Timo Geusch

Green it is. *Very* green, in fact just about green enough that you have
to fight off the occasional amorous frog.

Thanks to WUN how picked me up at Stevenage station and gave me a lift
to the bloke's house, we could also pick up a couple of spares that came
with it (another cylinder head and the original seat). *Lots* of
paperwork with the bike, it does look nice and it was very much as
described (apart from the bit where he said that the clutch was
reasonably light, which it wasn't). Fired up on the button as well (and
yes, it was cold), no awkward noises, just "music" like WUN put it. Not
sure if the neighbours agree on that but that's a secondary concern,
right? Oh, and it turned out to be fitted with Konis, which must be a
bonus.

So I discreetly slipped the seller a brown envelope and set off
home. From the time I post this you can see this didn't involve the RAC
. Anyway, stick some petrol in it and point it south. No disasters en
route, just a noticeable tendency of the bike not wanting to run at
constant throttle openings. If such a thing existed, as every pebble on
the road led to an involuntary jerk of the right hand. That suspension
is a bit harsh and make no mistake. Everything points to the carbs being
out of balance so I guess a service wouldn't go amiss. Got a bit fed up
with motorway riding so I left the M20 at Maidstone services and took
the A20 instead. Ideal road for this bike as it's quite stable and as
such, more suited to sweeping cross-country roads than the local
twisties. Very much like the Ducati, actually. In fact it is so stable
that at one point, I needed to stretch my back a little, so I sat a bit
more upright, stretched and looked down. Something was amiss and I
wasn't quite sure until after a second or so, Addled Of Ashford realised
that he'd taken both hands off the bars during said act of
stretching. While the bike was moving, of course...

A further inspection at home suggests that (a) my garage hasn't got any
bigger, (b) the paint job (which the seller described as "needs
redoing") is actually not bad, but the preparation for it was so yes, it
may need redoing and (c) apart from a couple of smaller things like a
weeping cylinder base gasket and a broken front mudguard support, it
seems to be a rather nice bike. All in all it's a nice enough bike that
was/is as described and mostly seems to need a service. I'm not sure if
it's a bike for *me* though - I can't quite put my finger on it but I
didn't really have an "oh wow" moment while riding it. Then again, it
sends nice and dependable vibes so I'll see if it'll grow on me.

--
Morini Corsaro 125 | CB450 K4 | XL250 Motosport x2 | 900SSD | K1100LT
Triumph T-Bird chop | CB400 Four BOTAFOF #33
The UKRMC FAQ: http://www.unixconsult.co.uk/bike/ukrmcfaq.html

Timo Geusch

Bob Scott <Bob@bobandaileen.co.uk> writes:

> Timo Geusch <tnewsSPAMMENOT@unixconsult.co.uk> writes
>>
>>Green it is. *Very* green, in fact just about green enough that you have
>>to fight off the occasional amorous frog.
>>
> Welcome to the orange side.
>
>>Thanks to WUN how picked me up at Stevenage station and gave me a lift
>>to the bloke's house, we could also pick up a couple of spares that came
>>with it (another cylinder head and the original seat). *Lots* of
>>paperwork with the bike, it does look nice and it was very much as
>>described (apart from the bit where he said that the clutch was
>>reasonably light, which it wasn't).
>
> Has it had the extended clutch arm conversion? If not, that may be worth
> considering together with a new clutch cable.

No it hasn't, and it probably wants a cable as well - I had to adjust
the cable twice or thrice on the way home.

My impression is that the bike's been sitting for a while and the
controls have gone a bit stiff during the time.

> []
>>So I discreetly slipped the seller a brown envelope and set off
>>home.
>
> I'm envious - before it hit ebay the owner was trying to punt it through
> Laverda circles & if I'd had the readies I'd have been sorely tempted.

Well, if it doesn't 'click' with me then I'll probably flog it so you
may be tempted again .

>>A further inspection at home suggests that (a) my garage hasn't got any
>>bigger, (b) the paint job (which the seller described as "needs
>>redoing") is actually not bad, but the preparation for it was so yes, it
>>may need redoing and (c) apart from a couple of smaller things like a
>>weeping cylinder base gasket and a broken front mudguard support, it
>>seems to be a rather nice bike. All in all it's a nice enough bike that
>>was/is as described and mostly seems to need a service. I'm not sure if
>>it's a bike for *me* though - I can't quite put my finger on it but I
>>didn't really have an "oh wow" moment while riding it. Then again, it
>>sends nice and dependable vibes so I'll see if it'll grow on me.
>>
> If there wasn't a manual amongst all the paperwork from the blokey ISTR
> that it's available as a pdf from some french bod. Now if I could
> remember who it would really help... the laverdamania
> (http://www.laverdamania.com/) website may prove useful to you now as
> might Andy Wagner (http://www.laverda-paradies.de/).

Thanks for the links, they make come in useful. I haven't had a rummage
through the paperwork yet (plus part of it is still in the back of WUN's
car) but I guess I should.

--
Morini Corsaro 125 | CB450 K4 | XL250 Motosport x2 | 900SSD | K1100LT
Triumph T-Bird chop | CB400 Four BOTAFOF #33
The UKRMC FAQ: http://www.unixconsult.co.uk/bike/ukrmcfaq.html

Colin

> > If there wasn't a manual amongst all the paperwork from the blokey ISTR
> > that it's available as a pdf from some french bod. Now if I could
> > remember who it would really help... the laverdamania
> > (http://www.laverdamania.com/) website may prove useful to you
now as might Andy Wagner (http://www.laverda-paradies.de/).

Dive down Laveramania to link to Laverdimisso or somesuch for
literature.
Front end only in French at the moment as being upgraded. Most docs in
English. Interface is not intuitive - u have to register, then click
on the stuff
u want. Eric then sends u a mail within a couple of days where to go
for it.
Extremely helpful & good stuff on site.

Didn't see the plot come up. What is it? I have a 1200 Anniversary
Mirage
(the first triple with a hydraulic clutch --happy boy), & a RGS. Have
stripped
them both in the past, & have a mass of literature & history on
triples.

The Green Book by Tim Parker is legendary as a service manual. Can be
found on eBay. The Laverda MSN forum is brilliant -- really
knowledgeable
& serious experts who can & do debug anything. Forum expects a high
standard of courtesy from posters..

Carbs almost certainly want balancing if standing for some time. Well
worth
a dip in the ultrasonic bath. Can make a huge difference to the
running &
enjoyment of the machine. Great long-distance sports tourers, but they
do make demands on precise riding style that you do not need on more
recent Japanese pocket rockets.

Persevere for a bit. You may get to like the satisfaction of knowing
you
have ridden well .....

BTW, check the head very carefully. All triple heads can fit any 120
or
180, although there are cosmetic & manufacturing differences. Late
'70s heads had a bad reputation as one batch were prone to cracking.
Can happen arounf the valve seats/inserts, & around the cam follower
pillars. If you do sell the plot on, don't be frightened to ping me re
the
head ... my Anniversary would like it.

Ping me offline anytime if u need any pointers. Enjoy,

Colin

The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com

Colin wrote:
>Didn't see the plot come up. What is it?

It's a 1974 SF2

>The Green Book by Tim Parker is legendary as a service manual. Can be
>found on eBay.

... or in the pile of books and documents that came with my bike, actually.

> The Laverda MSN forum is brilliant -- really
>knowledgeable
>& serious experts who can & do debug anything. Forum expects a high
>standard of courtesy from posters..

OK, I'll have a look - I also subscribed to the Laverda list on Micapeak, as
I'm already subscribing to their Bimota and Ducati Bevelheads list anyway.

>Carbs almost certainly want balancing if standing for some time. Well
>worth
>a dip in the ultrasonic bath. Can make a huge difference to the
>running &
>enjoyment of the machine.

Well, it wouldn't exactly be the first set of Dell'Ortos that I've fiddled
with. Plan is to pull the float bowls and have a peek inside. Depending on
the outcome of that, I'll either pull the carbs and send them off for a clean,
or I'll just balance them. They're definitely not set up right - when it's
hot, it's idleing near 2k, and the revs fall slowly on a closed throttle.
Both spells 'carbs need looking at' to me.

> Great long-distance sports tourers, but they
>do make demands on precise riding style that you do not need on more
>recent Japanese pocket rockets.

Well, it's not exactly my first Italian bike - the Ducati is like this, too,
but not as noticeable.


>BTW, check the head very carefully. All triple heads can fit any 120
>or
>180, although there are cosmetic & manufacturing differences. Late
>'70s heads had a bad reputation as one batch were prone to cracking.
>Can happen arounf the valve seats/inserts, & around the cam follower
>pillars

Well, the head looks like a 750 head, which I thought was pretty good for
starters . The guy I bought it off seems to know a little about it so I'm
pretty sure he bought the correct head.

> If you do sell the plot on, don't be frightened to ping me re
>the
>head ... my Anniversary would like it.

It may be a bit short on the cylinders front though

>Ping me offline anytime if u need any pointers. Enjoy,

Ta, much appreciated. I must say, I'm rather surprised by the positive
comments and feedback I'm getting regarding this bike. And it *is* a nice
bike.

There are some other oddities as well that I'd need to look into as well - I
think the gearing has been fiddled with (at 80 it's revving at 5k in top gear,
which seems strange on a bike that's redlining at 6.5k and supposedly good
for 110-120mph, at least indicated) and it probably wants some consumables,
but the longer I think about it, the more I lean towards keeping it even
though buying it probably wasn't a very clever thing to do.

--
Message posted via http://www.motorcyclekb.com

Mark Olson

The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com wrote:

> but the longer I think about it, the more I lean towards keeping it even
> though buying it probably wasn't a very clever thing to do.

Missing sig sep.

--
'01 SV650SK1 '99 EX250-F13 '98 ZG1000-A13
OMF #7

The Older Gentleman

"The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com" <u33672@uwe> wrote:

> at 80 it's revving at 5k in top gear,
> which seems strange on a bike that's redlining at 6.5k

Laverda bought in a load of ND rev counters that had the redlines in an
odd place. ISTR the original Jota had exactly the same 6.5k redline, but
was actually safe to 9000rpm.

I think the safe rev limit for the twins is about 7k, but I'm not a
Laverda expert.


--
K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60
The bells, the bells.....

The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com

The Older Gentleman wrote:
>> at 80 it's revving at 5k in top gear,
>> which seems strange on a bike that's redlining at 6.5k
>
>Laverda bought in a load of ND rev counters that had the redlines in an
>odd place. ISTR the original Jota had exactly the same 6.5k redline, but
>was actually safe to 9000rpm.
>
>I think the safe rev limit for the twins is about 7k, but I'm not a
>Laverda expert.

Well, supposedly the twins including the SFC have peak power at 6.6k, which
coincides with the redline...

I'll have to call Slater Laverda later this week anyway to order a clutch
cable so I may as well ask them about this.

--
Message posted via MotorcycleKB.com
http://www.motorcyclekb.com/Uwe/Foru...assic/200708/1

Eiron

Bob Scott wrote:
> The Longhaired Boxhead via MotorcycleKB.com <u33672@uwe.?> writes
>> The Older Gentleman wrote:
>>>> at 80 it's revving at 5k in top gear,
>>>> which seems strange on a bike that's redlining at 6.5k
>>> Laverda bought in a load of ND rev counters that had the redlines in an
>>> odd place. ISTR the original Jota had exactly the same 6.5k redline, but
>>> was actually safe to 9000rpm.
>>>
> I wouldn't rev an early triple to 9k. Not sure I'd rev my SFC1000 to
> that, not often anyway. Mind you, ISTR people reckoning that, on the
> triples anyway, the rev counters (both ND & Vagueliar) have been known
> to under-read. Not that it really matters if you don't know what the red
> line for your model is anyway :-0

My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does my
SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know what they
are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's accuracy.

--
Eiron.

Pip Luscher

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:45:31 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:

>My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does my
>SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know what they
>are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's accuracy.

Rev limiters? Did they have them then?

--
-Pip

sweller

Pip Luscher wrote:

> > My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does
> > my SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know
> > what they are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the
> > tacho's accuracy.
>
> Rev limiters? Did they have them then?

The valves bounce, sounds like dried peas in a fairy bottle, means ease
off a bit.

--
Simon

The Older Gentleman

Pip Luscher <pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.co.uk> wrote:

> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:45:31 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does my
> >SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know what they
> >are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's accuracy.
>
> Rev limiters? Did they have them then?

Triumph and Norton did. It was called a crankshaft.


--
K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60
The bells, the bells.....

Oily

"The Older Gentleman" <chateau.murrayTAKETHISOUT@dsl.pipex.com> wrote in
message
news:1i2fx88.isngfa1qlx2gN%chateau.murrayTAKETHISO UT@dsl.pipex.com...
> Pip Luscher <pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:45:31 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > >My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does my
> > >SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know what
they
> > >are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's accuracy.
> >
> > Rev limiters? Did they have them then?
>
> Triumph and Norton did. It was called a crankshaft.
>
Bollocks, in what way?

Oily

Champ

On Mon, 6 Aug 2007 20:52:20 +0100,
chateau.murrayTAKETHISOUT@dsl.pipex.com (The Older Gentleman) wrote:

>> Rev limiters? Did they have them then?
>
>Triumph and Norton did. It was called a crankshaft.

heh.
--
Champ

Stuart G Gray

chateau.murrayTAKETHISOUT@dsl.pipex.com (The Older Gentleman) wrote in
news:1i2fx88.isngfa1qlx2gN%chateau.murrayTAKETHISO UT@dsl.pipex.com:

>> Rev limiters? Did they have them then?
>
> Triumph and Norton did. It was called a crankshaft.
>

Heh, I remember the rev limiter on my Trailblazer, it was the exhaust
valve.

--
Stuart G Gray (Tunku)

"Caution : traces of irony and other metallic objects may be present in the
above post"

The Older Gentleman

Oily <martinhill100@nospambtconnect.com> wrote:

> "The Older Gentleman" <chateau.murrayTAKETHISOUT@dsl.pipex.com> wrote in
> message
> news:1i2fx88.isngfa1qlx2gN%chateau.murrayTAKETHISO UT@dsl.pipex.com...
> > Pip Luscher <pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > > On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:45:31 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > >My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does my
> > > >SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know what
> they
> > > >are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's accuracy.
> > >
> > > Rev limiters? Did they have them then?
> >
> > Triumph and Norton did. It was called a crankshaft.
> >
> Bollocks, in what way?
>
That'll be a whoosh, then.


--
K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60
The bells, the bells.....

Oily

"The Older Gentleman" <chateau.murrayTAKETHISOUT@dsl.pipex.com> wrote in
message
news:1i2gpsq.3y42dd9qetz4N%chateau.murrayTAKETHISO UT@dsl.pipex.com...
> Oily <martinhill100@nospambtconnect.com> wrote:
>
> > "The Older Gentleman" <chateau.murrayTAKETHISOUT@dsl.pipex.com> wrote in
> > message
> > news:1i2fx88.isngfa1qlx2gN%chateau.murrayTAKETHISO UT@dsl.pipex.com...
> > > Pip Luscher <pips.computer@spammers.foad.ntlworld.co.uk> wrote:
> > >
> > > > On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:45:31 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as
does my
> > > > >SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know
what
> > they
> > > > >are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's
accuracy.
> > > >
> > > > Rev limiters? Did they have them then?
> > >
> > > Triumph and Norton did. It was called a crankshaft.
> > >
> > Bollocks, in what way?
> >
> That'll be a whoosh, then.
>
I see. :-)

Oily

The Older Gentleman

Oily <martinhill100@nospambtconnect.com> wrote:

> > > > > Rev limiters? Did they have them then?
> > > >
> > > > Triumph and Norton did. It was called a crankshaft.
> > > >
> > > Bollocks, in what way?
> > >
> > That'll be a whoosh, then.
> >
> I see. :-)

Got there in the end!


--
K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60
The bells, the bells.....

Eiron

Pip Luscher wrote:
> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:45:31 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does my
>> SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know what they
>> are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's accuracy.
>
> Rev limiters? Did they have them then?

I put a rev-limiter on my Ducati. Pointless really, as desmo valves
don't bounce.

--
Eiron.

Champ

On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:42:12 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Pip Luscher wrote:
>> On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:45:31 +0100, Eiron <E1ron@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> My SO Italian tachometer overead by 1k or so at the red line as does my
>>> SO Japanese tacho. Rev limiters are more accurate so it you know what they
>>> are set at, you can use them as a rough guide to the tacho's accuracy.
>>
>> Rev limiters? Did they have them then?
>
>I put a rev-limiter on my Ducati. Pointless really, as desmo valves
>don't bounce.

Conrods still break, tho.
--
Champ
neal at champ dot org dot uk