Maybe it's time to get a Gold tank and side panels

The Sock said:
When I opened up the crate that held my Laverda, among the many things which impressed me were the Operation and Maintenance Handbook with its complete Parts List, which stood out. Not least, with its welcome to a “Dear Laverda enthusiast” and invitation, if necessary, to contact Moto Laverda, Service Department, directly. Not many Manufacturers offered that!
I was also impressed by the comprehensive tool kit that came with the bike. I have heard criticisms of this. Perhaps, on later bikes the quality paled. On mine, however, there was all that was required for routine maintenance. The fact that I still have and use it, after fifty years, bears testament to its quality and efficiency.

View attachment 105529

Says it all, really.

View attachment 105530

1976 OEM Toolkit: Spanners 8-20, 22, 24mm open-ended spanners, 36mm ring with extension, plug box spanner, double-ended screwdriver, pliers, Allen keys, Oil Bottle and a points file(?)
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And yes, today in this fabulous world of money at any cost, the customer is no longer entitled to even a minimum of moral respect. No more center stand, which has become an option, no more standard spare tire in cars.

When I see this nice tool kit, perhaps not of excellent quality, I still feel less like I'm being taken for a fool.
 
To be fair , some new bikes deserve a toolkit , some don`t ...........

What would be the point of a comprehensive tool kit on a new Fireblade , S1000R , or V4 Panigale ? ........ When would you ever use it ? ......... There is nothing which would ever need to be checked or adjusted outside the routine service intervals ..........

A plug spanner ? ......... When was the last time you even saw the plugs ....... It would take the best part of a day to even find the buggers , never mind to try to remove them ....... and why would you want to do that anyway ?

All this sort of stuff would be dealt with during the routine service ......... even chain adjustment ......... all the owner has to do is pump up the tyres , and keep an eye on the pads and fluids ........ ( provided they remember to even do that ) ........

Of course , they are some bikes which deserve a toolkit ...... something like a new Royal Enfield , where you have easily accessible plugs you can remove , look at , and then replace again for no particular reason ... but then I suspect even some RE owners would probably have a dealer do that anyway , leaving that nice toolkit undisturbed beneath the seat ..........


PS ........ When you`ve just shaved a further 1.5 kg of off this years version of your flagship superbike , the last thing you want to do is add the weight of a toolkit to the bike .......... you`re back into negative territory again ..........

It`s bad enough having pared the weight of your new bike down to a minimum , only to have some overweight fat bastard waddle into the showroom and ride off on it .......... All that hard work and weight saving development budget down the drain for nothing .........

None of this applies to adventure bikes of course , most of which are overweight in the first place .........
 
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rocketonarail said:
To be fair , some new bikes deserve a toolkit , some don`t ...........

What would be the point of a comprehensive tool kit on a new Fireblade , S1000R , or V4 Panigale ? ........ When would you ever use it ? ......... There is nothing which would ever need to be checked or adjusted outside the routine service intervals ..........

A plug spanner ? ......... When was the last time you even saw the plugs ....... It would take the best part of a day to even find the buggers , never mind to try to remove them ....... and why would you want to do that anyway ?

All this sort of stuff would be dealt with during the routine service ......... even chain adjustment ......... all the owner has to do is pump up the tyres , and keep an eye on the pads and fluids ........ ( provided they remember to even do that ) ........

Of course , they are some bikes which deserve a toolkit ...... something like a new Royal Enfield , where you have easily accessible plugs you can remove , look at , and then replace again for no particular reason ... but then I suspect even some RE owners would probably have a dealer do that anyway , leaving that nice toolkit undisturbed beneath the seat ..........


PS ........ When you`ve just shaved a further 1.5 kg of off this years version of your flagship superbike , the last thing you want to do is add the weight of a toolkit to the bike .......... you`re back into negative territory again ..........

It`s bad enough having pared the weight of your new bike down to a minimum , only to have some overweight fat bastard waddle into the showroom and ride off on it .......... All that hard work and weight saving development budget down the drain for nothing .........

None of this applies to adventure bikes of course , most of which are overweight in the first place .........
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Admittedly, the example you cite is a textbook case—and one I fully agree with—but what I really wanted to highlight is the underlying mindset: like when they sell you a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine for the price of a 4-cylinder, with a space-saver spare wheel in the trunk thrown in for good measure.
Given the price you pay, common decency suggests that these cash-flush conglomerates should at least provide what you are handsomely paying for.
Best regards.
 
There are cars now being sold in the USA that do not have a spare tire, not even a get-you-home donut style, none. No jack, no lug wrench, only a can of 'Fix a Flat ' type product. I had a rental car recently, a nondescript Hyundai. The can of WTF??? was missing. It's not that I needed it . When I returned the vehicle, I asked the agent what the deal was, and he replied call a tow truck.
Mastroianni said:
Admittedly, the example you cite is a textbook case—and one I fully agree with—but what I really wanted to highlight is the underlying mindset: like when they sell you a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine for the price of a 4-cylinder, with a space-saver spare wheel in the trunk thrown in for good measure.
Given the price you pay, common decency suggests that these cash-flush conglomerates should at least provide what you are handsomely paying for.
Best regards.
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78jotadave said:
There are cars now being sold in the USA that do not have a spare tire, not even a get-you-home donut style, none. No jack, no lug wrench, only a can of 'Fix a Flat ' type product. I had a rental car recently, a nondescript Hyundai. The can of WTF??? was missing. It's not that I needed it . When I returned the vehicle, I asked the agent what the deal was, and he replied call a tow truck.
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Same everywhere.
Welcome to globalisation.
Spare wheel was optional on my Moroccan made Dacia. They stopped making them in Romania when it became too expensive.
Paul
 
Credit card, cell phone/GPS reception, auto club membership and a toothbrush.. who needs a stinkin' tool kit? ;)

Good, thorough pre-trip preparation avoids many en route hickups and the need for a comprehensive set of tools. Woki and I carried at least 5 kg. of un-needed stuff to the North Cape and back. There's always the un-foreseen that can pop up, but you'd need to drag the entire workshop along to cope with that. I carry mainly a set of spare lighting bulbs along with some fuses and the appropriate tools to get at them these days. If I can't fix it McGyver-style by the roadside with a Leatherman within an hour, recovery is called. Thankfully, this has never been the case.

The Laverda 80th. will mark 49 years of ownership for me. Definitely on my cards... just not sure if my creaking corpse will handle the ride to Breganze on the 3C that I aquired in 1980. My dignity won't allow trailering.

piet
 
sfcpiet said:
Credit card, cell phone/GPS reception, auto club membership and a toothbrush.. who needs a stinkin' tool kit? ;)

Good, thorough pre-trip preparation avoids many en route hickups and the need for a comprehensive set of tools. Woki and I carried at least 5 kg. of un-needed stuff to the North Cape and back. There's always the un-foreseen that can pop up, but you'd need to drag the entire workshop along to cope with that. I carry mainly a set of spare lighting bulbs along with some fuses and the appropriate tools to get at them these days. If I can't fix it McGyver-style by the roadside with a Leatherman within an hour, recovery is called. Thankfully, this has never been the case.

The Laverda 80th. will mark 49 years of ownership for me. Definitely on my cards... just not sure if my creaking corpse will handle the ride to Breganze on the 3C that I aquired in 1980. My dignity won't allow trailering.

piet
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And a condom—there are often pleasant surprises behind a bush.
 
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