North America's Exclusive
Restoration Workshop
Welcome to my shed. I have spent my working life as a
professional wrench doing service, restoration and race preparation for owners
of special
interest
European automobiles. In my tenure I became a certified ASE Master
Automotive Technician, a certified ASE Master Body & Paint Technician and was
one of the few
to gain ASE certification in CNG. After nearly 30 years I stopped working on cages.
Even though the perks of servicing Astons, Lotus, Ferrari, Porsche and Maserati
included frequent drives in cars I couldn’t afford, it simply didn’t feed my
soul. Then I spent two years on the flight line at Mooney Aircraft dialing in
and trimming out
new airplanes. While there is something to be said for dancing the skies on
laughter-silvered wings (an easy affliction for the wealthy) it is, still, a
cage.
Close, but no cigar.
I bought my first
Laverda, a SF2, in 1975 and traded it on a 3C by the end of 1978. This was my
fair weather transport as cold or wet weather had me driving
a big Healey
roadster. Then I had kids and the Healey went bye bye. Never went without a Laverda. I still own the 3C.
With the kids moved out an on their own I retired, in
the Texas Hill Country, to do what feeds my soul, the service and restoration of
Laverda motorcycles and
to keep my wife, Diane, happy. I’ve always enjoyed the Laverda affliction. At one time I owned six
complete running examples while living in an apartment.
Some folks thought I had
an obsessive compulsive disorder. I disagree. Something about these machines has
an unquantifiable rightness about them.
These machines, built in Breganze, were created by
people who love motorcycles. Incomparable and uncompromising they are, for me,
the essence of
what a motorcycle should be. One that requires a pilots complete
attention. Not unlike a life partner it takes work to maintain a happy balance.
Laverda seem to be a living entity. While a life partner is good for the heart,
a Laverda is good for the soul.
Folks who have been attuned to the Laverda marque knew
most all of the dealers had closed their doors. Those still operating
switched marques.
Finding an independent shop that had even heard of a Laverda
was pretty rare, let alone one that actually worked on them. Finding quality
service was akin
to finding a needle in haystack. Most dedicated owners
took to undertaking their own service and maintenance needs.
Before the
internet finding parts was difficult at best, most relied on Tim Parker's Twin
and Triple Repair and Tune-Up Guide to augment the factory manuals.
With the
'net information about servicing and getting to know other owners around the
globe slowly spread. North America finally got a good parts source
from an
ex-pat German who discovered the beauty of British Columbia to be an affordable
working retirement. There still was a need for a qualified service
operation to
handle the tasks beyond those with the time or skills to take care of their
machines. I stepped up to fill this void.
I started construction on my shed in 2001, a modest structure built almost entirely with recycled materials. I opened my small workshop in 2002.
My restoration work is a commitment to craftsmanship.
Every component and part, where possible, is hand finished to its original
condition.
Parts that are beyond their wear limit are renewed either with a
restored original piece or a quality aftermarket replacement. These classic
machines
have a quality of construction not found in modern motorcycles. Each
factory built Laverda was assembled by hand.
This tradition is carried on in my
service. Every operation is performed with an eye for the machine’s future
assuring the Laverda pilot
of its continued incomparable and soul satisfying
operation.
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