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

I was keen ( not that keen really) to make one that had less lock and it seemed prudent to make it stronger, I doubt the ones you saw have less lock. I also made the cranked tail a full inch wide as that seemed weak as well. Something I did notice is that the lock stop only touches the bottom of the cast stops on the bottom yoke.
 
piranha-bro2 said:
You're probably able to understand how thousands of hours have disappeared inso my SFQ then!! Every bloody thing that is made or modified takes forever. It feels pretty good to be near the end of wiring, turning on things and see lights - kinda like a droid coming back to life!
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thousands of hours is fine ... that's the fun and reward!
 
CLEMTOG said:
took the side stand (Bushman/Lawton/Jotajoe/Kawasaki) off the bike (TOG) and was horrified to see that the hole in the bracket has seriously elongated, I was fitting another stand which I had lengthened because the first was always a bit short, that too has a worn bracket. Took the whole caboodle to a mate locally who turned a brass bush, bored the worn hole round (using the threaded side opposite it as a guide) , straightened the fork on a fly press and then machined an "end float" shim, in the meantime the second stand is on the bike and seems a tad too long (dammit) so that need a bit of adjustment, and a bush also. after only two days the first one came back with a pressed in brass bush and a shim just under 1mm fitted, and all is nice and tight but smooth running, I bet they were never like that from Kawasaki when new!, so refitted the original, made an extension for the second and dropped that round to Paul for his expert attention as well, very satisfying work and the turning/milling at a very reasonable cost of a score, well he is always borrowing my bike trailer!!!!
CLEM
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Spent £210.00 on her new B.T Battleaxe tyres. Bars still wobble at 40mph on throttle roll off. Still... I'm in love..
 
Took the Mirage for the last ride today, she's off to her new keeper soon. I was going to take a few scenic shots over the beacons but honestly I couldn't bear to stop. My wife has been my constant pillion, but I asked her if she would mind sitting this one out.
I'd wanted a mirage since 1978, a dear friend, now passed, rode over to my house to show me a picture from one of the bike mags, he never managed to own one but he sparked my passion. 50 years on bikes, last 25 on Italian bikes and I can't believe she's going but age makes you philosophical if nothing else. If I want to keep riding as long as possible, I need something lighter. The road and race crashes have taken their toll alongside age, my passion still as bright but how do you replace the irreplaceable. Anyhow she's crossing the border into England and to the new owner, enjoy!
 
Patrick said:
Took the Mirage for the last ride today, she's off to her new keeper soon. I was going to take a few scenic shots over the beacons but honestly I couldn't bear to stop. My wife has been my constant pillion, but I asked her if she would mind sitting this one out.
I'd wanted a mirage since 1978, a dear friend, now passed, rode over to my house to show me a picture from one of the bike mags, he never managed to own one but he sparked my passion. 50 years on bikes, last 25 on Italian bikes and I can't believe she's going but age makes you philosophical if nothing else. If I want to keep riding as long as possible, I need something lighter. The road and race crashes have taken their toll alongside age, my passion still as bright but how do you replace the irreplaceable. Anyhow she's crossing the border into England and to the new owner, enjoy!
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head shake on throttle roll off? can you do 40MPH and have your hands hover above the bars by about two inches, and using body weight swing the bike left and right? go around corners even?

"Nip up your steering headstock." he said

I say you need a tiny bit of extra preload on the fork springs, probably about an extra 15mm. get some slugs made up for 20mm and try it, then reduce to 17.5mm, try again, then go to 15mm, too far???? you know what to do next, but dont stop untill you have gone to far, then mmake new slugs at the size you know to be right for you.

Seems like a lot of faffing around and yes it is, but believe you me, out of the hundreds of Laverda's that I have ridden, most do not have a good suspension set up, and I mean riding bikes that are also ridden by 17 or 18 stoners, if you are 10 stone it will be differrent, hence the "adjustment"
CLEM
 
40 or 50 year old fork springs can't be fixed by preload. A 115 kg rider needs heavier springs than a 65kg rider (no matter how stoned he is :ROFLMAO:).
I totally agree Clem that attention to suspension setup is way down on the priorities list for most riders, Laverda or other.
 
Wouldn't touch anything unless I knew the steering head bearings are in perfect nick. Can often just be the lower one that's the culprit, taking all thew road shocks and stresses. Piss easy replacement. Definitely do what Clem recommends, in fact setting the suspension up is a top idea just as a general rule. But first make sure the bearing/s is/are not contributing.
 
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