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Harris-Laverda

That leaves you spit away!

Content of

This bond of a filigree tube construction with a sturdy three-cylinder began over 30 years ago. Thanks to loving support, she matured into a dream marriage. And matures and matures and …

W.He claims that a motorcycle is just the sum of its many parts, it should be better to buy refrigerators. It’s about the composition and its idea. Unfortunately – and that‘s the other side – there are far too many motorcycles that don’t quite come across, and often enough there are highly respected designers behind such specimens. Aloys Brunemann has trained as a mechanic and otherwise looks wonderfully normal. The 58-year-old likes to drive in a sporty way, he likes to screw it up in a classy way. That’s his idea. That transports his motorcycle. And so well that anyone who knows or enjoys motorcycles simply leaves the spit away. Whoa!

Harris-Laverda

That leaves you spit away!

Laverda discovered. The strong character triple was in a pretty tubular space frame, manufactured in the tuning company of Lester and Dennis Harris from Hertford near London. It was probably intended for Hokayasuki, but it fitted quite neatly. Lower, and probably more manageable, than his own Jota 1000, which had the strength of a bull, but behaved stubbornly like an ox when cornering. But the glimmer of hope was followed by an epidemic year. First, the Jota bitched with a torn off valve and cracked cylinder head, and secondly, it seemed completely hopeless to get such a Harris frame through the TÜV. So Aloys sold the Jota and rebuilt the Laverda 1000 3 CL, which had served him well for three years up to 1980 and an accident through no fault of his own, and thanks to higher compression pistons and sharper camshafts, it had a lot of fat.

Small series especially for the Laverda three-cylinder

Back to Harris. In 1983 – again on the occasion of the TT – a Laverda triple converted to water cooling and turbo in – of course – Harris frame won the vote for the best show bike. Then everything happened in quick succession: Aloys ’friend, Wolfgang Brockmeyer from WBO, checked with Harris and found out about the positive response – and yes, a small series will be produced especially for the Laverda three-cylinder. Shortly afterwards – Aloys could hardly believe his luck – the opportunity arose to bring such frames through the TÜV with the help of the Berlin company WRF. The chance, as I said. Aloys drove to Hertford in the autumn of that year, was convinced of the quality of the frames for the last time and ordered personally from Les Harris. Unpainted, because the Briton rejected the request for a nickel-plated version. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any suitable craft businesses nearby.

So the pipe factory came raw to Aloys in the coming spring, and it suddenly dawned on him why Harris didn’t know a good nickel plater: He preferred to coat the legendary Reinolds 531 pipe with plastic and therefore had it rough-sanded. So Aloys had to polish the whole frame and the swingarm that came with the kit. Weeks of hard labor. And then from the beginning. When the part finally got to the nickel maker, Aloys couldn’t sleep. Some things go even more smoothly, he kept on going, the next morning he picked up all the stuff.

Motor from the Laverda 1000 3 CL

As was common in this industry at the time, Harris mostly bent his frames around strong Japanese four-cylinder units, and kits were also offered. The tubular structures are characterized by their perfect workmanship, which could not always be said of the complete motorcycles. Aloys Brunemann was just as uninterested in that as the talk about the high center of gravity of Harris motorcycles. Anyone who had never driven the Laverda Triple didn’t know what a high focus was. In addition, the desired framework differed from the one that Harris had previously offered for Nippon Fours (and which was also adapted for a few Laverda triplets). No construction open at the bottom, but a closed network that encompasses the engine. The wide frame top tubes that strive relatively straight from the very carefully stiffened control head to the swing arm mount are striking. And of course the striking triangular swing arm with the strut arranged almost horizontally. 

When the whole ensemble was back in the workshop, Aloys put in his favorite 1000. The one from the 3 CL. It was sold, but with a different engine. The spring elements came from WP at the rear and Marzocchi at the front, the three-spoke cast wheels from PVM, brake calipers from Lockheed and brake discs from Brembo. The cladding and humps were built with the help of a friendly company, finished. No, not really. The tank provided by Harris seemed too short to the 1.88 meter tall Brunemann. So he filled a large cardboard box with PU foam and formed a precisely fitting model from this blank. He passed this on to Wolfgang Brockmeyer, who regularly bought tanks in England. The 33-liter barrel rolled in in a jiffy.

With shaky knees, Aloys pushed his Harris-Laverda in Berlin shortly afterwards, but the trembling game quickly turned into a triumphal procession. The auditors were enthusiastic about the quality of all soldered seams, praised the stiff construction around the steering head and handed over the invoice faster than expected. 56.20 marks for a fairly full letter. Madness. Back home, there was just enough time to pack the luggage for the TT. During the island trip, all hopes were confirmed, with a more manageable and more precise chassis the Laverda engine was finally able to show its strengths. Even Egli-tipped pals were amazed.

Relationship on the back burner

A fairy tale? Because of: Already in the same year Aloys ’took another one. A lean model, the Honda XL 500 S. He had pitched his tent in Africa. Not a good place for fast street bikes. And when he was back in Germany three years later, other things were happening. The relationship with Harris-Laverda simmered on the back burner, worse: in the mid-90s, the good piece was almost for sale. Only another accident, this time with the car, finally welded the two together. Aloys used his rehab to mobilize his knees again enough so that his feet reached the footpegs that were put back. After rehab he began perfecting the Harris-Laverda. It now had a completely overhauled engine – after a total of 80,000 kilometers, a connecting rod was torn off. In addition, a Forcella fork with a 42 mm standpipe diameter had been involved for a long time because the Marzocchi was simply too hard. Now a DMC ignition came on board, finally Aloys could drive with lights. 320 Brembo discs and four-piston calipers from the same manufacturer were adapted. Aloys thought about that for a long time, because somehow a Harris also includes Lockheed pliers. But somehow a fast motorcycle also needs first-class brakes. Mikuni flat slide carburetors anyway, and a really high throughput three-in-one-in-two system at that.

Aloys Brunemann has been a motor vehicle expert for years, often writing reports on vehicles that other people consider valuable. There is still no report for his Harris-Laverda. But there is a slip of paper on which Aloys notes what should be improved. Last year it said: fix the problem with the fifth gear bearing. That burst and as a result the main transmission shaft broke. Probably also because the pinion was cranked outwards by six millimeters due to the 160 mm rear tire and the increased power of the engine also caused extreme loads. So Aloys came up with the design for another support bearing on the outside of the pinion. And built. This bearing is now located where the clutch release lever otherwise protrudes, which is why it was immediately converted to a hydraulic clutch actuation from Ducati. Is smoother. You don’t get younger, and your arm muscles don’t get any younger. But you don’t give up either. Never. This year there will be a decent oil filler neck on the right of the automatic switch. Next year? Take a look.

Technical data of the Laverda

Siemer

Artwork? No, self-constructed three-in-one-in-two system. Harris peculiarity: side stand on the right

Engine:
transversely installed, air-cooled three-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two chain-driven, overhead camshafts, two valves per cylinder operated by bucket tappets, bore x stroke 75 x 74 mm, compression 10: 1, displacement 980 cm³, power approx. 95 hp at 8000 / min (on the rear wheel) 

Power transmission:
Multi-disc clutch in an oil bath, primary drive via chain, five-speed gearbox, secondary drive via chain

Landing gear:
Trellis frame with double beams, Forcella telescopic fork at the front, Ø 42 mm, triangular swing arm (cantilever system) at the rear with a central WP spring strut, PVM cast-spoke wheels, front 2.5 x 18, rear 4.5 x 18, front tires 110/80 ZR 18, rear 160/60 ZR 18, double disc brake front, Ø 320 mm, with Brembo four-piston brake calipers, disc brake rear, Ø 280 mm 

Measurements and weight:
Wheelbase 1450 mm, dry weight 198 kg, tank capacity 33 l

Mileage:
Top speed around 245 km / h

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