Out and About on your Laverda.No bull,Just photos

Not so keen on the "ball catcher" luggage rack on the tank. I used to have a Triumph Bonneville with the same kind of tank rack, and it used to bother me that it was there waiting to perform a castration in the event of a collision. I always wore tough riding pants on that bike.
 
Dellortoman said:
Not so keen on the "ball catcher" luggage rack on the tank. I used to have a Triumph Bonneville with the same kind of tank rack, and it used to bother me that it was there waiting to perform a castration in the event of a collision. I always wore tough riding pants on that bike.
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Bit like the argument to ban front number plates on motorbikes, by the time it becomes a problem you’ve already had the accident. If the parcel rack has your knackers you’ve gone over the handlebars and if a front number plate has hit a pedestrian then so has the bike & rider. I actually love the parcel rack and Smiths clocks and the piecrust fuel cap, the shit drum brakes in fact I love my old GT!
 
Exmoor beast said:
Bit like the argument to ban front number plates on motorbikes, by the time it becomes a problem you’ve already had the accident. If the parcel rack has your knackers you’ve gone over the handlebars and if a front number plate has hit a pedestrian then so has the bike & rider. I actually love the parcel rack and Smiths clocks and the piecrust fuel cap, the shit drum brakes in fact I love my old GT!
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Something wrong if you find the brakes are shit.

Paul
 
Exmoor beast said:
Twin leading drums were OK in 1969, so we’re cork lined crash helmets and smoking.
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With that sort of reasoning, you always want to ride next year's bike.
Coming back from an appointment in town, a car cut across my lane maybe 6 years back and when the driver realised I was coming on my SF2, he stopped in the middle of the junction. I hit the brakes hard and tried to avoid the car. I nearly did, the points cover hit the front bumper, the bike swung around and we both ended up on the ground on the drivers side, I'd been coming from the other side. Had the car stopped one metre further, I'd have hit it square on the side. Luckily, no important damage, a few scratches on the bike.
When I got home, I realised that had I been riding my 750 Aprilia with the twin four pot Brembos at the front, I'd have stopped short of the car. In fact, I bought that Aprilia to ride to work in rush hour traffic, I'd been using the SF2 until then. Because of the brakes. I still use the Aprilia to go into town, particularly when it's wet.

I'm still riding the SF2, and the S with it's Grimeca at the front, and the 3C with the twin Brembos, not to mention my Falcone which stops fine, with forethought. I avoid using it in heavy traffic, not to mention acceleration on a par with a pedal car.
A week ago, I was out on the S and was not concentrated and didn't see that the car in front had stopped. I slammed on the brakes, that Grimeca is at least as good as a pair of P08s, at least for an emergency stop. Had the road been wet, I was down.

So, must we hurry to buy a 2023 model bike with very good brakes and ABS? I choose not to. I mostly wear a full face helmet and always jacket, knee high boots, gloves and an airbag vest however. Whatever the temperature.

Paul
 
Paul Marx said:
With that sort of reasoning, you always want to ride next year's bike.
Coming back from an appointment in town, a car cut across my lane maybe 6 years back and when the driver realised I was coming on my SF2, he stopped in the middle of the junction. I hit the brakes hard and tried to avoid the car. I nearly did, the points cover hit the front bumper, the bike swung around and we both ended up on the ground on the drivers side, I'd been coming from the other side. Had the car stopped one metre further, I'd have hit it square on the side. Luckily, no important damage, a few scratches on the bike.
When I got home, I realised that had I been riding my 750 Aprilia with the twin four pot Brembos at the front, I'd have stopped short of the car. In fact, I bought that Aprilia to ride to work in rush hour traffic, I'd been using the SF2 until then. Because of the brakes. I still use the Aprilia to go into town, particularly when it's wet.

I'm still riding the SF2, and the S with it's Grimeca at the front, and the 3C with the twin Brembos, not to mention my Falcone which stops fine, with forethought. I avoid using it in heavy traffic, not to mention acceleration on a par with a pedal car.
A week ago, I was out on the S and was not concentrated and didn't see that the car in front had stopped. I slammed on the brakes, that Grimeca is at least as good as a pair of P08s, at least for an emergency stop. Had the road been wet, I was down.

So, must we hurry to buy a 2023 model bike with very good brakes and ABS? I choose not to. I mostly wear a full face helmet and always jacket, knee high boots, gloves and an airbag vest however. Whatever the temperature.

Paul
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Au Contraire ( that’s French by the way ) being a sprightly 54 I grew up in the eighties with disc brakes but my fascination is with bikes of my youth not 2023 models. Denying your brakes are shit by wearing an air vest and kinky boots changes nothing. I also ride a lot slower now and cars don’t seem to pull out on me as much..
 
Exmoor beast said:
Au Contraire ( that’s French by the way ) being a sprightly 54 I grew up in the eighties with disc brakes but my fascination is with bikes of my youth not 2023 models. Denying your brakes are shit by wearing an air vest and kinky boots changes nothing. I also ride a lot slower now and cars don’t seem to pull out on me as much..
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Did you not read that I found the twin P08s crap?
All my bikes have shit brakes compared to next year's, apart from the Aprilia though it could do with a drum at the back rather than that shitty small disc with a sliding caliper. If I were really realistic, I wouldn't ride anything without ABS for that once in a lifetime it'll save yours.

At a sprightly 68, I also started with discs. Remember those Japanese bikes with lousy discs, flexy frames, pogo suspension and solid concrete tyres? That's what people wanted and that's what they got. When most of the European bike industry had consequently passed away, the Japanese designers convinced the commercial departments that they needed real frames and real brakes because people in the know where keeping a healthy after market alive in those domains, even winning races.

My point was that I look after my adolescent physique but if I wanted to be 100% secure, I wouldn't ride motorcycles.

Paul
 
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as I got older, I realised that my crap right arm and wrist/ebow (50 year old war wounds) was not realy up to the job of creating emergency braking (two up) with my twin PO8's on TOG, so I modified with correct offset and PCD discs from an Aprillia 500GP bike (320mmm dia, no speedo issues) Reds adapters, four pot calipers in front of the forks and a 916 master cylinder = great brakes better than before but no real gain as I am still Fosters piss weak in that department. 13 years service and all is good.

conversly my Pan European was just far too soft on the front end, so I had made and fitted some 20mm fork slugs (not easy as one leg has a damper rod screwed into the top fork plug) and hey presto the handling was transformed, but conversley the already crap sliding caliper (not four pots but looking like) discs became much worse, yes with harder front springs I need much more pulling strength on the lever, prpobably due to the lack of dive, so I am fitting callipers from a Honda Blackbird, might or might not work, time will tell but a clear indication of the "knock on" effect"

CLEM
 
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