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

The Sock said:
Passed its annual MOT with flying colours.
A paltry 4,500 miles, and that included Breganze and back, in July.
Probably a comment on how crap the weather has been this year.
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I can attest to some of those miles being riden bloody hard and fast. Tachometer at the fun end. The best ride of my 2024. Thanks Hamish!
 
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I removed the dented front wheel from 78 Jota and drove the 100 miles down to Dr johns in Anaheim Ca for repairs. Dr John is an 'old school Chopper shop' that has morphed into the go-to shop for frame, fork, wheel, disc, and swingarm repair. Excellent work by moto mechanics who have been in the trade for eons, and know how to get the job done right. The shop, line up of KTMs, Ducati, Beemer, Jap of all sizes and frame types, busy place, Diavels waiting in line.
drjohnmfs.com

Dr. John's Motorcycle Frame Straightening

We have experience servicing every make and model of motorcycle and ATV frames. Call us to discuss your project.
drjohnmfs.com drjohnmfs.com
 
Decided to have a go at freeing off bleed nipples today. I always fear doing this on the twin bleed screw calipers because I have snapped so many in the past with little effort. I had a search on the forum and found various suggestions but then I saw a youtube video of a guy using an impact wrench so I thought I would give it a go. A bit of heat from a blowtorch then impact wrench on lowest setting. I only snapped one and that was on the highest setting, that is very good going by my cack-handed standards and it was a Marzocchi fork caliper not a Ceriani type which are hard to find now. On the whole I was very pleased to get this job out of the way.
I know I have a pair of calipers for my SF2 hiding somewhere and one of those nipples was already snapped. When I find them I will have to be really careful not to break the others as well. Wish me luck.


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There are some more hiding somewhere but if I think about it I need 2 for a 3C, 2 for an SF2. 3 for a 1200 and 3 for a 3CL.
There are a pair of oddballs on the left, single bleed nipple threaded for Ceriani. I got them from a bike Grant sold me ages ago, probably had thread inserts and they need shimming to fit properly but if you look they have still got the castings for the twin bleed screws and all the other single bleed calipers haven't.
 
hello Darren, always, always, always, put a smear of copper slip on the male thread of the nipples to prevent them seizing, no doubt you knew that anyway, I have found that 20 minutes in boiling water and then hammer in the appropriate torx driver and they "might" come out. Use a socket so that you can apply a tee bar, a screwdriver type would not give you any leverage.
CLEM
 
Are you replying to me Clem? It's Pat, never been called Darren before :)
Anyway, found the last two halo calipers off my SF2, blowtorch and impact wrench worked a treat. One of the nipples was already snapped unfortunately.
So are you suggesting heat then hammer the torx bit in to the hole in the broken nipples? I might give that a go and use the impact wrench on them.
I had a problem removing the bar end weights from my Mk 1 Speed Triple recently, the M6 countersunk socket head screws would not budge. Eventually the tiny hex rounded so I hammered a torx bit in and used the impact wrench on it, that rounded too so I hammered a bigger torx in and hey presto they reluctantly came out. Success by butchery maybe but it made me happy especially because I now have heated grips.
 
Hi PAT, not Laverda related but you mention having a Mk1 Speed Triple. A great bike, somewhat of a more modern update on the Laverda triple ??. We have had one knocking around the family since my youngest brother got one new at cost to our local dealer Wylie and Holland ( some of you may remember Cliff Holland of sidecar fame, World Champion with George O’Dell in 1977 and Ben Wylie son of Graham ) to campaign in the Triumph Speed Triple Challenge Series in 95 and 96. My brother rode and I was dogs body ! The bike was then put back on the road and thrashed for many years at home and abroad by another brother. Unfortunately it is now languishing in large lumps in the back of my youngest brother’s garage. Hopefully to return one day.
Steve.
 

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