who said Laverdas weren't reliable?

M

morini

Guest
Hi everyone,

Well after finally finishing the bike it came to a big decision - do I go on a 2500 ride with my mates or stay home. The problem with going was that nothing had been sorted out because I had lost weeks sorting out an oil line issue. I got the bike registered last Friday week a go and my mates rolled into my joint two days later. At the last minute I decided to risk it. This bike had not been ridden since 1993 and all I did was change the oil

My bomb has been Redaxed considerably (ignition/brakes/alternator) and rewired and had suspension mods by myself so I was confident of some of the components working ok. The bike made it to Canberra then Sydney and back home with the worst thing happening being the carbs tossing themselves off the manifolds twice. I can now guarantee that Laverdas will still run with the carbies only half on. Amazing? A number of other niggling problems occurred such as bits vibrating off but apart from that the bike started first hit of the button every day. My carbs are running pretty rich and carting a BFC (big fat c##t) so fuel consumption was around 50 mpg (shade under 18 kms/litre). Not too bad really.

I'm stunned. I can't believe that this bike has just done what it did. Neither could my mates who were riding new bikes. The thing handled like a beauty and though the brakes need the assistance of a fork brace they worked pretty well. Bloody good fun poking the front wheel in under other bikes while your cranked over. This is my first Laverda after dozens of other Italians and I must admit that I'm converted. What a ridable comfortable machine. It took me a while to understand the engine and get the best out it i.e stop riding it like a Ducati. The thing barely vibrates which fly's in the face of all the opinions I have ever heard about them. I have had Guzzi's send my hand to sleep in 20kms. What a misunderstood and misconstrued bike Laverdas are.

Now I'm home I'll fine tune the suspension, oil change, check the clearances etc and sort out the front brake chatter. The sense of pride riding this thing around was immeasurable and was reinforced daily by someone coming over to comment on the bike. As they all said;" It's good to see a classic on the road and not in a museum". I can't agree more. 

The photo is early one morning up at Mt Panorama at Bathurst. Shit it gets cold in NSW.

Cheers
Chris     
 

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Chris,
Sounds like you had a good time. I have to agree with you, I covered 170 miles toay on my 180 today and it doesn't vibrate either.

Scrumpy
 
Hi Chris,

That sounds like a brilliant ride - and well done for taking the Jota on that run, I have a few mates with new bikes and they're always amazed when the old bikes are reliable and keep with them (and more...).

I went for a ride last Sunday from Sydney up to Bulahdelah and back through all the back roads - about a 650km trip and my Jota 120 ran beautifully all the way. Even through tropical type rain for an hour at the back of Bulahdelah. Its actually very comfortable to ride long distances as the big fairing provides plenty of protection from the rain and wind.

We should be a few of the Sydney Laverda faithful together for a decent ride soon - nothing like the sound of a dozen Jotas on song!

Cheers,
Mark
 

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Morning Chris.. well done mate.. and welcome to the bright side of the paddock.. :wink:

Ya Gotta Love Ya Lav.. 8)

El Pres
 
Hey Chris,
Well done, sounds like a good shake down riding to Sydney and back.
Now the bike and the rider are nearly run in.
Will send e-mail offline about carbs.
Looks great in the photo, hell of a lot different to when you started.

Mark, up to the old Bulahdelah and back hey.
Top place, drilled a couple of holes around there back in the 80's.
Dare say not much has changed in the last 25 years.  :D

Lucky buggers, riding around, all over the place.
Tchau
Red
 
Chris

Good on yer (and yer Jota!), mate, I wish I could do things like going for long rides with my mates, too! Wait a minute, that's what I'm planning on doing (well, sort of) next month. Peter C has been kind enough to loan me an RGS while I'm in Brisbane, so I'll definitely be up in Stanthorpe (if it's not too cold..).
Send me an email with your phone number so I can call you when I get to Brisbane (and recover from the trip a bit).
And if anyone else would like to spend a bit of time with a Brisbane expatriate, let me know. My main reason for the trip is to spend time with my 84 year old mother, but that's not a 24-hour thing. I'm also trying to practice being Australian...

Ken
 
Thanks guys.

Does this mean I have to join the Qld Laverda Club?

Ken

There's a bed and shed waiting up here if you can put up with all my daughters. (Not much chance of me saying that in a few years)

We need a National Rally that makes us ride at least 1000 cliks or more. Just to make it a journey.

Bathurst has a camp ground???????????????

Chris
 
Chris.. WHEN you join the Laverda Club, we'll keep you in the loop for our next National Rally. Last one held at Easter in 2009, and a fun time was had by all down to beautiful Bellingen and back...
And Ken, that'll be Carters RGS sitting in my shed awaiting your arrival.. although he hasn't briefed me as yet.. ::)

When exactly are you arriving in sunny Qld.. is PFC Argy your transport when you're here.. will you need a pickup to pick it up..etc.?? If I know when etc I can make sure she's serviced and ready to rock.. might be able to round up a few lads to help you "acclimatise" to our aussie ways... :D

Ciao
El Pres
 
Hey Guys, If you want go for a real ride, ie: big kays my place is just across the Nullabore and then some.
All Laverdas are welcome anytime. Have to admit I miss the east coast and my Laverda riding mates.
Great result Chris, another convert!! fuck ducatis, or I should say their anal owners, I actually like Ducatis :D
 
Ken will be REAL acclimatised by the time we get to your place Rob... what do we do..? turn right at Broken Hill I suppose.. :D
 
Ian, across the Nullabore, turn left at Norsman, go aprox 250kays to Esperance, turn right and another 600 odd kays and you'll be close, call from the pub and I'll come and get yers, easy :D :D
I'll get the misses to fire up the barbi and fill the fridge with amber :tongue:
 
Hey Morini.
Keep it quiet, haven't you noted all the screaming about climbing prices for Lavs. If the world at large finds out our secret there'll be no tomorrow.
In the late '70s i was topping up hydrocarbon in SF2 at a servo in Murwillumbah just before nightfall. In rode a clown on a Ducati 500GTL, an equal 1st place candidate for Worlds Least Reliable Bike Ever (shared with Yam XS750 twin). "Jeez, you're game touring on one of those heaps of shit" he says. Dented his tank with his chin when I told him I'd left Proserpine that morning. I should have kept the lie alive. :D
 
Tippie,

Keep this quiet as well. I've had 3 500 Desmo's........ and I liked them. I took one to Bathurst twice and had a great time on them. Oh and then there was the time I embedded one into an armco fence on the way to the Six Hour. Ouch that hurt. It's a pity I've packed on enough to own cattle or I'd buy another one again. Great little bike for fanging on. They rev to about 11 - 12 RPM (officially it was 8500 from memory) and nothing breaks. Funny you mention the old XS. My mate who came on this ride was with me when I rammed the fence in 1978 and on an XS as well. He loved it.

Chris
 
Struck the bullseye there didn't I. :evil:
I've only met those bikes in the workshop, where all the ones that don't make it home end up spending most of their lives.
I've had my share of candidates myself, but had my own workshop so they never got away with it.
Any bike that puts a smile on your face is a good bike.
Cheers and keep piling on those miles.
 
Least reliable bike I ever owned was an AJS 500 single with hard tail frame of about 1950 vintage. I think it may have been a Model 18, although I didn't have a clue about its pedigree when I owned it as a callow youth. What sticks in my memory is that when I took it out for a ride, it hardly ever made it home under its own steam. The piston would usually nip up if it saw a long up-hill stretch of road. Primary chains would break or shed rollers with monotonous regularity (couldn't keep oil in the primary case). Various bits would rattle off, leaving a trail of hardware on the road. Some of the falling off bits (like the carby) would stop the bike in its tracks but others (like the stand) would only be discovered when I got to my destination. Magneto would only work when it felt like it. Headlight rarely worked for more than 5 minutes at a time. Cables would stretch or break, tyres would go flat. It even caught fire once, but only briefly (managed to smother it with my jacket). It was the bike from hell. Oddly enough, I have fond memories of it. I'd love to have it back now and fix it properly.

Cheers,
Cam
 
Cam,

That just reminds us of how hopeless we all are when it comes to anything to do with all the bikes we've owned. I spent so much time on the side of the road fixing one thing or another I've started to think I enjoyed myself AND I want to own all those same shit boxes again. Because I owned a number of Ducati's my mates have this misguided idea that I'm handy on the spanners. Gesus Ducati have a lot to answer for.

Cheers
Chris
 
Some bikes just hate their owners.
A mate had a Bultaco Metralla for a year. It broke down on every single ride he took it on. After he sold it to some poor bloke he felt really guilty. He saw the guy on it a year later and cringed. The bloke loved the bike, was the most reliable transport he'd ever had, had never let him down.
Had my SF2 since '75, we've had our arguments at times and the odd other bike, but it is a very stable relationship. Probably why Lav went under. We didn't need new bikes all the time.
We mechanics get a warped view of things, bikes that owners notoriously love can be real pains. Take those radial valve Honda XR250, I know several shops that wouldn't service, repair, trade or sell. Been burnt too many times. Owners loved them.
Did you have good experience with your Morinis. Loved those bikes.
 
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