Linkages for '78 Jota rearsets

[mcnicol]

FINALLY (after several years of begging, shame on the rest of you) managed to get a forum member to agree to sell me some genuine Laverda rearsets, pedals and levers. So I have pattern hanger plates already, but no linkages. Is there any chance that anybody with a right shift series 1 Jota ('78ish) could send me some pictures of the factory setup so I can start trying to set up linkages as close as possible to original? Although I'm planning on using Heim joints to reduce slop and mechanical loss, and I'm going to replace the weird Laverda splined shaft on the gear selector shaft with a Japanese shaft (same diameter) so I can select a suitable Japanese gear lever to chop up as an attachment point for the rearset linkage. Rivet counters go away.
All just a question of finding someone who can do what I can't. And paying him to do it. And waiting for it to get done.
Think I'll go and have another Rumrunner with Barbados rum while I'm waiting.

Ken

 

[Gerald]

Ken,

Which Japanese gear lever fits onto the Laverda gear shaft? The Honda, Suzi and Yam items I've offered up had a different pattern.

 

[tom3c75]

Ken,

Here's a pic of my S1 gearshift set up.   
The bike used to have a left hand shift, which I changed to right shift.   
Needed to change the original gear selector arm, which was slotted, not splined, the outer cover and the external arm.    The link rod is 145mm long.

Tom

 

[phil37]

Hi Ken - I make my own gearlevers out of  aluminium plate. I use the original shaft mounted in a holder that suits my fly press - could be worth pursuing if you're making more than a few. - regards - Phil

 

[mcnicol]

Ken,

Which Japanese gear lever fits onto the Laverda gear shaft? The Honda, Suzi and Yam items I've offered up had a different pattern.

Well, it's gonna take a bit of work, but most Yamazukiwaki selector shafts are the same shaft diameter as Laverda used (at work right now so can't give you a dimension), just they use a different spline. The Laverda spline seems to be totally unique in the spline universe, so I'd have to chop up an existing gearshift lever to make a rearset linkage, which I'm a bit reluctant to do. What I was thinking of doing was grinding off the weld from the selector plate that sits behind the sprocket outer cover on the right side and sliding the Laverda splined shaft out, then welding in a piece of Yamazukiwaki shaft the right length but with a Japanese spline. Then I have an infinite selection of old shift levers available to me that I can chop up happily without endangering the course of motorcycling history. Rivet counters can pass out on the spot, it's my bike!
And I can even use my existing outer cover, just have to make sure that the Yamazukiwaki shaft gets cut off to the right length. And if it doesn't, I just get another one from any wrecker 

Ken

 

[Grant]

Why reinvent the wheel?
Just buy the gear lever adaptor from Wolfgang.

 

[mcnicol]

But doesn't that need a different small sprocket cover too?
And I have to admit, I was actually hoping for some input for the left side too. The shifter on a right shift bike is pretty straightforward to emulate the factory parts, but I think the left side is a little trickier.

Ken

 

[lavgert]

Hi Ken, here is the rear brake side with Tarozzi pegs and levers, but the setup is the same! Ciao, Gert