TIPS for 1000/1200 180!
(With the courtesy of Martin Cutler, of the Club Laverda NSW, Australia)

To all and sundry Jota Owners... with reference to your wheel bearings (rear).
Now, being an owner with approx 5,000 k's. Out for a quite evening, accelerate from the lights - AND - rumble,' rumble. Hmm,a dropped chain?
Upon closer inspection the outer bearing on the chain hub had shit itself in a BIG way to the extent of destroying the chain hub and twisting the swing arm.
Cost of a replacement bearing approx. $4.00 and the old saying prevention is better than cure. Ah yes the joys of motorcycling...... Mark Bayley.

Notes on maintaining your Laverda 1000
Here are some suggestions from a club member, whose background with Laverda's dates from 1976 with an SF2, to a 3C which clocked 112,00Okrn effortlessly and presently
with an '81 Jota. The Jota has the best features of all their range, up to that point, and is proving to be a very capable sports machine. 1 shall limit these notes to day to day running
trivia and leave the mechanical assembly and tuning procedure to the manuals and owners handbooks. With your approach to Laverda maintenance the first requirement is
Common sense, the second ii. a decent assortment of tools, and the third is the time available to do every job thoroughly. Cleanliness and patience belong in there somewhere!
A log book is most important not only to ensure all the maintenance tasks are done within a reasonable time, they also provide a record of durability of all the consumable parts -
helpful when selecting replacements.
MOTOR
1. OIL - As pointed out in the foreword of the owners handbook, a regular (2000-2500Km) oil change is essential for a long lasting
motor. My choice in oil is BP Corse +, and 60 litres of it can he delivered to your door for about $ 100 and the price of a phone call. Check the drained off oil for signs of mechanical
failings. Metal in the oil is a sure sign of impending doom! This is most important after the motor has been apart - a sign that something is out of alignment or incorrectly assembled. .
2. MOTOR IN GENERAL - A lot of creative designers and very competent craftsmen have been involved in the development and preparation of your Laverda 1000. 1 am sure they
have seen to it that their design and you, the owner, will be able to partake in these excesses, (wild horses) for well over 100,000km- The point I am making is don't deviate from the
basic design, the state of tune and always use genuine parts in the motor. SUGGESTIONS - For clean air into the carbies, the standard airfilter can be pulled apart and the filter media replaced with filter fix "treated the filter" foam sponge - about 10mm thick. When treating the unifitter, be sure to wring out the filter fix thoroughly- Primary chains should be replaced
after 40-50,000krn - or when the motor sounds thrashy at idle check the tensioner at the same time- Primary drive - (chains, tensioner, cush drive) life will be impaired by a snatchy ride -
try for a smoother ride with liberal clutch use. Crankshafts are bulletproof - unless, like anything, they are abused. If the motor is ever pulled down to the crank, clean out the oil slinger
and sludge traps in the crank pin centres with a stiff wire- Be sure to flush thoroughly. Pistons, rings and bores wear very slowly. After checking all wear, replace with genuine parts.
The cylinder head is a marvellous example of sand casting - note the air ducting over the combustion chambers and around the cam followers on each cylinder. Once again very little
wear takes place in the head. Follow the advice in the Slater manual on head reconditioning. Blue smoke from the exhaust is a sign that the valve guide seals are in need of replacement -
or possibly guides. Cam chain and tensioner may need checking at about 80,000km. Follow the tensioning advice in the manual. If all the sealing surfaces are clean and in good
condition and gaskets are in good nick, then jointing compound is not needed. For sealing the crankcases, Locktite 515 is the only answer. Head gaskets always weep on the primary
drive side after a decent run. As yet no one has found an answer to my knowledge. Replace all engine seals when splitting the cases. Starter motors and starting mechanisms seem
trouble free - although abuse (like starting in gear) can shear three countersunk allen head screws (M8 x 15mm long) on the mechanism mounting on the 1981 Jota- When replacing,
make sure they are "loctited " in securely. Make sure the water drain hole behind the alternator is clear, or the-starter motor cap may allow water in and start rusting the brush springs.
Clean and coat the inside of the cap with rust preventative and seal off well. Tune wise, Laverda's are easy to live with. Ignition systems are set and forget - though never run the
motor without the caps in place on run to earth, i.e. not open circuited, and never leave the ignition switch on for longer than necessary without the motor running. With the Bosch transistor box models, make sure the tank or cables don't rub on the wiring and short it out! Plug gaps are best set at 24 thou for ease of starting and replace every 6-8,000km. Before
pulling out the plugs, make sure there are no stones waiting around the plug recess, ready to roll into the combustion chamber. Graphite grease the plug thread.

1000 Maintenance
1 use a NGK B8ES. This seems to work well but will foul if you go too slow. The factory recommends a B7ES. The valve settings are 0.25mm exhaust and 0.20mm inlet-
Doing the shims is not too hard a job, but time consuming plus you need the shims and a micrometer.
As with all other Laverda's, the primary chain is meant to be adjusted with the motor going, but I just do up the adjusting screw by hand and this seems to work well.
The cam chain is adjusted by sight, so you have 5 mm free play up or down.
As with most models, the clutch rubbers need replacing regularly if you use the bike's power.
It is fairly easy to tell when these need replacing, by the clanking noise in the primary drive with the chain properly adjusted.
Always take the time to ensure the wheels are aligned properly, this could make a lot of difference in the handling department. To keep your machine looking good,
1 recommend liberal amounts of WD40 and Armourall, as these will protect paint and bodywork and stop rusting. If you are lucky like me, and you have an early BtZ triple,
you'll need a battery charger as the system is pretty weak. So if you leave your bike sitting at all, it doesn't hurt to charge the battery.
About all there is left is to just lubricate the cables and check their free play.
Now you can go out and happily thrash the guts out of your bike knowing it will remain reliable and last. Jaffle

Triple Maintenance
My first article was about the Laverda 1000 motors and I was about to mention carburettors. Three excellent Dellortos.
1 always found standard tune works well - returning good economy and running clearly though tuning with throttle slide outaways and needle positions may prove effective.
Keep dirt away from all carby connections - good rubbers and boots over cables- Install a filtron foam filter mat very lightly oiled. This will reduce wear to every part of the motor.
Hydraulic clutch operation works really well. -Don't tighten the bleed nipple to heavily or it will crack the inside of the slave cylinder casting, and always leak. A dob of grease
against the clutch pushrod when checking countershaft sprocket will mean no squeaks. Change fluids - hydraulic and fork at least once yearly. Ignition seems faultless on the Jota,
though I had to buy a new box for the 3C. Needless to say never run the bike without all ignition caps earthing, and ensure there are no bad connections, or it costs plenty.
Do not leave ignition switch in on position without the motor running as this will burn things out and more money. NGK make good plugs that seem to last- Bad plugs cause
starting problems. Steering head bearings need to be tightened just right- Check the bearings at least once for adequate grease- Keep grease up to the swing arm pivot.
3C's with bronze bush are easily converted to needle rollers. If your speedo flickers, it may be due to a worn bush in the guts of the instrument - resistance can be felt when
turning the cable with your fingers. It's advisable to have it repaired, as continued use will wear out the speedo drive. Otherwise, they're very reliable. Early models suffered from
sloppiness in the clutch and brake levers, only remedied by shimming them up. Keep all pivot points lubricated but keep grease and oil away from all -rubber parts of the master
cylinder and also cables if they are nylon lined, as most of them are. If your clutch or brake feels gritty in operation, a minute dob of grease where the lever meets the plunger will
soothe things - which reminds me of the time I completely stripped my SF 750 to find an elusive squeak (main bearing???) only to find a dob of grease on the points cam gave relief
and eased my blood pressure immensely. Headlight-a55-100w Q.H bulb maybe illegal, but works extra well. A perspex cover for the lens is a good idea, as the probability of a stone
wiping out a $50.00 headlight glass when touring is pretty good- That shroud over the bulb will certainly vibrate off and scratch up the reflector. It is possible to remove the headlight
rim etc without taking off the fairing on the Jota, just take care. The Jota fairing is a beauty - reduces wind resistance and I'm sure helps high speed stability. It's tough, but make sure
it's well mounted. The top support strut of the mount is prone to cracking. Forks seem pretty good, although I reckon that Cerianis are better than marzocchis- They suit a light grade
oil to stay supple and handle bumpy roads. Brakes are great and if maintained properly will cause little problem. Wheel bearings should be checked every time a wheel is taken off -
they can be a bugger to remove without the right extractors, but its a good policy to replace doubtful bearings in both front and rear wheels and also the rear drive sprocket bearings.
Tyres are a personal choice, they never last long anyway. Loctite down the centre stand pivot nuts and bolts, or they will vibrate off.
The genuine Laverda-chain enclosure is an excellent addition. It:
1. Keeps grease in, keeps dirt out:
2- Allows you to run a 530 chain - which offers smoother ride and has less momentum than the 630 chain which leads to
wear on the countershaft sprocket spline. Always shim up this spline drive and secure with Loctite "Press fit":
3. Keeps a clean back wheel:
4. requires very little attention!
That's all I can think of besides 10,000 other things. On the Whole cleanliness in the important areas, correct setting up and state of tune and the right lubrication should
ensure many trouble free miles-

From Superservice, Motorcycling Magazine (English). Laverda Triples 1973 - 1980
Tappets Engine cold, remove tank, cam cover, magneto cover and spark plugs.
(Make sure no dirt around plug holes before you remove, use air hose etc.) Measure valve clearances and note precisely. Check valve clearances with the cam lobe turned
directly away from valve. Use a quality feeler gauge, and write down measurements. Correct gaps are 0.20mm inlet, 0.25mm exhaust when cold. If wrong, new shims are required.
To fit, first remove camchain tensioner. Turn engine over until the timing marks on both cam sprockets point vertical, and parallel with marks on bearing caps, with the crank
at TDC. This places the split link between the two sprockets, enabling chain to be broken. - Split chain, and wire up ends and block the chain tunnel with rags. Noting the
exact position of the parts, undo and remove cams after turning them so that no valves are being depressed.( ditto for reassembly). Valve by valve remove cam follower and
measure shim with micrometer to calculate new sizes. Shim is under cam follower and it should fit easily over valve stem. Insert micrometer into shim to calculate thickness above
stem needed to restore correct clearance. Fit new shims and reassemble. Tap cams lightly to centre them then torque down to 27ft.ib. Fit new split link in chain.
Camchain freeplay is 10mm. Lubrication Warm engine. Remove drain plug and catch waste oil. Some models will require removal of exhaust pipes before taking out and cleaning
oil filter. -clean filter with petrol. Refill crankcase with 2.8 - 3.0 litres of oil. (Personal favorite is Penrite HPR 30. ed) Grease swingarm through nipple on underside of arm. Drip
oil down clutch, throttle and choke cables. When oiling, don't flood them with too much- Grease the pivots on the carb linkage mechanism, and lightly oil the brass choke slides
as they can seize. Lightly grease control lever pivots, rear footrest pivots, rear shock adjustment collets, drive chain adjuster and all but ends of speedo and tacho inner cables.
Remove handlebars to undo fork top cap. Do one leg at a time. Unscrew drainplug at base of fork, and flush oil out. Forks may need pumping to drain out thoroughly. Refill with
240cc of SAE 1 0 each leg, (Cerianis 200cc). Take care not to damage soft threads when replacing caps. Repack steering head bearings yearly- Spray or oil drive chain. Spray
electrical switches with WD40. Primary Chain and Ignition. Warm up engine and run at 2500rpm. Remove dome nut and spacing washers from primary chain adjuster. Turn screw
clock-wise until medium pitch whine becomes audible from chaincase, then turn anticlockwise until whine just disappears- (This can be very difficult to do with so much other
mechanical noise happening, so if in doubt, get an expert to help.) Adjust clutch cable to give 1.5-2.5mm free play at lever. Remove plugs, clean and gap to 0-60.8nim
(0.023-0.031 inches) Renew plugs yearly. Electronic ignition is hard to service, if a fault occurs, seek expert advice- Running or turning over engine with ignition on and plugs out or not properly earthed will blow your expensive CDI unit. Carburation Lift off tank, remove fuel taps and clean tap filters. Remove rubber hoses, undo three screws holding air box and
extract and clean the petrol washable filter element. Twist throttle to check accelerator pumps squirt, if not, reprime. To prime, you have to undo the screws set by the factory, and
suck fuel through the tube, eliminating air locks- Replace the hoses, checking for leaks. Check and clean filters under carb fuel inlet junctions. Drop and clean float bowls, and check
0-ring seals. Set mixture screws at one turn out from closed. Mount tank remotely. Attach vacuum gauges to nipples on inlet stubs. Set tickover at 2000 rpm with long knurled screw
by middle carb. Match outer carb readings to inner one using throttle stop screws- Then adjust mixture screw to smooth tickover, ( out = richer, in = leaner) Slow tickover again and
smooth out again until at 1000- 1 200 for Jota, 3 C(E) or Formula Mirage, 800 - 1 000 for others. Finally, check linkage screws are tight. Cycle Parts Check and top up front and rear brake master cylinders, and clutch if applicable, using DOT 4 fluid. If fluid is heavily discoloured or aerated, renew and bleed system. Hydraulic clutch bleed nipple is situated in gearbox
cover under rubber bung. Lift off plastic pad covers on callipers and check pad wear. Renew when worn below 6mm. Clean with meths only. Grease pins on reassembly. Check steering
head bearings for play by jacking up front wheel and pulling on fork bottoms. See that bars turn freely. Look for excessive side play in swing arm. Check battery electrolyte level and
top up. Clean off verdigris and smear petroleum jelly on battery terminals. Check tyre pressures and wear. Rock wheels to check for bearing play. Check all breather tubes are clear-
Check for loose fittings, adjust chain if necessary and ensure all bulbs are working. Letter from Moto Laverda, Breganze - 19/9/1990 List of modifications made in the 1000/3 production
over the years as requested by Jim Eade Pty Limited- 1973 Cast -iron valve bucket liners eliminated To improve running and reduce noise 1974 Forkchangedfrom35to38mm.dia.
For better suspension and stiffness 1973 Oil cooler fitted To improve cooling 1974 Charged starter gear cover seating As different measures in starter gear cover thickness have been
done to fit stator plate, in two cases a spacer has been added. 1974 L/H main changed to roller Ball bearing too weak, changed to roller to improve life of motor. 1973 Milled seat
between crank cases for "O" Milled seat and "O" ring fitted to stop oil ring fitted. leak. 1975 New CDI box fitted with all cables To run better in wet weather underside. 1975 Dome
nuts and copper washers on left Fitted cause of leaking oil hand main bearings 1975 Needle roller swinging arm To improve handling 19'75 1st idle gear ratio changed - mounted
To improve running and life of the gearbox in needle bearing 1975 Cylinder head with separate valve seats To stop the clearance closing fitted 1975 New design of collectors for
exhaust For better performance system. 1975 Fitted thrust washers to support bearings Have been fitted from the beginning to keep in cast all. wheels. both front and rear inner
spacers in the correct position. 1976 Sprocket carrier fitted with heavier The bearings were found collapsed in some bearings cases so they have been changed for security.
1979 Change camshaft supports They collapse at end 1979 Anti rattle plates fitted behind the clutch To improve running and take off noise 1983 Strengthen the head frame on
RGS/SFC Cause of failure in some cares the head frame (Steering Tube) these items are to be strengthened. 1983 Kit double valve springs for both 180/120 To improve running
and life of the valve timing system Central ball bearing was changed to roller As the ring (outer part) get broken some Bearing time it has been changed with the roller bearing
for security and 1ife. Hydraulic clutch assy for 750 / 1000 / 1200 To obtain a clutch more soft as well as operating.

<<< Retour