Any other ex Laverda owners?

Nemo · Sep 1, 2006

I bought this straight after passing my test on a Suzuki TS125. It was superb but the rose tinted binoculars are extra strong at the moment.

In reality the bad bits were: buckets and shims, cleaning it every time I went out to see what was about to fall off and a clutch that made my forearm ache after about 2 miles in town.

BUT! The good bits: the sound (big bore collector and Jota pipes), the handling on long sweeping bends (grounding the alternator cover on the right hand side), the sound, the clip-ons and rear sets, and did I mention the sound?

Would I want it back? Probably not as I think it would shatter my dreams and ruin my memories.

Mezza · Sep 1, 2006

Very nice. Loved Laverdas, esp in orange of course. Never had one myself, but my friend had a Montjuic (sp??) which I rode a few times, and that was LOUD, and a lovely bike.
Rich

Rob Farmer · Sep 1, 2006

I rode Laverdas for 12 years. 1980 Jota for 5 years and two 750 SF 2's one for 4 years the other for 3.

Lovely bikes

Laverdas were a big thing in Leicester in the Eighties. Steve Winterton lived on my street. Roger Winterburn had his Laverda shop a couple of miles away and one of the local guys bought a couple of containers full back from Saudi - the Saudi police had dumped loads of 750's in the desert. They were there for the taking apparently so we had them burbeling round the city.

Can't post any decent pics cause my scanners just spat it's dummy out

The Jota became a real pain with Fuel. There was a sticker under the seat saying "5 Star fuel only" with the fuel around in the eighties it pinked like crazy even with additives. I had it tuned as well which didn't help. I used to use a full tank of Fuel going from Leicester to Derby on a Saturday night - 18Mpg on full tilt

Oil changes every 1000 miles, spark plugs every 1000, a tyre every 2.5k and chains and sprockets every 5k meant it eventually had to go. I was running it as my sole vehicle for a few years. I had a 4.2 litre jag not long after that was cheaper to run

I still remember the rush when it came on cam at 110 :clap

Deleted account 231205001 · Sep 1, 2006

My old 180. Loved it. Still go all :love

when I see a Jota.

Steptoe · Sep 1, 2006

Used to ride mine to the Bol"D"or in one hit

- needed to get very pissed on arrival to numb the pain. Motodd were in Croydon at the time, Laverda specialist. Always carried a spare clutch cable under the seat, butnever had to use it - Still have it, along with the Laverda repair manual by Tim Whatisname ?

Rob Farmer · Sep 1, 2006

My old Jota was on the Owners club stand at Stafford the other year. I left a note for the owner saying I had some stuff for it. He couldn't believe his luck when I gave him the original toolkit, all the receipts for it from new through to when I sold it and a Tim Parker manual...soft twat? I should have sold them on Ebay

It turned out the owner lives in Shepshed - just a few miles from me. Strangely the bike had less miles on the clock than when I sold it 17 years ago :eek

Nemo · Sep 2, 2006

Laverda Memories

Those photos are great. I agree with Big Lad that the sight of a Jota still brings on :love

My bike was a 1200 Mirage TS that had a Jota fairing and tank put on plus the pipes, clip-ons and rearsets. The engine wasn't in Jota trim (didn't have the peaky cams) which is probably why I'm still alive today as I really didn't have the skill to ride it properly.

Only had a ride on a Jota once and couldn't understand what the fuss was about until I gave it a big handful on the local dual carriage way. Given I'd only ridden a 125 up until this test drive it was like hitting Warp Factor 5 when it came on the cam

Serious respect to anyone who could do them justice.

Possu · Sep 2, 2006

Had a '79 180 Jota with a single seat & a few other bits. When it was good, it was very good. When it was bad, it was a pain in the arse. Four days after buying it, the Bosch CDI failed but managed to get another via Steve Winterton.

I remember scraping the right cover (generator) around Boars Hill Roundabout on the Oxford Ring Road before they fitted the traffic lights.

140mph on the A34 with an open face lid & shades - not clever but don't regret it.

Good on long fast sweeping bends but crap in the twisties, changing direction quickly was not their forte.

I wouldn't do it again but glad that I did.

RIP my old Jota, t-boned in broad daylight, snapped the frame, tore a chunk out of the front wheel. Left with a low ride resting on he collector box with the front wheel still just off the ground. :eek

Swesty · Sep 4, 2006

That looks like the one I bought in Plymouth some years ago Reg was ORS890W. Must be the one as the colour is a one off. I put the C4 cams in it then took them out again because without the HC pistons all it did was run rough round town, on the open road I didn't notice much of a change. Some scumbags nicked it Jan 2000 and not recovered. Agreed valuation insurance saw a 955 daytona then Duke st4 and a K1200RS but in the long run ended up with a GS.

Deleted account 231205001 · Sep 4, 2006

Swesty said:
That looks like the one I bought in Plymouth some years ago Reg was ORS890W. Must be the one as the colour is a one off. I put the C4 cams in it then took them out again because without the HC pistons all it did was run rough round town, on the open road I didn't notice much of a change. Some scumbags nicked it Jan 2000 and not recovered. Agreed valuation insurance saw a 955 daytona then Duke st4 and a K1200RS but in the long run ended up with a GS.

Which Jota Swesty?

Swesty · Sep 4, 2006

Big Lad said:
Which Jota Swesty?

Thread starter, the blue 1200.

Keith Chapman · Sep 5, 2006

You can always tell a laverda owner by the Popeye style left arm...Those clutches are HEAVY

Nemo · Sep 5, 2006

ORS

Swesty,

You are correct, that's the bike. I bought it and ran it in Aberdeen (photos taken beside the River Dee). I think it was a Fait car colour; girls loved it but blokes mostly went down the "it has to be orange" route I loved it but decided to sell after hitting some dire financial straits.

On my last run on the bike, one week before a prospectrive buyer was coming to look at it from Edinburgh, it dropped a valve seat

So it was head off and took it to a firm in the docks that reconditioned trawler engines. They heated up the head in a huge oven and then banged in a new seat. I put it all back together with much help from a mate and managed to drop a nut down the cam chain tunnel but fished it out of the drain plug (how lucky was that). The buyer had one go on the bike and paid the full asking price

Shame it got trashed, but nice to know that you had some fun with it.

RHN

Swesty · Sep 5, 2006

That'll explain why I had the very same fault, bloody trawlers! This was under warranty from the bike shop. The very same place tried to adjust the valve clearances with an angle grinder on the valve stem!!!!!!!!!! And just to add insult to injury gave me a goldwing to use whilst repairing. She story goes on and on. All of it bloody good fun. Would I have another, yes I did but thats gone as well now.

Swesty · Mar 18, 2008

Funny how things go but I've just bought another, this time a jota, well 3cl with all the bits. I just couldn't live without the sound of a 180 degree triple through open pipes. Better than any boxer exhaust note, but under no circumstances will I part with my GS.

Rob Farmer · Mar 18, 2008

Well!!

I keep looking at them and drooling.

I've got a pic of my old 750 as my desktop wallpaper I'll have to make do with that for a while. Hell of a bike for 1973 and in a completely different league to anything else made at the time. I fitted the Jota wheels and swinging arm to get round the rear wheel spoke breaking problem.

(RIP) Shenzi · Mar 18, 2008

I got fed up with my LeMans stopping everytime there was a cloud in the sky so I traded it in for a Jota, how bright was that? The thing about the Jota for me was before I owned one I thought it was the dogs, I just had to have one! Now the things I remember most about owning it is the pain, the rush when it came on the cam and the sound in that order! Looking back in honesty I don't think I enjoyed it that much, I'm not very masochistic. Flogged that for a Katana which I spent a fortune on but what a bike!

(RIP) Boxertools · Mar 18, 2008

I never owned one, but my brother inlaw Clive Brown, raced them at the end of his racing career.
He raced endurance and was badly injured on a Laverda at the Spa 24 hour in 1976 (I think).
He was slowing down to enter the pits and was hit from behind by a fast bike.
His tank exploded and he was badly burned.
Never rode again.
Mike.

Ash · Mar 19, 2008

ex laverda Diamante owner.
a cheaper variant of the 668 using the same engine in a steel trellis frame and half fairing (a la 750S).
The bike was given good reviews from the press.
but it was terrible around town due to very poor fueling,when you opened the throttle then the fun began.
it's no wonder they went bust with the amount of trick high class parts that laverda used.

cornish · Mar 19, 2008

I've had mine since 1978 and its never missed a beat. The only "thing" I've had more good times with is my wife! Its green and its beautiful. Every winter I think I might sell it in the spring, then I take it out and thats that for another year! Just found out I havent got a digital photo, which is easily rectified I guess. Nice to see all the other photos.

Any other ex Laverda owners?

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What a waste.

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Off route.......... Tossing

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Oh Yes....

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