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

As the sun rose and the temperature climbed, on the 6th June, 1976, a young Phil (Mo)Todd was rising, perhaps somewhat blearily, on the morning of his Birthday.
Meanwhile, I was making my way to Saltcoats to, finally, collect my long awaited Laverda.
As I broke it out of its crate, I wish I’d had the foresight of Ricky Capanni and kept the Laverda stamped dod of timber, as a memento. After completing final assembly and carrying out a PDI, I pushed the starter button and heard, for the first time in my life, that magical sound of a 180° Triple.
Forty-five years and thousands of happy miles have passed since then and I’m still riding the same (perhaps, breathed on a little, courtesy of the above mentioned Phil Todd) 180° Triple and will continue doing so.

In case anybody asks, “No, it’s not a Jota. It’s better than that.”

Happy Birthday, Phil!


Photograph is the first and, indeed, the only one I had for about a year, a Polaroid gone wrong.
Back then, even ‘Q’ didn’t have a camera in/or a mobile phone in his inventory.
76 laverda polaroid.jpg
 
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Today the first official monthly meeting of the Laverda Connection Oberpfalz = LCO for a year of abstinence.
Lots of dark clouds at the start, but the otherwise reliable rain app says "only a little rain at the beginning".
Fake app !!!

After three kilometers, there was massive rain and thunderstorms for the remaining 96 km.
On the way, there was an hiden radar-pistol control by the German "Race Control" = police. Fortunately, I only drove 115 km / h in a 100 zone = no problem. 😛

Because of Corona we had two pavilions (in the rain) for 12 Laverdisti in front of the restaurant.
Quickly checked the liners with the Stetoscope camera at Huberts Electronica - everything ok, you can still see the traces of mockery.

Then there was good grilled chicken, 2 x 0.5 l "Radler" and a cappuchino (total 12.20 EUR) and good conversation.

On the 99 km way home we had again constant heavy rain.
Ordinary people would say it's crazy to ride a motorcycle in this weather.

The SF2 and I have a totally different opinion.
We had a lot of fun driving and talking to the other Laverdisti.

Thomas aus LAU
 
I reckon 'the fuzz' knew you were coming, Thomas an inside job! (translated to the police had prior information that motorcyclsits would be coming through at above the posted speed limits 😫)

Riding in the rain can be fun if you're wearing the right gear and are comfortable (and have invested in excellent tyres).
 
The speed-control was in a lonely place where people often drive fast. Without rain I would have driven even faster.

I wasn't wearing any rain gear, just the Dainese leather suit and my traditional GAERNE cross boots. Alright, for the return trip I put a newspaper under my jacket at the front - it works.

ContiClassicAttack (120/90 R 18 M / C 65 V) are perfect for our laverdas.

Thomas aus LAU
 
phew .... 1200 returned to the frame. That was not as easy as I planned but so far so good.

The running problem I had was a tooth out on the inlet cam. As expected (a previous owner / mechanic) had scewed with it quite a bit and done a shitty job. Head wasn't torqued correctly (or at all) so had an oil leak and the head was leaking between #1 and #2. Mounts changed on the oil cooler. Found that the inlet stubs are impossibly tight and appear to have no gaskets (leave alone for now).

Very happy with the timing (all aligned and degrees correctly) and cam chain brought back to 4mm.

One of the upper cam blocks not aligned correctly (so some minor wear) .. but reset and should be good.

Now to cut out a few gaskets but a month at work in-between.
 
1200 JOTA said:
Found that the inlet stubs are impossibly tight and appear to have no gaskets (leave alone for now).
Click to expand...
They should have brass nuts on them to prevent heat galling in the threads. If they are indeed brass nuts then they should come off with a bit of gentle persuasion.

I'd suggest soaking them in some kind of penetrating lubricant for a few days and then applying heat to loosen them up. Next time you try to undo them, gently waggle them backwards and forwards with the spanner until you can feel movement, then try to work the nut off that way. Try not to apply stud-breaking torque to the nut.

If someone has put steel or stainless nuts on then, you might be in a bit of bother. You could end up either breaking the studs or unscrewing them out of the head. Obviously the latter is the preferred scenario. Heating the head should make the studs easier to remove from the head (aluminium expands more than steel and heat will also loosen any Loctite that's been applied. Run the engine for a bit to get it nice and hot before attempting removal. Wear gloves so you don't burn your hands on the headers.
 
Service time yesterday... re-torqued the head nuts, changed the oil and checked the valve-gaps. They are mostly a bit on the large side, which I think is by intention due to the engine being re-worked with new seats and the valves might not have seated completely (500km from first start).

So, I guess I will wait for the next inspection at 1.000km and get them set to correct values then.
 
Dellortoman said:
That bit of your boot flexes while you walk, so I reckon a leather pad might work better than a metal plate and would probably have a better chance of staying stuck. My boots have leather doubler pads stitched on for exactly that purpose. If the Sikaflex doesn't hold (BTW, there might be better stuff for gluing leather) you could take it to a boot repair shop and get them to sew a patch on. I think they have sewing machines that can reach inside a boot.

You can also buy boot protectors like this:
www.ebay.com.au

Motorcycle Shifter Cover Boot Shoes Protector Shift Guard Protective Gear Cover | eBay Australia

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Motorcycle Shifter Cover Boot Shoes Protector Shift Guard Protective Gear Cover at the best online prices at eBay Australia!
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... or use the cheaper home-made version like we used to do in the old days: cut a piece of old inner tube to slip over the toe of your boot.
Click to expand...
That boot protector finally showed up. I knew it was for a left foot and my bike is a right foot change and I was hoping it would be mirror revisable plus at $10 it was worth the risk. It does go on reasonably on the wrong foot, non reversible as the back side has this thick clear plastic slippery coating not seen in the add so I will try it and see. BTW the Sikaflex worked out fine, the boot is still waterproof.
 
Forgot tp add the new bell nosed smooth no damage gear tip worked great on the resent Brass Monkey ride. I also changed the oil to Penrite Enduro as I had 2l from a while back, kind of thick for cold weather riding but I almost could say zero missed gear changes but late on Sunday when I was tied I did miss a couple.

Find the right oil for your vehicle | Penrite Product Selector | Penrite Oil

Find the right oil for your vehicle with the Penrite Product Selector. Just select your vehicle's make, model, year and engine
www.penriteoil.com.au www.penriteoil.com.au
 
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