G
Grant
Guest
It is always better to learn from the mistakes of others (if you are smart).
Hence this very long and convoluted thread.
Hence this very long and convoluted thread.
R
Reggie3cl
Guest
If only you'd known how flakey your relative was, eh Lothar?
QE fucking D. I'm out.
QE fucking D. I'm out.
Laverdalothar
Hero member
- Location
- Germany
Reggie3cl said:
Well - to be honest I should have known better, but that's the wrong place to discuss this further.
Let's share experiences in a balanced and not in a heated way, I think everyone benefits from that. With Keith being a good source obviously in UK and Slaters still doing some business (even if retiring step by step I heard/read), UK has some good alternatives.
Cheers
Tetley Laverda
Senior member
I totally agree if some of those things happened to me I would be extremely angry too I can only speak from my own experiences during the past 8yrs with Steve and a handful of other people including John Faulkner getting their bikes sorted while I was at the unit .
I feel I have said enough on this thread before I sart turning over the same ground . Time to enjoy life .
Regards
Tetley
I feel I have said enough on this thread before I sart turning over the same ground . Time to enjoy life .
Regards
Tetley
Tetley Laverda
Senior member
I have not had any work done by Keith Nairn but I am pretty confident I would not be disappointed too .
All the Best Keith
Tetley
All the Best Keith
Tetley
D
Davo
Guest
Robjota said:bob said:
The SFC claimant, is in a photo somewhere on the netI think the photo was taken by Benzina (Ace Cafe frontage), and there is a guy bending over looking at my bike with grey hair (betwixt bike and camera) that should narrow it down
Do you mean this one http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_S2lIA6DlrJE/S96K25px7WI/AAAAAAAACeg/P_axc2eFePM/s1600/ace+italians+041.jpg
laverdakeith
Hero member
If it wasn't for the clean clothes I would say it could even be the villan of the piece...
Keith
Keith
D
Davo
Guest
Robjota said:
I was looking for the trailer you carried it in
Just to put an end to the adverse comments about me in this story - I am the man in the picture taken at the Ace and also the owner of the SFC that Steve Winterton refuses to return parts of.
I was looking at the bike at the Ace out of interest - I do know the difference between an SFC and a Triple. I also helped bump start it when it refused to fire up when the owner was leaving.
I purchased the SFC from Slaters in the days when Steve had a workshop next door - in the 80's !! I had just sold another SFC a few years earlier (RCJ68M) the ex-Slater racer and I wanted another one. I paid around ?2600 for it and as it needed work I left it with Steve to repair it for me - i have never seen it since.!!
I have spent the best part of 30 years trying to get my property back - chasing Steve from one location to another - and always with excuses as to why he could not return it.
I am told that Steve also had an SFC at the time which he crashed - when he damaged his leg. Strange that mine should get dis-assembled into its component parts and disappear at around the same time.
As the Police do not give a damn - too busy with "more important things" - their words not mine - and as I am not a violent man - I have had to try and wrest my property back in a legal and civilised way. This does not work with Steve.
When I lost touch with him completely I did give up for a while - not because I am rich ( far from it) but because i have a life and a very busy job- which entailed a lot of time working abroad - and when in the UK I lived a 3+ hour drive away from Steve's usual area of operation and could never be sure he would be there if I turned up or if he had moved again.
In 2009 - after working abroad for a number of years I returned to the UK and decided to try one last time to get my bike back- before I am too old to ride it !!!
I tracked Steve down in Badsey and demanded my bike back - for a while he gave me the usual stories - it was in storage , he did not have the keys to the lock-up - it was with his mate Ed - who owns a nursery etc etc.
I kept making visits to his workshop - ask his neighbours !- and eventually he started returning parts - some were mine - wheels, frame, tank, seat, exhausts,- others - forks, rear units, clip-ons were just old tat he had lying around - no sign of the engine, fairing, electrics, carbs and many other parts.
He kept promising to return the engine and on one visit pointed out a half assembled twin engine that Steve said was an SFC as it had the correct crank - but it was not my engine number and when I checked with Marnix he said that it was a GTL engine number on the crankcases. Very strange.
So 4 years later - I still don't have the engine or other parts and he has been kicked out of his workshop in Badsey and no-one seems to know where he is.
He knows all my phone numbers and never answers any calls, voicemails or texts that I send.
John Faulkner has been trying to help me get this stuff back but I gather he has not seen or heard from Steve for a while. Last communication I had from John was that Steve had "found" some SFC parts and was going to give them to John. Steve did not keep the arranged meeting.
I too found Steve very affable and good to talk to when you visit him - but that is usually to steer talk away from why you went there in the first place.
His unit was broken into a few years ago by some disgruntled customers and many things apparently stolen - the police were called but did nothing as far as I know.
So there you have it - not heresay, not rumour, all verifiable and straight from the horse's mouth (I've been called worse- including a potential thief by people in this forum)
So trust Steve if you wish- he is without doubt a very talented mechanic when it comes to Laverdas and probably good fun to have a beer with but when his biggest supporters refuse to leave their bikes with him - then I think that says it all.
And Steve - if you read this - I still want my engine and other parts back and i wont give up!
I was looking at the bike at the Ace out of interest - I do know the difference between an SFC and a Triple. I also helped bump start it when it refused to fire up when the owner was leaving.
I purchased the SFC from Slaters in the days when Steve had a workshop next door - in the 80's !! I had just sold another SFC a few years earlier (RCJ68M) the ex-Slater racer and I wanted another one. I paid around ?2600 for it and as it needed work I left it with Steve to repair it for me - i have never seen it since.!!
I have spent the best part of 30 years trying to get my property back - chasing Steve from one location to another - and always with excuses as to why he could not return it.
I am told that Steve also had an SFC at the time which he crashed - when he damaged his leg. Strange that mine should get dis-assembled into its component parts and disappear at around the same time.
As the Police do not give a damn - too busy with "more important things" - their words not mine - and as I am not a violent man - I have had to try and wrest my property back in a legal and civilised way. This does not work with Steve.
When I lost touch with him completely I did give up for a while - not because I am rich ( far from it) but because i have a life and a very busy job- which entailed a lot of time working abroad - and when in the UK I lived a 3+ hour drive away from Steve's usual area of operation and could never be sure he would be there if I turned up or if he had moved again.
In 2009 - after working abroad for a number of years I returned to the UK and decided to try one last time to get my bike back- before I am too old to ride it !!!
I tracked Steve down in Badsey and demanded my bike back - for a while he gave me the usual stories - it was in storage , he did not have the keys to the lock-up - it was with his mate Ed - who owns a nursery etc etc.
I kept making visits to his workshop - ask his neighbours !- and eventually he started returning parts - some were mine - wheels, frame, tank, seat, exhausts,- others - forks, rear units, clip-ons were just old tat he had lying around - no sign of the engine, fairing, electrics, carbs and many other parts.
He kept promising to return the engine and on one visit pointed out a half assembled twin engine that Steve said was an SFC as it had the correct crank - but it was not my engine number and when I checked with Marnix he said that it was a GTL engine number on the crankcases. Very strange.
So 4 years later - I still don't have the engine or other parts and he has been kicked out of his workshop in Badsey and no-one seems to know where he is.
He knows all my phone numbers and never answers any calls, voicemails or texts that I send.
John Faulkner has been trying to help me get this stuff back but I gather he has not seen or heard from Steve for a while. Last communication I had from John was that Steve had "found" some SFC parts and was going to give them to John. Steve did not keep the arranged meeting.
I too found Steve very affable and good to talk to when you visit him - but that is usually to steer talk away from why you went there in the first place.
His unit was broken into a few years ago by some disgruntled customers and many things apparently stolen - the police were called but did nothing as far as I know.
So there you have it - not heresay, not rumour, all verifiable and straight from the horse's mouth (I've been called worse- including a potential thief by people in this forum)
So trust Steve if you wish- he is without doubt a very talented mechanic when it comes to Laverdas and probably good fun to have a beer with but when his biggest supporters refuse to leave their bikes with him - then I think that says it all.
And Steve - if you read this - I still want my engine and other parts back and i wont give up!