SFC 750 engine missing

I think Gingergeezer has hit the nail on the head.

But it's also worth remembering that this bloke has few if any engineering facilities, so relies on 'mates' for that kind of work.  As these jobs seem to be done as favours (certainly seemed the case with my cylinder head) it can take forever to get anything done.  Maybe after being screamed at for long enough about a missing crank or whatever, he just picks up one out of someone elses pile of bits and sends it back.  You can see that if that happens more than once or twice how an engine can be scattered all over the country.
 
phil37 said:
Lothar - there are some dealers that may be stupid, incompetent, dim, unfriendly, inept, narcissistic, but they do not steal customer's motorcycles or parts. - Regards - Phil
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well - you could call it incompetent, if it was done by fault and without intention. But if it happens several times in a row, there is an intention to be assumed, no? How would you call it if several customers from the same "dealer" claim that value parts got replaced by other parts with less value? F.e. 4/C cams against A11? How would you call it if the invoice shows a new valve while the engine clearly shows an old one that got straightened? To sell a Yamaha standard piston as a forged high compression piston from a USA Source and removing the Yamaha sign from inside the piston clearly indicates to me that it has nothing to do with stupidity, incompetence or other things, it is simply betraying the customer.

Not always if a business goes down though, it is because the dealer did bad things for his customers (right the opposite is most likely the case: most bankrupt dealers got in trouble because they did to much to satisfy the customer and to less to control costs; I can tell first hand, believe me...). However, there are definitely bad guys amongst us. Not pointing to SW or you or anyone else that was ever a member of this forum (as far as I know at least), but I know what that person did very well I was talking about with Gerald, at least for that 4 machines I have clear information and proofs as well as witnesses...
 
How would you call it if the invoice shows a new valve while the engine clearly shows an old one that got straightened? To sell a Yamaha standard piston as a forged high compression piston from a USA Source and removing the Yamaha sign from inside the piston clearly indicates to me that it has nothing to do with stupidity, incompetence or other things, it is simply betraying the customer.
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Fraud not theft Lothar
 
Worse things can happen than having your bike go missing

www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-29/brandon-peter-macgowan-found-guilty-of-double-murder-cairns/5705354
 
Davo said:
Worse things can happen than having your bike go missing

www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-29/brandon-peter-macgowan-found-guilty-of-double-murder-cairns/5705354
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... and he's actually a mechanic!

piet
 
Laverdalothar said:
How would you call it if the invoice shows a new valve while the engine clearly shows an old one that got straightened? To sell a Yamaha standard piston as a forged high compression piston from a USA Source and removing the Yamaha sign from inside the piston clearly indicates to me that it has nothing to do with stupidity, incompetence or other things, it is simply betraying the customer.
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There is still at least one of those types at large in Germany, why the hell do these guys choose Laverdas to wreak their hovoc on??

piet
 
Piet my bet it the amount of emotional attachment Laverda owners have to there bike exceeds any alarm bells going off when looking for work to be done on the bike.Plus there is a real reluctance to get the message out when someones work starts to smell like old fish.There is also a hit and miss thing where some bikes come away never needing any additional work and some take years to come good from the same source.Just have to see the missing SFC thread  and see my experience in the distant and happily forgotten past.At least these days its seems there is a hard core of solid Laverda specialists easily found,mostly here and well respected that step up and cover there work.And even then shit happens beyond there control,eg the head gasket thing.We are very lucky we have them around to keep the bikes going as they should be.BTW I am also impressed at the fortitude some owners show when issues come up,sometime its a long grind and bloody expensive waiting for the bikes to come good
 
When I finally got the loot and the impetus together and started to search for someone to sort out my stuffed engine it was not that particularly easy to find someone with the knowledge or ability. Initially I was directed to a crank rebuilder here in WA but he had never worked on a Laverda triple crank and had no jigs etc. A patient directed me to Phil Todd but he never answered any of my emails and at that time I was unable to find a phone number for him. Finally I made arrangements to ship the motor to Slaters but serendipity came into play and I met Mr Lemon via ebay while I was looking for ignition parts and he directed me to this forum and contact with Red. Sadly for Red, but very happily for me, the rest is history and I now have a splendid non rivet counter engine.

Had it not been for this forum - who knows, and who knows how many other poor sods are out there trying to get their love and joy sorted but are getting a bum steer as to where to send it.

I intend no reflection on the workmanship of Slaters or Phil Todd when writing this as I am sure the work would have been up to the highest standard at either establishment, but I am qually sure there are other far less ethical folk out there.
 
sfcpiet said:
There is still at least one of those types at large in Germany, why the hell do these guys choose Laverdas to wreak their hovoc on??

piet
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because the Harley riders do have good connections... and the Guzzi guys are to many and know each other to well... and the Aprilia guys don't need that - theirs have enough power and don't brake.... and the Ducati guys don't think it was the dealer, they think it is a feature and shows the close relation between the old bevel ducs and the new ones when the engine goes pop... and...

you get my point, do you?  :D

honestly though, I am not 100% sure whom you mean, but we can discuss offline when I finally get my crank back from Manuel... one day... maybe...  ???
 
phil37 said:
I only answer e-mails that I receive - Regards - Phil
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Quite right too. The address I was given for you turned out to be incorrect.Such is life, eh?

The quotes I got to ship the engine to and from the UK would have blown the deal anyway - bloody ridiculous they were.
 
"Had it not been for this forum - who knows, and who knows how many other poor sods are out there trying to get their love and joy sorted but are getting a bum steer as to where to send it."

Well said Davo.  The Vehicle Licensing Departments in our respective countries should be obliged by statute to pass the Laverdaform details to a new owner when they transfer ownership of a Laverda.

I spent thousands on my first Jota restoration with a British "expert" before I discovered its predecessor Laverdapedia.  Absorbing the wisdom of forum contributors saved me a fortune and saved me from either making costly blunders, or allowing utter muppets and crooks to work on my beloved bikes.

We all owe a great debt of gratitude to people like Red, Keith, Piet and Phil for their free advice and, moreover, for them investing their future livelihoods in our hobby.  The expertise they apply to old machinery with modern methods (perhaps most pertinently to cranks and cylinder heads) is keeping hundreds of bikes on the road that would otherwise be garage queens at best. 

 
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