Cosi
Hero member
- Location
- Kingscliff
Im not getting involved 
Cam, apply the old if its shaking up front its most probably something in the rear
Cam, apply the old if its shaking up front its most probably something in the rear
Z
zane750
Guest
Did I post something I shouldn't have?? 
Anyway gonna try something else and see what I can find. I'm pretty certain its the front of the bike Cosi. So if the next thing I do still makes it clunk through the bars then I will worry ??? and look elsewhere. Oh, and I found a torque setting. 20-22Nm. Found it in the maintenance section with nuts and bolts. Still no idea why its not mentioned in section 6.
AND for all the knockers, I have 1 750s running nice and using it to work every day(even if it is for sale) and a Formula that works. Albeit a clunk when I hit a bump. I don't put that down to the factory though. The problems I have had with the Formula defo ain't came from the factory.
My first Zane was my biggest problem. I ironed out the niggles before being a smart arse and swapped the wiring harness because I butchered the original looking for corroded/broken wires. Its never worked since and I think the head gaskets popped too. And guess what??? Its the one I will never sell/break or dump! My dad has had a 750s and the only problem came from some muppet not putting a spacer in the correct place. It ate 2 starters before we realised. Its been faultless otherwise. He now has a Strike which is a bloody good ride! Think I go faster on that than on my own bikes! (Dont tell him though) Anyway its proved reliable so far too. I reckon by the time the Zane mob finished up they pretty much had the problems sorted out. Pity it was too late to save them. The Strike and the Formula are later models.
While I'm at it. Ive owned Zanes since 2005 and I, break them, repair them(try too), love them(sometimes) and most definitely hate them too. so I can moan as much as I want about them
Anyway gonna try something else and see what I can find. I'm pretty certain its the front of the bike Cosi. So if the next thing I do still makes it clunk through the bars then I will worry ??? and look elsewhere. Oh, and I found a torque setting. 20-22Nm. Found it in the maintenance section with nuts and bolts. Still no idea why its not mentioned in section 6.
AND for all the knockers, I have 1 750s running nice and using it to work every day(even if it is for sale) and a Formula that works. Albeit a clunk when I hit a bump. I don't put that down to the factory though. The problems I have had with the Formula defo ain't came from the factory.
My first Zane was my biggest problem. I ironed out the niggles before being a smart arse and swapped the wiring harness because I butchered the original looking for corroded/broken wires. Its never worked since and I think the head gaskets popped too. And guess what??? Its the one I will never sell/break or dump! My dad has had a 750s and the only problem came from some muppet not putting a spacer in the correct place. It ate 2 starters before we realised. Its been faultless otherwise. He now has a Strike which is a bloody good ride! Think I go faster on that than on my own bikes! (Dont tell him though) Anyway its proved reliable so far too. I reckon by the time the Zane mob finished up they pretty much had the problems sorted out. Pity it was too late to save them. The Strike and the Formula are later models.
While I'm at it. Ive owned Zanes since 2005 and I, break them, repair them(try too), love them(sometimes) and most definitely hate them too. so I can moan as much as I want about them
At risk of pouring oil on troubled flames, I've got to say I've always thoroughly enjoyed the Zanes I've ridden - engaging, characterful wee bikes with none of the bland, frustratingly sanitised feel that most modern bikes seem cursed with.
Given the choice between a Formula and a 748 (or 749) I know which I'd spend my cash on because I know which one would make me grin - and it wouldn't be the red ladyboy.
Not sure I'd actually want to own one myself* but I'll continue to blag goes on them whenever I can.
* okay, I'd love to own a formula but I know I haven't got the patience, time or money to do one justice.
Given the choice between a Formula and a 748 (or 749) I know which I'd spend my cash on because I know which one would make me grin - and it wouldn't be the red ladyboy.
Not sure I'd actually want to own one myself* but I'll continue to blag goes on them whenever I can.
* okay, I'd love to own a formula but I know I haven't got the patience, time or money to do one justice.
Following on from Keiths' statements, once you get the "minor" niggles ironed out and the engine whirls around fairly reliably, the crankcases just collapse under the strain. Seen several mainshafts with about 2mm up and down play at the clutch end, go figure...
Electrics in general are an ongoing problem, loose alternator rotors, water pump shafts shearing, balance shafts disintergrating, seen it all!
Of course, all this can be fixed, but the costs are far higher than the market value of the entire bike. No wonder they're broken up for bits.
The 650s were built by Laverda S.p.A, located on the outskirts of Vicenza. IIrc, the factory was in Nove, on the road from Bassano to Breganze. Soon after, the outfit was called International I.mo.la., Moto Laverda s.r.l., located in Zane.
While the 500s were rather sturdy, they weren't without problems. The bottom end was as bullet-proof as one would expect from a Breganze product, but the valve train was very fickle about correct valve clearances. Poor idling was just one of the tell-tales of leaking valves. The Atlas was much the same, the rubber inlet stubs also became troublesome quite quickly. Repaired a couple of cranks that had knackered big ends, but this was more down to user ignorance...
The 650s were simply shoddily stuck together, low quality plastics tacked to a first class chassis. Severe overheating prevailed throughout the various upgrades, burnt valves being the rule rather than exception!
Crank issues started with the watercooled models, apparently the crank grinding machine at the sub-contractor was really knackered by now and crank pins never had the shape required. (this sub-contractor supplied much of the italian bike industry with cranks, so it wasn't such a fluke. Guess the Lav cranks weren't allowed to cost much, so quality didn't turn out to what it should have been) Add to that factory-specified big end clearance on the edge of termination and a hand-grenade engine results. Badly finished valve guides made sure many engines ran dry after very few miles, doesn't take a great imagination to guess what happens then!
There's loads of minor points on the bike that can turn out to become fatal. The hose to the remote reservoir of the the rear suspension unit is badly routed, it can be torn apart by swing arm movement, resulting in a sudden collapse of the rear end, never mind all the oil being spewed over the rear tyre! Likewise the hose for the rear brake caliper. The throttle cable can come loose from the actuating lever at the throttle body, jamming the throttle wide open! Very interesting when gunning the bike through mountainous twisties!!
So, why don't I like the suckers?? Go figure...
piet
Electrics in general are an ongoing problem, loose alternator rotors, water pump shafts shearing, balance shafts disintergrating, seen it all!
Of course, all this can be fixed, but the costs are far higher than the market value of the entire bike. No wonder they're broken up for bits.
The 650s were built by Laverda S.p.A, located on the outskirts of Vicenza. IIrc, the factory was in Nove, on the road from Bassano to Breganze. Soon after, the outfit was called International I.mo.la., Moto Laverda s.r.l., located in Zane.
While the 500s were rather sturdy, they weren't without problems. The bottom end was as bullet-proof as one would expect from a Breganze product, but the valve train was very fickle about correct valve clearances. Poor idling was just one of the tell-tales of leaking valves. The Atlas was much the same, the rubber inlet stubs also became troublesome quite quickly. Repaired a couple of cranks that had knackered big ends, but this was more down to user ignorance...
The 650s were simply shoddily stuck together, low quality plastics tacked to a first class chassis. Severe overheating prevailed throughout the various upgrades, burnt valves being the rule rather than exception!
Crank issues started with the watercooled models, apparently the crank grinding machine at the sub-contractor was really knackered by now and crank pins never had the shape required. (this sub-contractor supplied much of the italian bike industry with cranks, so it wasn't such a fluke. Guess the Lav cranks weren't allowed to cost much, so quality didn't turn out to what it should have been) Add to that factory-specified big end clearance on the edge of termination and a hand-grenade engine results. Badly finished valve guides made sure many engines ran dry after very few miles, doesn't take a great imagination to guess what happens then!
There's loads of minor points on the bike that can turn out to become fatal. The hose to the remote reservoir of the the rear suspension unit is badly routed, it can be torn apart by swing arm movement, resulting in a sudden collapse of the rear end, never mind all the oil being spewed over the rear tyre! Likewise the hose for the rear brake caliper. The throttle cable can come loose from the actuating lever at the throttle body, jamming the throttle wide open! Very interesting when gunning the bike through mountainous twisties!!
So, why don't I like the suckers?? Go figure...
piet
VanguardontheLav
Hero member
- Location
- Cambridge, UK
Hi Piet,
Thanks for the considered reply and more detailed explanation of Keith's pithy answer!
In terms of the crankcases, do you think it was extra power over the 500 (or Atlas) which was just too big for the original design, poor redesign for the 650 on or poor quality control of casting? I guess that the 650 cases (at least) are more or less identical to the Monty ones aren't they?
I'd forgotten about the rear brake line routing... Mine wore through and went at an MOT when the tester stood on the pedal... Almost castrated him
Now routed correctly... Rear suspension hose must have been corrected by the time of my 750 Formula - or else Crispin/Ceejay fixed it while in Crispin's ownership on their Euro tour...
As Bob says, it's an engaging characterful bike and I am taking the view that it will self destruct and I will then decide whether to break or rebuild. I hope I can afford to rebuild at that time as I would miss it!
--
Dick
PS Still love the Sprint more though!
Thanks for the considered reply and more detailed explanation of Keith's pithy answer!
In terms of the crankcases, do you think it was extra power over the 500 (or Atlas) which was just too big for the original design, poor redesign for the 650 on or poor quality control of casting? I guess that the 650 cases (at least) are more or less identical to the Monty ones aren't they?
I'd forgotten about the rear brake line routing... Mine wore through and went at an MOT when the tester stood on the pedal... Almost castrated him
Now routed correctly... Rear suspension hose must have been corrected by the time of my 750 Formula - or else Crispin/Ceejay fixed it while in Crispin's ownership on their Euro tour...As Bob says, it's an engaging characterful bike and I am taking the view that it will self destruct and I will then decide whether to break or rebuild. I hope I can afford to rebuild at that time as I would miss it!
--
Dick
PS Still love the Sprint more though!
Spider Wales
Hero member
- Location
- Newport South Wales
I had put the emphasis on the,?aren?t they?? Grant, (as in a slightly sarcastic, ?they never really got the early 500 motor sorted? kind of thing) but perhaps I read it wrong instead, shock, horror!
At the end of the day I don?t post on here to ruffle any feathers, this is the nicest Worldwide Beer Tent I know of, full of folks with one basic interest, Laverda?s, be they Twin, Triple 180.120, Breganze Zane, Orange or Sky Blue Pink, it?s a big wide world and thank the stars that we are all different, Wouldn?t it be miserable if there was no difference of opinion/like/dislike in the world and we couldn?t air our personal views,(I actually enjoy discussing Politics and matters Theological!) without someone jumping on us from a great height.
I know, I know, we are the lucky ones because there are vast areas of the globe where this isn?t so and I thank the creator of my own personal sphere of existence for making it so.
Now my head hurts, but that is probably after reading the last few threads, or maybe just because I own a Zane!
Aaaaaaaaaaaargh,,,,,,,,,,,,,(He groans, running off into the distance, tearing at his hair!)
?Keith,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Pass MeThe Lighter Fluid!!!!!!!!!?
At the end of the day I don?t post on here to ruffle any feathers, this is the nicest Worldwide Beer Tent I know of, full of folks with one basic interest, Laverda?s, be they Twin, Triple 180.120, Breganze Zane, Orange or Sky Blue Pink, it?s a big wide world and thank the stars that we are all different, Wouldn?t it be miserable if there was no difference of opinion/like/dislike in the world and we couldn?t air our personal views,(I actually enjoy discussing Politics and matters Theological!) without someone jumping on us from a great height.
I know, I know, we are the lucky ones because there are vast areas of the globe where this isn?t so and I thank the creator of my own personal sphere of existence for making it so.
Now my head hurts, but that is probably after reading the last few threads, or maybe just because I own a Zane!
Aaaaaaaaaaaargh,,,,,,,,,,,,,(He groans, running off into the distance, tearing at his hair!)
?Keith,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Pass MeThe Lighter Fluid!!!!!!!!!?
strike750
Senior member
- Location
- Death Star with Dark Lord Lincs
Spider you making me laugh again"SPIDER" said:
Spider Wales
Hero member
- Location
- Newport South Wales
Ah Cam,
"The transformation to the Dark Side is nearly complete for me, all I need now is the Droids I am looking for to rebuild my brace of Laverda's, and it will be over bar the shouting!"
(Bellowing exhausts that is, but I still reckon my Mirage at full chat is nicer than the Blue Flames on the Zane, it's a close run thing mind you!)
As to why they are both still in bits? I will put up a separate thread in Gen Disc as an explanation later tonight, it's not Laverda orientated, but may interest some of you, "myopic" brethren out there.
"The transformation to the Dark Side is nearly complete for me, all I need now is the Droids I am looking for to rebuild my brace of Laverda's, and it will be over bar the shouting!"
(Bellowing exhausts that is, but I still reckon my Mirage at full chat is nicer than the Blue Flames on the Zane, it's a close run thing mind you!)
As to why they are both still in bits? I will put up a separate thread in Gen Disc as an explanation later tonight, it's not Laverda orientated, but may interest some of you, "myopic" brethren out there.
Attachments
Z
zane750
Guest
sfc1000uk said:
Bob!!! Its because your arse is to big for it!!
(Thats what your adorable wife said was it not??) After reading Piets bit, Oh my god!!! Its a death trap!!
If I knew that I would never have got one or 2 or 3 and loads of spares. And I must be very very lucky that none of those fatal flaws have happened to me in 6 years ownership. Never mind I shall take my chances but if the worst happens I will have it posted here that I was killed by a Zane. Can imagine that posts thread Still all this drives me on. I now see the return of Zaneything after thinking I wont bother sorting her.
zane750 said:Bob!!! Its because your arse is to big for it!!
She was a bit more tactful than that - when I was undecided between a Formula & the SFC she didn't express an opinion, she just handed me a t-shirt that said "Mine's a triple". Never let it be said I can't take a hint