What did you do to or for or with your Laverda today?

Dellortoman is correct. 900SS/ MHR frame changed over after 82. (bent tubes for battery enlargement/electric start) when the S2 replaced the SS. I reckon Grant must have had an 83.
 
As I said, no idea what year it was.
There were 16 differences between the 2 frames, including front downtubes, so pretty comprehensive changes.
 
motoddrob said:
IIRC, the photo of Jim Scaysbrook on the SS for the 77 Castrol 6 hour was partnered with Mike Hailwood and it was Mikes return to racing before he went onto the success he had at the IOM in 78. I also believe it was a 750 as it still had a r/h gear change due to having a dodgy left foot. It was a long time ago so maybe not 100% correct.
Can anyone add to that?
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That is correct as I remember it, Rob - I was out there at Amaroo for a few days leading up to the race with John Hughes.  It was pretty special to watch Jim Scaysbrook - one of my heroes of the day- as well as Hailwood.  Jim was also an excellent travelling marshall at curtain race days - as I remember it, there is a photo somewhere of him and another travelling marshall Craig Brown doing some flat track cornering going into Dunlop Loop on a couple of Kawasaki 900s.  I must check that out with him, as it may have been weed memories...


Yogi
 
Just checked with Jim Scaysbrook and he confirmed what Rob said about the Ducati.  He said the photo of his wheel stand was embarrassing -  maybe it might have been a gear change error coming in, going out of the corner (upside down gear change pattern, perhaps, to suit Hailwood?


And I was wrong about it being him and Craig Brown going into the very tight Dunlop Loop Corner just over Bitupave Hill.  It was someone else, not Jim and it was a photo shoot for Forcefield Promotions (Vince Tesoriro).  Jim is going to email me a copy of that shot and although non-Laverda, I?ll post it up ..


Yogi
 
I have ridden a lot of 900SS and a few S2 test riding after services and rebuilds. From my experience the S2 came nowhere near the feel on the road or from the engine of a 900SS, I thought that they must have been a total re-design to the accountants rules. I would have bought a 900SS at any time, never an S2, they just felt like crap. Reading this I can't understand why.
Yogi, I don't think a 750SS would do a wheelie like that without it being planned. The wrong gear out of a corner while racing( :-X) and definitely not fucking up a gear on the way in. Pete White of TTM Laverda Jota racing fame in Qld used to race a Ducati Sport and was a wheelie maniac but he had to make it happen both on the Sport and the Jota.
 
Tippie said:
I have ridden a lot of 900SS and a few S2 test riding after services and rebuilds. From my experience the S2 came nowhere near the feel on the road or from the engine of a 900SS, I thought that they must have been a total re-design to the accountants rules. I would have bought a 900SS at any time, never an S2, they just felt like crap. Reading this I can't understand why.
Yogi, I don't think a 750SS would do a wheelie like that without it being planned. The wrong gear out of a corner while racing( :-X ) and definitely not fucking up a gear on the way in. Pete White of TTM Laverda Jota racing fame in Qld used to race a Ducati Sport and was a wheelie maniac but he had to make it happen both on the Sport and the Jota.
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I was thinking that perhaps he went down a gear, rather than up, when coming out of Armco Corner onto the main straight, hence my question about whether it was set up with race pattern gear change to suit Hailwood.  Then again, it was a production race and that might not have been allowed by scrutineers.  Jim just said that it was embarrassing, so I assumed it was not deliberate i.e. perhaps a gear change mistake.  Armco Corner was generally a second gear corner going in.


Yogi
 
Only kind of gear change mistake I can imagine that would cause an un-planned wheelie would be if you missed a gear, revved the bejesus out of it and then slapped it into gear with the engine still spinning like mad. I once did that on a gutless old BMW. It wouldn't do a power wheelie if you tried, but after missing a gear there was enough energy in the spinning flywheel to loft the front wheel.
 
Good onya Yogi for chasing that up. If the 750 came with r/h gear change maybe they used the original round case box with race pattern. It was about the time of the change over anyway.
I vaguely remember that was the reason they raced the 750. Pretty sure the first series square case [75,76?]still had the race pattern.
 
psg said:
The early fairing was one piece as well, you had to remove the front wheel to remove it IIRC.

Stu
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Not really necessary, but can't say it's a practical construction.
Now let's talk about Bimotas!  ;)

Marnix
 

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The TT Montegi full fairing I had on my 3c also had to go under the front wheel to be fitted. What a pain that was.
 
Dellortoman said:
Only kind of gear change mistake I can imagine that would cause an un-planned wheelie would be if you missed a gear, revved the bejesus out of it and then slapped it into gear with the engine still spinning like mad.
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That made me laff, Cam  (clap).  I was having the same thought, but was going to be too polite to say.

Yeah right ... Like you pull a wheelie like that 'by mistake' - and that just in front of a perfectly positioned photographer as well!

Pull the other one, Jim, you young hoon, you ...  :D
 
motoddrob said:
<snip> I also believe it was a 750 as it still had a r/h gear change due to having a dodgy left foot.  Can anyone add to that?
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750 square case.  Mike's damaged foot was his right one; and according to the 1975 owner's handbook, the standard shift of the production bikes was also right side (1 up, 4, down btw).  So dunno whether the bike was modified or not -?

Edit:  1977 models were, indeed, left side shift  :).

(Prior to the race, Mike wrote to Ted Macauley saying that he was expecting it to be a 900.  But in the photo it's definitely written 750 on the side panel.  Not very clear in the scan, so you'll have to take my word for it ...  ;))

 

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Just arrived ,  the new wheels for the Jota project Im doing. A resto-mod project. Time to go put the discs and all the other bits and bobs on them! Thanks for the amazing job Gijs!
 

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sideshow said:
Just arrived ,  the new wheels for the Jota project Im doing. A resto-mod project. Time to go put the discs and all the other bits and bobs on them! Thanks for the amazing job Gijs!
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Very pretty  8)
 
Piranha Brother 2 said:
I had the use of a mate's 900SS for a few months - over that period I managed to scrape the right header and the kickstart but not the centrestand. It also wheelied quite easily on a fast clutch start but not ever in a roll-on.
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When I raced my MHR I wheelied it on every start ...... but rarely did it even get to be more than a 6 inch high wheelie. I only raced amateur but I could usually gain 5 or 6 positions off the start with the Ducati ........ unless I hit someone. That happened a few times.

Only time I have ever done a wheelie on a Laverda was at about 70 mph on my SFC. Crested a hill at full throttle in probably 3rd gear. When the bike became rather light the rear wheel spun up to almost 8,000 rpm's. When the weight returned the bike stood up in maybe a 45 degree wheelie for about 3 seconds ...... I was surprised and didn't back off immediately. I think the fellow beside me on a CBX was more surprised. Last thing he expected was a standup wheelie from a 750 Laverda.

Jim
 
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