Laverda Mirage 1200

I bought the '81-2 Mirage because a suitable Guzzi Le Mans hadn't turned up. As soon as I got the Laverda, MCN was full of the 850's. Typical. At the time, you could pick up a nice Mirage or LM for £1000 to £2000 - try that nowadays!

Mine had a fair bit of history. I'd bought it off a mate who used to work for Slater Laverda, & it had been rebuilt to as new condition a few years previously by another Laverda specialist.

It had been fitted with Jota bars & 'silencers', indicators & mirrors removed, a stripped down silver framed red cafe racer. It was a blast to ride - when it was going well. But niggling little - & not so little - faults kept cropping up. Ok, where shall I start? Starter motor dying? The rear wheel bearings collapsing? Collector box & downpipes rusting to bits? Primary drive adjuster dropping out? Clutch plates sticking together? Breaking cables? Leaky petrol tank? Bendy centre stand? Instrument & even headlights that would turn off when they felt like it - or the habit of dropping onto 2 or sometimes even just one cylinder...

I persevered, being single at the time I kept throwing money at The Beast. Weekends were either for riding the thing, or doing overtime to afford to keep it going. I bought a GPz900R to keep it company - and the days when it wouldn't start. Paid for a full service at Slaters, it behaved itself for a while. New stainless steel exhaust system, brake lines, pads, battery - the list goes on.

Eventually, I gave up after a short circuit tried immolating the wiring loom, & it has sat in the garage ever since.