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FAILURE RECORDS
Failures in 2003
I bought my Laverda motorycle second-hand in the
end of June 2003 with 8.576 km on the clock.
Soon after buying my bike, I had to face the hassle of troubleshooting.
During my pre-buy talk with the seller, I had been loyally advised
of sporadic engine misfires due probably to the electric
system, he said !
Therefore, I decided it would be much safer to ferry the bike back home
on trailer and that's what I did !
My first ride out
After a smooth running during about 20 km (12 miles), the bike starts
showing intermittent misfires and the engine eventually stalls.
Stopping for a short while, I start again the engine and run another
100 yards before the engine stalls again.
After one or two more failed attempts, I desperately abandonned
my dead-silent LAVERDA along the road at a farmer's
who nicely offered to keep the bike in the barn next to
his house.
Another ferry trip back home on a tow and I put the bike away in
my garage.
I achieve the following
servicing
- Engine oil change, mesh filter cleaning and oil cartridge replacement
- Air filter replacement
- Install of side stand safety relay by-pass kit
- Upgrade of 2 yellow wires connections between alternator and regulator
- New battery and new regulator
- Regulator ground wiring to neg
battery pole
- Engine tuning at the nearest Ducati shop (tickover, synchro, CO
and throttle valve potentiometer tuning)
Once serviced
and tuned, I run the bike for a test ride
After a smooth running during 50 km (30 miles), further symptoms
are soon evidencing:
- poor idle
- engine backfires when I ease off the accelerator
- 0 tacho reading while the bike is running, followed soon after by erratic
engine misfires and eventually the engine stall
- engine is difficult to start again
The bike will eventually bring me home after successive runs of
2 or 3 miles, each one made at intervals of a few minutes.
I decide new servicing
- Purchase of the ACCUMATE battery tender and full charging
of the battery
- Mounting of a plug secured to the frame for quick and easy connection
to the ACCUMATE
battery tender
- Replacement and upgrade of
ignition leads
and spark plugs
- New engine tuning at the nearest DUCATI shop and cleaning of scratchy
throttle valve potentiometer
Since this last check, I have run without further troubles and
the bike is a dream to ride.
In January 2004, I have logged 12.450 km on the clock, no problem
!
Failures in
2004
Having run about 4.000 km without
further troubles since I got the bike in June 2003, I
had to face following faults early 2004:
- rough engine running at low revs
- engine backfires when throttling down
- sooty plugs covered with black carbon deposit
- battery going flat
Due winter frost, the bike is
difficult to start when cold in the morning.
Without power supply in my garage, I am unable to use my battery
tender to maintain my battery fully charged
at night.
I decide to use jumper cables to connect my flat battery to that
of my car.
Though effective on the first try, such procedure proved to be quickly inappropriate,
the engine showing reluctance to start despite the normal
cranking of starter motor.
Loosing patience, I took the bike to the mechanic's and asked
him to fine tune the injection as I suspected mixture
being too rich.
After new adjustment and setting have been professionally done, I went
to the shop to take my bike.
Upon pressing the START switch, nothing,
nada, niente, starter motor dead silent !
Pressing START button did not crank starter motor but merely made
fuel pump relay to produce some weird crakling noise and
tachometer needle to jump up to the limit rev.
Mechanic declared that both the
battery and the chip were knackered.
New battery,
new chip, new try:
This time, starter motor is cranking OK but other failure symptoms
remain the same (crakling noise of the relay, erratic
tacho needle).
Mechanic reported that the ECU now (i.e. the electronic control unit)
is at fault.
By chance, I could
buy a used one on E-BAY.
New ECU is fitted, hallelujah, the bike is alive !
Conclusion:
- 1 battery change (under warranty)
- 1 new chip + postage = 83 euros
- 1 used Magneti Marelli IAW 16M G0 ECU + postage = 163 euros
- Laverda motorcycle laid down at the mechanic's for 2 months.
Such failure originated most likely in using jumper
cables to connect my flat battery to that of my car. ENZO,
Laverda importer and specialist shop in Belgium, to confirm possible
damage to the ECU when jumper cables are used.
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