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Messages - Laverda Dave
2
« on: Today at 06:18:42 PM »
Good luck with the op Dennis. I had a biopsy carried out on my right ear a couple of weeks ago and it is still too painful to even attempt to put a crash helmet on! Carpel tunnel issues, you must have been a MGP or Superbike racer, a true motorcycling god 
Hope the result is a negative on biopsy Dave. I had similar about 8 yrs ago on right ear about 10 o'clock position, with no further action.
Nice bit of blanket stitch though  and all healed invisibly now.
Thanks Nigel. Mine was in the same place as yours! I got the 'All Clear, No further action required' letter on Wednesday, a full four weeks early so I was a happy bunny. Just got to let it heal properly now before I get back on the bike. They said it was sun related damage which is wierd because I have always used Factor 50 sun lotion (i.e. a blanket) but apparently and according to the dermatoligist, sun damage occurs between the ages of 2 and 10 years old and we didn't have sun lotion back then!
3
« on: Today at 04:59:20 PM »
Peter Horton refurbished the original clocks including converting the rev counter to a suitable 400/4 item from the 250 rev counter that was on the bike. They look fantastic and I asked Peter to put the MPH/KPH face on the speedo for no other reason than I like them :-).
This morning I collected the finished paint set from Tony at Cyclesprays in Horsham, Sussex. He has done a marvelous job considering the tank I took to him! He placed the decals on the tank (decals supplied by Piki (Reddice) on here) and clear coated them with the same on the side panels. I'll decide it I want to put the saving lives sticker above the fuel tank, I don't really like the look of it!
I went to refit the carbs yesterday but thought I'd bench test them first with fuel to check the floats, of course one leaked really badly (No 1). A frustrating three hours spent adjusting the float and re-testing got me nowhere and it looks like I'll have to fit one of the new Keyster float valves to replace the original as the tip looks worn. What is it about 400/4 carbs, they work fine one minute and flood the next!
Next job will be to fit the carbs and handlebars with the switches.
4
« on: Today at 04:52:00 PM »
A bit of progress over the past couple of weeks.
The big win was getting the engine finished and installed into the frame although I seriously can't recommend lifting an engine on your own from the work bench and onto the floor!
The rebore was done by Graham (Trigger) with the +50 NOS Honda piston sets. Graham also refurbished the head and this included replacing a bent inlet valve and a couplke of exhaust valves as well as a bit of welding to the combustion chamber where it had a chip on the edge.
Once the engine was in I installed the sump, put the forks in and the wheels on a temporary basis to allow me to get the rolling chassis onto the bike lift.
5
« on: Today at 03:15:36 PM »
That looks fantastic in the sunshine.
I've not been out at all, once my ear gets better and I can put a crash hat on I'll be out in time for rfd sunshine 🌞
6
« on: April 16, 2024, 07:36:28 PM »
Does anyone have a couple of the breather guides for sale?
These are the wire guides located on the main stand pivot tube pinch bolts. They hold the fuel breathers/overflows from the carburettors to prevent them rubbing on the chain etc.
I borrowed a clip and bought a piece of stainless steel to make a couple but admitted defeat after a couple of attempts as it became too difficult to hold, heat and bend on my home made jig.
I have tried DSS, CMSNL and 400/4 bits without any success.
Condition is unimportant as I can get them replated if I need to.
Cheers
Dave
7
« on: April 14, 2024, 09:27:10 AM »
Good progress though Johnny and working on it is obviously now getting under your skin👍.
Amazing to think you can still get piston rings for something nearly 100 years old and considering Jag owners struggle to find replacement parts for cars 10 years old!
8
« on: April 13, 2024, 09:36:29 PM »
Very sad news Ted.
I think the previous replies by others sums it all up, we never know what life has in store for every one of us on a day by day basis. Personally I have always believed in fate and how everything happens for a reason both good and bad. There's the old saying that you have to endure the rainy days to fully appreciate the sunny ones.
I hope you both take the positives from the situation, Morgan beat the odds he was given at birth and went on to live a much longer life than predicted with the help and love of those around him.
Best wishes to you both.
Dave
9
« on: April 13, 2024, 04:17:37 PM »
Good luck with the op Dennis. I had a biopsy carried out on my right ear a couple of weeks ago and it is still too painful to even attempt to put a crash helmet on! Carpel tunnel issues, you must have been a MGP or Superbike racer, a true motorcycling god
10
« on: April 13, 2024, 04:02:55 PM »
That was a good workaround Ian. The lathe is the best tool I have ever bought, so useful. I used it this week to enlarge a centre hole in a 20mm stainless washer by 3mm. Turning it up in the lathe ensured it was circular and it fitted perfectly.
11
« on: April 13, 2024, 01:02:06 PM »
The USA is now experiencing national grid problems with demand outstripping supply. The generating companies are saying it is caused by the increasing amount of domestic heat pumps and the increasing number of electric vehicles requiring regular charging! When all our politicians decreed the world go all electric where did they think the increased energy requirements was going to come from!
It's alright for the climate activists to say wind and solar but you can't produce solar power when the sun doesn't shine (common in England especially in autumn, winter and spring, and turbines only work when the wind blows! Solar panels only last 20 years and have high replacement costs. As for building vast wind farms out at sea, they are built by American companies because they receive massive subsidies from the UK government to build them, another type of lend/lease where the tax payer is ripped off. Off shore wind farms are also a big danger to sea birds with a massive increase in death rates.
12
« on: April 11, 2024, 12:00:08 PM »
I have just read this interesting piece on the Mike Nixon Motorcycle Project page: 'The correct procedure is to remove the bolt serving as a sealing plug on the plunger. Then put the crankshaft at TDCC (compression) on the #4 cylinder. Insert a Phillips screwdriver into the hole the plunger resides in and while pushing with moderate pressure, loosen the tensioner locknut and lockbolt, rotate the crankshaft 10 to 15 degrees, and snug the lockbolt and locknut. Release pressure on the plunger and replace its sealing bolt. This is the correct way for the CB350F, CB400F and CB/CL360. Don't use any method that includes running the engine.' The above was the method I was told to use back in the 1980’s to adjust the tensioner but only if after adjusting the tensioner in the ‘normal’ way as described in the Haynes manual with the engine idling at a steady 1200RPM there was no difference in the sound of the engine indicating the tensioner arm was sticking (a sure sign of damage to the pivot point caused by a slack cam chain eating into it and also potentially into the top crankcase  ). So the question is who is right and what methods are used by the 400/4 collective on the forum?
13
« on: April 11, 2024, 11:29:53 AM »
14
« on: April 11, 2024, 11:21:47 AM »
Ken (formally Oddjob on here) made a few sets. I purchased a set and they are very good quality. He was going to put a few sets on ebay so that would be your first port of call. Failing that Mike Nixon in the US can supply them but they are expensive. His website is here: https://www.motorcycleproject.com
15
« on: April 11, 2024, 11:15:11 AM »
Or maybe a couple of turns of the white PTFE tape on the thread (just make sure it is only on the thread and not protruding on the end in case it blocks the oilway to the switch).
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