shock length for early vs later "series 1" 180

[beauchemin]

Is there a difference in the shock length for an early 180 frame, compared to the later 180 frame with the more forward top mounting location?

My recently acquired '77 3CL is fitted with Ikons, and the rear wheel does not get off the ground.  Is my center stand the problem, or do I have shocks that are too long?  Or maybe both?!

 

[Dellortoman]

Shock length is the same for both early and late frames. 365mm between eye centres.

Rear wheel not lifting off the ground is not unusual, but if it's too heavily planted on the deck it'll be taking a lot of weight off the centre stand and the bike will be unstable on the stand.

If your Ikon shocks measure 365mm, then it could well be a problem with the stand. If the centre stand stops are worn, the stand will go too far over-centre causing the bike to sit too low. The stand pivot bolts could also be worn, or some bodge done with wrong diameter bolts. I've also seen bent centre stands.

Could also be the front forks. Marzocchi forks fitted to Laverda triples were a bit longer than the earlier Cerianis, so the centre stand was made a bit taller. Previous owners could have done all manner of odd things in the 36 years since it left the factory. It may have ended up with a a stand mis-matched to the forks.

It could be a combination of all of the above. My Jota had a bent and worn out centre stand with loose pivot bolts when I bought it, and the PO had also swapped the Ceriani forks for Marzocchi. The result was that the bike would teeter precariously on the centre stand.

Fitting a decent sidestand is also worth considering. Jim Bush used to make an excellent bracket to fit a Kawasaki sidestand but I think he's stopped doing it now. If you want to get one made by an engineering shop, the details are here http://www.laverdaforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=87012.0.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Grant]

Early centrestands for triples (3C) did not have adjustment bolts/brackets , so what you got is what you got.
There are also different length centrestands for Ceriani-forked and Marzocchi-forked triples.
The Ceriani-equipped bikes are lower to the ground so need a shorter stand.
I have lifted a Ceriani-equipped bike on to it's stand when it had a Marzo stand. That can be hernia-inducing.

Saying all of that, yours is probably the correct one, just worn and/or needing adjustment.
Also if you fit oversize tyres it adds to the problem.

 

[Vince]

Have a look at all those other suggestions,you can also pull the forks through the triple trees a bit,helps speed up the steering puts more weight on the front.Both helpful plus more clearance for your stand.If you have the adjustable bars there wont be much room to do this though.

 

[beauchemin]

forks:  Ceriani
tires:  Pirelli Sport Demon 100/90 front, 120/90 rear

The stand doesn't appear to have any wobble, but I need to inspect it more closely.  The side lever is mangled so I plan to remove the stand so as to correct the lever's shape.  Any photos out there of how the lever should look?  I will replace the bushings and bolts at the same time.