SFC 1000 production numbering

Adamski54

Adamski54

New member
Location
London UK
As I've just resurrected my SFC1000 I was curious to know where it leys in last knockings production. I read about a last batch being built and put my £50 deposit down in 1987. I was called in approximately mid 1988 by Three Cross Dorset and collected it 1st August 1988. I took it abroad for a couple of years and then brought it back,since unused. Now re commissioned. Photo's posted today. Got the big original chrome exhausts in the loft.
Engine number RGS 3345.
I am reading here of much higher numbers and do not understand how this can be as I thought this was the last batch. I do remember someone fairly recently selling one still in its crate.
So what is the last known number.
Where do the 34** & 35** series come from? Were the factory still stamping out other series after my supposed last batch?

I have just found this letter in my file which is interesting and throws a light on some production numbers. Mine was in this batch.
 

Attachments

  • 20220323_145124.jpg
    20220323_145124.jpg
    279.6 KB · Views: 78
  • 20220323_213319.jpg
    20220323_213319.jpg
    136 KB · Views: 78
Last edited:
Did you really pay £6k for it? I bought my first SFC1000 for £4k, although in hindsight I should have paid £500 more and bought the Corsa the dealer also had for sale.
 
My recollection was Witt the German Importer financed the last 200 wire wheel bikes with Australia getting 20 and at the time, really expensive bike to buy.
 
You can build a 1000 SFC out of spare-parts and a doner RGS still. Takes some time and might not be worth the money, but technically, you could. Unless there is an official company production book available, it is actually hard to define what was produced while the factory was still working, what was produced after they closed and what was changed from an RGS/Corsa/RGA etc. to a 1000 SFC. There were even unstamped frames, new M1R forks, brand new tanks, and boxes full of instruments and other stuff still available when the factory remainders where sold to several dealers in 2000/2001.

JLO's registry might be the closest you can get to the truth, but it also depends on people sending their (unchecked) data. So - If I would like to have a 1000 SFC built out of an RGS, the first thing I would check is that the RGS is not yet registered with JLO. Then send him a message, saying that frame number xxxx is my bike and that it is a 1000 SFC. Now start searching for the parts... Tank can be altered, engine can be modified, some parts are sold from time to time original (like instruments, footrest plates etc.). Fairing and seats are availalbe as replacement parts (not cheap though), brackets can be welded up. I was surprised how many original parts I was able to get from people around the world when I asked for them...

Andy J said:
Did you really pay £6k for it? I bought my first SFC1000 for £4k, although in hindsight I should have paid £500 more and bought the Corsa the dealer also had for sale.
Click to expand...
Not talking about taste or anything else, but value-wise, the 1000 SFC was the better deal. Especially if the Corsa was more expensive at that time and looking at the fact that they sell cheaper, you would have gained less money than with the 1000 SFC ;-) (I know, it's not about money, just saying...)


Vince said:
My recollection was Witt the German Importer financed the last 200 wire wheel bikes with Australia getting 20 and at the time, really expensive bike to buy.
Click to expand...
As far as I was told, he did not only finance the last but also the first batches. Uwe had an agreement with the company who did not want to build the bike innitially: he pre-finances the production and in return, all dealers in europe have to purchase through him. That's how I was told...
 
Andy J said:
Did you really pay £6k for it? I bought my first SFC1000 for £4k, although in hindsight I should have paid £500 more and bought the Corsa the dealer also had for sale.
Click to expand...
Yes that was the price or thereabouts including UK VAT in 1988. It's possible Isle of Man (Where your location shows) had a different tax regime.
 
Last edited:
Reading the above I can't see the sense of converting bikes and creating clones. I did recently see for sale an SFC100 with Jota style instruments. Stuck out like a sore thumb.
I sold my Mirage 1200TS owned since 1983 in2007. I fairly recently called the purchaser up and he told me he had to sell due to health. He did mention the purchaser converted it to Jota or thereabouts.
 
Adamski54 said:
Yes that was the price or thereabouts including UK VAT in 1988. It's possible Isle of Man (Where your location shows) had a different tax regime.
Click to expand...
When I was looking to buy an additional bike I looked at the enclosed and passed it over a little later for the SFC. Hindsight😄
 

Attachments

  • 20220324_091906.jpg
    20220324_091906.jpg
    176.8 KB · Views: 36
Adamski54 said:
Reading the above I can't see the sense of converting bikes and creating clones.
Click to expand...
Well - keep in mind, RGS is and allways was the most undervalued bike from Laverda. They still were sold sometimes for around 5.000€ at times where 1000 SFC's were sold at twice that price. Not that you could economically change an RGS into a SFC for 5.000€ or less, but keep in mind that if you need to re-work the engine partly anyways and don't need the fairing bits etc., you could take an even less worthy, potentially broke RGA that at some point in time you could get around 2.000 - 3.000€ (Friend from the north bought a complete but engine-wise broke RGS for 1.500€ only 6 years ago). Enough budget to make up a clone... Less hard to do than a 750 SFC clone...

I am not saying it's done as regularely as with the 750's, but I know for sure that at least once copy was made. I know also of an RGS with SFC body-kit that had the same color as mine (actually was the inspiration of painting mine green). The owner at that time did not intent to make it an SFC, he just liked the look more and when he came accross the body kit (and some other parts), he changed it to the SFC look. Engine was untouched RGS engine still though afaik.
 
Last edited:
Fond memories of my old, long gone Schuberth Profil helmet seen on the SFC 1000.
Shame Schuberth stopped making that model.
Reg plate looks like pre Euro German DIN, owner from Lüneburg Lower Saxony.

Gerald
 
C1 or C2? Can't identify... Had both of them, loved them. I have a current one from them and that's a big and a bit heavy helmet. But then it has the communication system already built in, which I only use for navigation and speed controles...
 
Series 1 Profil, had the blade closure mechanism eliminating all outside noise and draft. Also allowed you to pop the closed visor forward, creating a small gap to vent without wind noise. Series 2 was a plane jane helmet, all the previous
features gone and more expensive.
 
C1 and 2 had also the visor with the ventilation-position. That was really great. still missing it on the current model... Yeah - Profil 1 was also my first one iirc. Then C1, C2 and now the current one. Have another bought especially for the race-track of SPA, too, but from a different vendor. The Schuberts are more for upright seating position. As soon as you take it a bit more sportive, you can't get the head so much backwards not to look against the inner part of the helmet all the time... :-( happened at least to me... The other helmet was better for more sportive riding, but also much louder and less comfortable...

Helmet in my Avatar is C2 on SPA racetrack though. Year after, I bought the other helmet for the racetrack as I was told that flipable Helmets are not allowed on race tracks anymore.
 
Laverdalothar said:
Not talking about taste or anything else, but value-wise, the 1000 SFC was the better deal. Especially if the Corsa was more expensive at that time and looking at the fact that they sell cheaper, you would have gained less money than with the 1000 SFC ;-) (I know, it's not about money, just saying...)
Click to expand...
I obviously thought it was the better deal at the time but it turned out not to be the case. In less than a 1500 miles I had to have the end of the crankshaft replaced as the Jesus nut was loose and the primary drive sprocket chewed it up.
And the second SFC1000 I owned chucked a rod.
So as far as I am concerned the Corsa was a much better built and reliable bike than any SFC1000.
I‘m also surprised that you think Corsas sell for less money than SFC1000s. It’s not my experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top