scares most), the extra top heavy Laverda wont help any of that! plus the frame was new (as are all of Garys specials) and is not exacty a Featherbed, for the Laverda engine it is much taller, so is the frame, to give enough room and a bit longer as well, both detracting from COG and (maybe) delivering handling problems, probably, that I why I wasnt alowed to ride it, rather than the blanket "no one ever rides my bikes whist I own them" scenario. I you read this Gary, I hope you take my observations as accurate, in good faith and yes I would still like a ride on it, if only to experiance that front brake, which must by now go for two grand a pop or even more.

plenty of far more modern production and special frames around now mate!
CLEM
 
Standard Commando rear is 42T Clem. Dommi, ES2 etc had 43. Got both here on my bench...

Agree with you on your other observations though.

Ridden a couple of Featherbed frames and was impressed by the advanced performance for their era. But I also know how crappy and flimsy Roadholder forks are, OK maybe for 50hp and 150kg, but not for much more.

piet
 
piranha-bro2 said:
When I was a kid The Featherbed was renowned as the ULTIMATE frame. What are we talking/ 1950s? There wasn't a lot to compare it to, so why you'd bother putting a Lav triple motor into one today when there are so many far superior options around is beyond me - form over function has never interested me in the slightest. At the end of the day the featherbed thing is only good for classic bike mags and 'look-at-me' cafe specials.
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I was roadracing a Manx in the early 70's and they were still the standard you judged handling by. Really it was only when better frames with long travel suspension arrived that they were surpassed.
But yes, agree with Clem's comments, a featherbed isn't the ideal layout for a tall unit construction twin.

What is the front brake in it anyway ? A Robinson ?
 
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