Post by Dave B on Apr 13, 2016 9:03:18 GMT 1
A family friend, Martin, contacted me to ask if I could put together a Laverda Jota 180 degree model for him. The bike had been standing for over twenty years in a barn, mostly dismantled.
Small creatures had eaten the seat. He had been thinking about a rebuild for a while, because it came with a box of new bits including some new chrome bits and a new seat.
The sad part is that the owner had got one of those horrible degenerative problems. That meant that he was not going to be able to work quite soon and could no longer do the assembly himself.
I could not really say no, in the circumstances.
He brought the bike over in a farm trailer, and while unloading it, it was obvious what a big, unco-operative lump it was!
Anyway many months later and after a lot of muttering, cursing and sweat, I got it all together and through an MOT.
That was the brief, rather than a proper restoration, get the bike on the road for what might be a last summer of biking for him.
I've got to say that the day I took it up for the MOT was not the best. It snowed, and I'm riding a very heavy, very powerful bike with the gear change and brake pedal on the wrong side, also, as a man of 5'8", the seat is so high that I can barely get on and off it. I did not enjoy the ride at all.
Anyway, I had a spot of free time yesterday, so before Martin collected the bike, I thought I'd give it a run across the moor to check that everything was OK.
This time I was starting to "Get it". It reminded me of the time I found myself riding one of the very first Kawasaki Z1. The Laverda is a big, old-fashioned 1970s superbike. It's fast and unlike the other 70's bikes, the handling is superb. It's rock solid on the bends, not as responsive as a modern bike, but so sure of itself that it's hard to believe its age.
The picture tells the story of how happy Martin is the see his bike ready to go.
Small creatures had eaten the seat. He had been thinking about a rebuild for a while, because it came with a box of new bits including some new chrome bits and a new seat.
The sad part is that the owner had got one of those horrible degenerative problems. That meant that he was not going to be able to work quite soon and could no longer do the assembly himself.
I could not really say no, in the circumstances.
He brought the bike over in a farm trailer, and while unloading it, it was obvious what a big, unco-operative lump it was!
Anyway many months later and after a lot of muttering, cursing and sweat, I got it all together and through an MOT.
That was the brief, rather than a proper restoration, get the bike on the road for what might be a last summer of biking for him.
I've got to say that the day I took it up for the MOT was not the best. It snowed, and I'm riding a very heavy, very powerful bike with the gear change and brake pedal on the wrong side, also, as a man of 5'8", the seat is so high that I can barely get on and off it. I did not enjoy the ride at all.
Anyway, I had a spot of free time yesterday, so before Martin collected the bike, I thought I'd give it a run across the moor to check that everything was OK.
This time I was starting to "Get it". It reminded me of the time I found myself riding one of the very first Kawasaki Z1. The Laverda is a big, old-fashioned 1970s superbike. It's fast and unlike the other 70's bikes, the handling is superb. It's rock solid on the bends, not as responsive as a modern bike, but so sure of itself that it's hard to believe its age.
The picture tells the story of how happy Martin is the see his bike ready to go.