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

A couple of months back I decided to get my old really really expensive Dainese Gortex Jacket taken out, for some ODD reason it had gotten really tight especially with the winter liner in. It was a very hard job to do right and cost stupid money but what the hell, its a great winter jacket. So I go in to get it and the woman tells me the Gortex liner has delaminated and in cannot be repaired and won't be waterproof any more. If I had known that I wouldn't have done the work. So after plenty of thought, I today put a long-sleeve T-shirt on and wearing the jacket I got into the shower for a test. So for a now not waterproof jacket, it passed the test fine. After 10 minutes with well more water than any storm would produce the only wet bit on the T-shirt was on the lower sleeve. Made my day, add a bit of Newwax spray and it's now back to my prefered winter jacket.
 
I really wanted to wear that jacket to Tassie, but there was zero chance of me doing that without a positive test for its waterproofness. I saw how you were Mr Moose huddled to that potbelly stove, been there myself and don't want a repeat. You might remember my dishwashing glove and garbage bag comment in Tassie, guess how I know about that. I have been that desperate to go that route in bad weather with failed gear
 
I have found that the wash in Nikwax stuff works much better than the sprays on Goretex stuff. My 20 year old Dainese jacket gets gently washed in the machine (with the armour bits removed) and then soakedwith Nikwax then rinsed  then low temp tumble dried every two years or so. Incredible jacket. I tried sprays and they seem just evil to be breathing in the same room as well as not working nearly as well.
 
Well, a couple of days ago but it has sat since. Fitted a Magura QA throttle with a carved out original switch for it to sit snug up to and fabricated a Venhill nylon lined upper cable with inline adjuster. Thought it would only take a couple of hours, out in 4 deg C and of course it took the whole afternoon and froze me to the marrow, but well worth it, no longer need two handfuls for full throttle. These people with over the counter parts are lucky bastards.
 
My (earlyish) R1 clipons came with a genuine Yamaha/Brembo (1.25mm threads vs 1.00mm for italian Brembo), a clutch lever and a full twist grip assembly with cables. Top quality stuff. I really liked the twist grip so I bought the R1 matching kill switch/starter button block from a wrecker. Unfortunately I just can't get the cables to run (they have to go over the top) in any way that doesn't foul the fairing bracket, so I've gone back to my 'replica' twin cable ND block a la Suzuki GS.

The R1 barrel wouldn't fit inside  ... and then when I bought a genuine Suzuki throttle assembly, neither would THAT barrel!! Turns out the top half of the replica has a narrower space for the barrel - eventually just dremmelled it out and the Suzi barrel is perfect - with FCR39s it seems to require about 1/4 or 1/3 turn. I'd fitted the lightest Keihin spring but it's so light it won't return without a little assistance (reasons for using the 'push' closing cable!) so I'll probably put the original spring back in that came with the bank of four FCRs.

I still reckon my idea for a std Dell bike of using a MX barrel (I used one off a KX Kwaka I think) and grinding a 'cam' into it and using an unmodified Laverda ND switch block is the neatest and most effective solution. Nice and controlled and light off idle to 1/4 throttle then increasingly rapid opening to full at about 1/4 turn ... lighter Dell springs too. Pretty sure this has been discussed before and you can actually buy 'pre-cammed' throttle barrels online.
 
Gotta take some positive out of the COVID crisis. Lots of home time means some time to progress the SFQ spesh a little. Machined the alloy inlet extensions that join to the rubber Mikuni inlet manifold at the head and the Mikuni inlet rubbers to the FCRs. Mikunioz in Qld for the bits - brilliant stuff!!

Make no doubt though, fitting this reangled inlet system has required some minor frame work to create clearance. Waiting for filter side tubes to arrive today to sort out a suitable setup for the filter system ... clearance once again a tricky thang. Final job will be porting the head. Big valves and seats already done, carbs reduce from 39mm to 37mm in the inlet tracts and from there into the head is gonna be the tricky part. Lots of metal to be removed from the small-valve head but I intend to let an expert with a flow bench finish it off. I've successfully ported several heads but never had flowbench technology and it was done on 'intuition and experience'. Keen to see how it will differ from what I'd do if left to my own devices.

 

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Tank finally out of the tumbler today. 12 hours of rotation and two pounds of drywall screws did alright except on the hump where you see most. Wash out with (Por15 Marine Clean), then wire wheel with extension got shiny metal! Next step: Metal prep etching solution, and finally the sealer.
 
Dellortoman said:
PB2, you end up with a reasonably long inlet tract with that plumbing required to fit the Mikuni. Will be good for low rev grunt  :D
Click to expand...

Long plumbing is deliberate, Cam. Could have run the Keihins straight into the rubber manifold bolted to the head. Not Mikunis - Keihin flat slides, much better ... ask Brett ... only the rubbers are Mikuni. Yes, I want grunt - and I'm sacrificing some excess fat from the SF frame in order to get it! Got my intake tubes today - looks like I'll need to trim even more useless fat from the beast to make space for them so I can fit filters. No chance I'm running it without them on the road. But we won't get into a convo about that!
 
Squashed that original tank after a high-side at an impromptu race/track day at Winton Raceway about 25 years ago. A friend cut the bottom out and had a go at a rough panel job. Never been used; have two other tanks being prepped for bikes #1 and #2.

I'll post pics when the fat-shedding work has been finished, plates welded in and cleaned up - I don't want the disparaging or alarmist comments if I post the initial cutoff wheel work! It'll certainly send shivers up the rivet counters backs.  :D

TBH I'd make a new frame (I think Chris K is doing this?) but I want the weight of the plumbing-pipe SF frame to aid in road comfort antivibe, along with the (hopefully successfully) rebalanced 270 SFC crank. A few extra kg over a custom cromo frame won't ruin the spesh.
 
If that's the inner bit of the bottom plate that is the ground toucher bit that hits the muffler I did the same. Some time I need to add a bit of 3mm steel plate to increase the size of the stand bottom so it doesn't sink into the soft ground but that's me being anal. I must screw with everything including stuff that's 95% ok.
 
In the spirit of stying away from others went for a leisurely ride through some back roads and farm tracks today. Dirt sections were pretty good and of course you always come across some pretty areas when creeks are running. I will try and post a pic using a diff host  - I know the quality is crap ::)
https://www.snapfish.com.au/library/share?via=link&token=Cqn1ysqD33Fe9XSVrP62-g/SFO/27951279126060/SNAPFISH]

Edit - didn't work using insert image so have just posted a link which should work. Not a great pic just seeing how this site is....

Edit 2 ;) - Thought I should add. Before the forum gestapo and lynch mob come looking for me, this ride was within the rules at the time. It was also a solo ride and I ensured no contact with anyone else including no stops at any shops or service stations. I am now limiting my activities to a morning solo jog and the much more socially acceptable, occasional foray to what is the new Russian roulette - supermarkets :(
 
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