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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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LAVERDA 750 S SPORT

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This page was last updated on 05/25/2004

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