A fallow week in terms of repairing broken Laverdas and attention turned to keeping the Atlas rolling ready for the Laverda Club de France AG at Amboise. I’d done most of the work which just left an oil change and trying to track down the cause of the poor starting. I never did get to this and so spent the weekend being bump started by Keith! I realise the ultimate Laverda accessory is a mate!
The weekend went well aside from the starting – once the Atlas was rolling she ran pretty well. Keith was on his XT600 and the pair were well matched. I had to hurry for the channel train due to a closed M20 and the Atlas handled 30 miles at a steady 80 MPH with no worries but for most of the weekend it was 60 MPH. The Atlas’s best feature – 50 mpg + a 22 litre tank came up trumps meaning I could fill up at Henley on Thames and then 40 miles south of Amboise the next morning. Petrol is really a problem now in France – it’s supermarche’s only on a Sunday which might be a problem on a triple.
With regard to motorcycles at the AG there were just 3! Keith’s Yamaha my Atlas and Phillipe’s Atlas – unbelievable the only time I’ve attended a rally (other than the Atlas Rally in 2011) where Atlas’s outnumbered any other bike!
Phillipe’s Atlas is from the original run and even features a colour coordinated top box! It also starts from cold…
Highlight of the weekend however went to Keith’s ready meal – just add water and it heats itself up – I’m told the chicken and dumpling stew was to die for!
It wasn’t a total wipe out with regards fixing broken Laverda’s. On Thursday I managed to get a replacement oil cooler for the RGS (non standard but pretty new and with all the fixtures) and at the AG met a chap who might be able to remanufacture rubber inlet tubes for the Atlas.
Bent screwdrivers, big hammers and old Laverdas 