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Topics - Laverda Dave
1
« on: July 03, 2025, 05:27:34 PM »
I'm about to strip the paint off the TL125s tank ready for a respray. The tank has been repainted before, badly with very thick paint. The existing pattern is incorrect as well, the orange should extend down to the nose of the seat, it doesn't.
My question is does anyone know of the correct paint codes that should be used on the tank and side panels?
The main tank colour is silver (as are the side panels) with an orange(ish) panel that sweeps down to the nose of the seat. Separating the two colours is a black pinstripe (it's currently in gloss black but should it be matt black? If anyone knows of the Honda paint codes I'd appreciate some guidance. Being of 1976 vintage I wonder if Honda actually had paint codes then, they didn't for the Parakeet yellow used on the 1976 400/4 I restored last year!
Diego (Piki or Reddice on here (site sponsor)) has made up the new decals.
2
« on: May 09, 2025, 08:52:05 AM »
Anyone going to the Kempton Park Autojumble and Classic Bike show tomorrow? Tickets are £9 in advance (you get an e-ticket on your phone and you just sail past the long queue to get in).
I'll be there on my RE Interceptor looking for more elusive TL125s parts and buying stainless nuts, bolts & washers💷💰.
3
« on: April 24, 2025, 12:11:36 PM »
I am looking for a chrome speedo case for the TL125S I am currently restoring if anyone has one they would like to sell? Peter Horton has skillfully restored the speedo and it know works as it should instead of the needle going round and round the face! Unfortunately Peter is unable to restore the outer bezel and case that have been badly mangled in a fall. The nasty dent in the case is in exactly the place you really don’t want it, in the area where there is a plate inside to locate the idiot lights making it impossible to get to in order to knock the dent out. If anyone has a case and bezel lying around (or even a complete speedo  ) you may wish to sell please let me know, you’ll make a TL very happy 
4
« on: January 17, 2025, 09:33:13 PM »
Thought I’d share a trick I learnt to do with bread and its power to act as a bearing removal tool where all else has failed! I had to remove the blind gear shaft bearing from the TL125S to enable the cases to be vapour blasted. Nothing would shift the bearing and then I remembered the slice of bread trick. Basically you stuff bread into the blind bearing and tamp it down with the head of a suitable sized bolt. Keep stuffing bread into the bearing recess and eventually it will push the bearing out AND you have a handy snack when the job is done 
5
« on: December 21, 2024, 10:11:16 AM »
Christmas treats
6
« on: December 13, 2024, 04:40:02 PM »
This is the coil from the TL125S. I would like to yellow passivate the coil and capacitor mounting bracket but they are riveted to the coil. Before I drill the rivets out does anyone know what type of rivets these actually are? They appear to be a cross between a blind rivet and a pop rivet.
7
« on: November 30, 2024, 11:03:11 PM »
Another project arrived in the man cave yesterday.
An old mate from work got in touch to ask if I could re-commission his Honda TL125S. He was given the bike by a mate of his a few years ago as a partially restored bike. Apparently it has a 150cc kit fitted. The photo of the bike makes it look pretty good but it is a bit rough around the edges.
The fuel tank is thick with rust internally, I will try some DEOX-C but I’m not very hopeful in this instance and I might have to resort to the loose nut method of shaking it prior to the DEOX treatment. Externally the tank is scabby in places and the decals are lifting. The frame paint isn’t great either; I think it has been hand painted as some point.
The rear chain cover (cast alloy) has a very nasty crack that will require welding. The internal web is also missing making me think it has suffered a final drive chain break at some point.
The rear tail light is also aftermarket, not sure what it is from, it looks ok but I think the genuine Honda item would look better.
The rear indicators and brackets are also missing, the front indicators are pointed and not the usual flat Stanley type so I will need to find a pair of these.
The worst part is the wiring loom, it is disconnected and very brittle with the usual bodgery showing so I’ll see if I can find one in better condition as they appear to be unobtainable new or pattern.
There are plenty of small minor things also missing; the spring for the l/h footrest is missing as is the rear brake switch spring. There is also cracking to the sidewalls of both tires and there was less than ½ litre of engine oil when I drained it. The seat cover has a rip on the edge of the seat pan and the seat mounting bracket fixing bolt has snapped off meaning the seat cover will need removing to fit a new bolt from inside. There are plenty of rounded nuts and bolts whilst the engine is held together using hex head socket bolts.
Good points, the wheels look original as are the handlebars and it has a genuine Honda exhaust although it does have a huge, thick alloy exhaust flange and I’m not sure if this was an aftermarket item.
The upshot is the owner has asked me to fully restore the bike so the strip down has commenced. More to follow as the restoration progresses.
If anyone has any advice on these bikes (was a 150cc conversion a period thing?) or spare parts please let me know.
8
« on: November 28, 2024, 03:21:25 PM »
Ratty is finally finished and is now on the road! This one was a challenge but luckily for me so many members of this forum kindly helped me get the bike over the finish line. A big thanks to Ash for all his help with new bearings, so many replacement parts I lost count, refurbishing the ignition coils and general advice. Thanks also to Ted for the replacement gear shafts and the genuine NOS pistons and rings. Julie and Graham for the rebore, head and valve work and new parts and to Bryan for the advice when I found marks on the crank journal that looked terminal. Thanks also to Nigel for coming to the rescue yesterday when the Boyer ignition timing wouldn’t play ball (Boyer are now aware of the issue). I only took the bike out for a brief four mile ride today as it was so cold and the roads were slimy but to quote Alan Millyard ‘It was just perfect’. Only a couple of minor things to fix, the front brake needs another bleed as sometimes I had to pump it. I need to make a new set of leads from the Boyer to the loom as the crimp connectors Boyer supply look awful, I have some correct connectors on order. The handlebars touch the fuel tank, I need to make some spacers to fit on the lockstops. The bottom yoke I bought doesn't appear to be a 400/4 item despite the ebay add. I think Ted had a similar issue with his 400/4? I’ll drain the tank tomorrow and swirl some diesel into it, remove the battery and hibernate it for winter ready to run in next spring. I have a TL125 arriving tomorrow, a mate has asked me to re-commission it for him so another project is already in the wings! Thanks again all
9
« on: November 15, 2024, 04:18:21 PM »
Hi All.
A mutual friend contacted me last week about a problem he's had with a newly acquired 1976 Honda CB550.
He took it out for a spin and the kick-start lever suddenly flew down and stalled the engine. The engine would not then restart with the kick-start as it had seized solid!
He took the engine out of the frame and removed the sump to find the kick-start gear has seized solid to the kick-start shaft. He eventually removed the shaft by cutting the gear off.
He sent me the attached photo.
It appears as though the kick-start shaft has been spinning so fast it has welded itself to the gear. I know this engine has a ‘tang’ in the crankshaft casting to stop the kick-start shaft rotating. I don’t know if the tang has broken off as I haven’t seen the engine but the owner tells me there was nothing in the sump to indicate something has broken.
My concern though is looking at the burring damage on the journal of the kick-start shaft how did he get the shaft out from the engine without drifting it through and thereby damaging the crankcase bearing?
He’s bought another kick-start shaft as in the photo but that is only going to replace the damaged shaft, the potential cause of the problem and possible crankcase damage remains.
Does anyone know of what may have caused the kick-start to drop down in the first place considering the bike was being ridden at the time and if the ‘tang’ has broken off can it be welded back on to the crankcase and if it can will the crankcase need to be split to do so, I’m second guessing it will and whilst he’s in there it would also be a good idea to check and possibly replace the primary chain?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
10
« on: November 03, 2024, 08:44:10 PM »
I have been offered a VFR400 NC30 for free and in very large bits. It had been used as a normal road bike before the owner developed a taste for track days. The bike was stripped and made ready for the track with all the original parts being kept in storage. I don’t know at this stage if the bike is a genuine UK example or a later import. Does anyone have any experience with these bikes? Are there any particular issues and pitfalls with them such as leaky rads, internal corrosion of the water cooled cylinders etc. Are there any particular spares that are difficult to obtain and does the rear wheel chain adjuster seize as they do on the VFR800 if not properly maintained? is it true the spark plugs are over £20 each! I know the fuel tank is very rusty inside and is the reason the bike isn't in use, I think I can fix that (hopefully) with a good dose of DEOX-C. I fully expect the original exhaust to be on the way out if it isn’t stainless so does anyone know of a good replacement system. Any pointers would be appreciated to help me decide if I should take it on
11
« on: July 25, 2024, 06:21:54 PM »
I came to fit the seat to Ratty today, the final flourish as it were. The seat is a DSS reproduction of the original minus the Honda logo (that I have now applied using a stencil (thanks Ash  ). Of course in hindsight I should have tried the seat on the bike BEFORE applying the logo because I have now found the seat doesn't fit  First thing was the rubber cushion on the base being too thick, it should be 7mm, the one fitted was 15mm! I carefully cut this down. When I came to lower the seat the plunger was 10mm to far forward on the seat! I took this off whilst I checked everything else. When it came to lowering the seat the front of it was again 10mm to far forward. I checked the tank position and it is sitting hard up against the front rubber cushions on the frame. If the seat is pushed down to its correct location the nose of the seat is compressed upwards on the tank making it look it was made by a 5 year old! The seat is also so hard up against the rear of the tank it will rub the paint off within a few miles  I tried to slot the holes in the seat hinge to enable me to push the seat back on the locating bolts but then found the bolt holding the pillion grab strap gets in the way, argghhhh....... The piping on the seat at the front also resembles the crust of a Cornish pasty; it’s all over the place. I contacted DSS earlier and was told ‘We have sold hundreds of these seats and never had a problem’ as though that’s an excuse for poor quality control! They have asked me to send photos of the issues with a full description which I have done and now awaiting a response. I have asked for another seat because this one is not fit for purpose. Has anyone else had any issues with these seats from DSS? I noticed there are other suppliers but I guess they all come from the same source? Really annoying when DSS just send out parts without checking them first but let the customer act as their quality control department.
12
« on: June 19, 2024, 10:35:37 PM »
For anyone who frequented Rykas at Box Hill in the late 70’s/early 80’s this will bring back some memories. Some really nice Honda's, Kawasaki's and Laverda's. The place used to be mobbed on Sunday's before heading down the A24 towards Worthing. The music on the video is really good as well. Ahh.....those really were the good old days😁 https://youtu.be/f6UdyTk28aI?si=AcAMgLS3I6ZiGgFQ
13
« on: June 15, 2024, 12:26:04 PM »
There’s been a lot of discussion recently regarding various replacement carburettor jets etc.
I came across a new company called KMT Products who are based in and manufacture in the UK. I contacted them to see if they manufacture parts for sohc Honda Keihin carbs. This is the response I got back, seems pretty encouraging.
Discalimer - I have no affiliation to this company and haven't used any of their products but thought it worthwhile to contact them.
Hi, Dave.
We manufacture more than 250K main and pilot jets in the UK per year, as listed on our website, at our manufacturing facility in Northamptonshire on high precision Swiss multi-axis CNC lathes to a high degree of accuracy.
Regarding the quality:-
All centre-line tooling is clocked to within 5 microns of the spindle axis, and only after the machines are warmed up with a preheat cycle. All the ID numbers are engraved instead of being stamped, using a high frequency spindle running at 40K rpm. The parts are inspected on setup, during manufacture, and after degreasing in our solvent plant with an ultrasonic recirculation submersion cycle. This is followed by a vapour cycle, which slightly passivates the surface. After this the jets are blasted with high pressure air to remove any swarf particles that may still be left. They're then counted to ensure none are missing or have been cross-contaminated (highly unlikely) by verifying with the machine counter. We then sub-divide each batch into lots of 50 to sample check for size, thread and that the bores are visually clear using magnified lenses. They are then sealed in airtight bags and stored in a dry clean room ready for packing and shipping.
As the tooling is clocked up to the centre line of the spindle, and we use high precision ground carbide tooling, machining them with thin high grade centistock neat cutting oil, we get the accuracy and surface finish to ensure the quality. On initial first off/setup, and during manufacture we take a sample of jets to check internal surface finish by sectioning as additional measure. So, I hope this gives you the confidence in the quality that you can expect us to provide.
We don’t make the full range of Mikuni or Keihin main or pilot jets but we make the most popular types.
We are looking to increase the range by making others such as the Mikuni types N208.099 press/push in main jets VM28/213 pilot and Keihin N424-22 & 24 Pilot jet, or other types possibly in the next year or so. Other than that we would need to see exactly what types are required for the SOHC Honda you have listed, and come back to you once we have done our research.
We, as of yet, do not manufacture float needles but may consider doing so in the future, along with needle jets both of which require a lot of research and additional specialised equipment. We will continue to increase the types of jets we produce, as already mentioned, but only after we can the stock full range of sizes. I hope this help to furnish you with our capabilities and alleviate any uncertainties about the quality of our jets.
Thank you for taking an interest in our company and being prepared to mention us on the SOHC site. I will come back to you once I have more information.
Kind regards,
KMT Products
14
« on: May 25, 2024, 09:36:55 AM »
This month's CBG has an 11 page feature on the CB400/4 to celebrate its 50th Year.
15
« on: April 30, 2024, 05:40:05 PM »
Hi All.
I am installing the handlebars but cannot find any info regarding the two dots on the clamps. Do these face forward or backwards? Does anyone also know the torque setting on the clamp bolts? Being steel bolts in alloy castings I don't want to overdo it and strip the thread in the top yoke. Memory tells me the front bolts of both clamps must be tightened first, am I correct or is my memory playing tricks!
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