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Came up for sale in PDX today. Older Italian beauty. 14,000 miles.

It's been fun rereading this thread after all this time. I don't see much reason to drill the pucks. As long as the pucks are not dried up and very hard, they will not have any effect on the splines. Dirt and lack of grease are what damage splines. The pucks should be lubricated with a lube that is designed for rubber to metal contact. My personal favorite is Sil-glyde. It is made for lubricating rubber parts in contact with metal in brake systems so it is waterproof, heat resistant and tends to stay put. High pressure grease preferrably with moly such as TS-60 is best for the splines.

I did the half rubber number in my 87 and did a bunch of whittlin' on my black frame bike . Stopped because I could tell no difference . I do think running 1/2 the amount of rubbers would weaken the system and cause you problems in the long run. If they made softer rubber pucks , I think I would go for some BUT they don't so I will find something more important to worry about.

I have never drilled the rubbers. But I did try running with half the rubbers installed. It did make for smoother shifts. But it was not really a rough shifter with all the rubbers.

This is entering the realm of philosophy. I drilled the rubbers in my '85 LeMans. I did not drill the rubbers in my '97 Sport. I noticed zero difference. The question becomes, 'how much cushion is necessary to save the metal, where is the point of diminishing returns?' My personal opinion is that the factory cushions are perfectly adequate for their purpose, and most or all of the worn splines are due to lack of maintenance rather than impact. My $0.02.

I think I can answer that with a no it didn't. Homespun engineering without a purpose. Phil

15 years ago a few guys with some sense seemed to like the idea of a cushier cush drive. I wondered if the idea held up over time. (Phil votes NAY)

It's not and never was with anyone with any sense. Why the hell would you Swiss cheese the dampers? Or replace them with something else/softer? A slight smear of rubber grease to ease the assembly back together is all thats needed and then don't mess with it. Phil

Another article from The Smithsonian with more references and photos, including this amazing period photo of Pirsig with his son on the SuperHawk . . . https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/zen-motorcycle-still-inspires-philosophical-road-trippers-50-years-later-180984143/

I used generic GE silicone grease and it's just fine. Somebody will have to make an argument that Japanese silicone is better than American before I go hunting to pay more. As stated upthread a decade and a half ago, just give them a very light coating or you'll wonder how long it will take before coming home with a clean wheel. The answer in my case was ~3k miles.

Hmm I was going to use a generic silicone grease in my toolbox. Mebbe I'll try to locate some of the magic stuff before putting my freshly drilled parts back in. Wheel will be off until I get the swingarm greased, transmission cover work done, and a few other rando projects. Thx

I watch the Laverda forum here and Redax in Qld seems to be a pretty good source of Laverda expertise.... Cheers

Yes, but... I remember reading a test of the RGS 1000 back in the day, and thinking "I want one of those". For someone who wants one of those, that one looks pretty good. EDIT: a closer look at the naked orange Laverda picture posted by P6X further up makes me think that the bolt was that long originally.

I'm sure wondering about the length of that cam chain tensioner adjustment bolt. Doesn't look stock to me which leaves questions, maybe. Spares are the issue and it's the sort of bike where specialised bespoke parts were used unique to that bike. Brakes and suspension are all easy but body stuff ,instruments and engine are the question. The earlier Jota series naked bikes would be a lot easier with regards to parts. Phil

That seems like a well loved and sorted machine, IMO fairly priced Never seen an RGS in that silver/gray colour but looks classy

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/mcy/d/portland-1984-laverda-rgs-1000/7808966370.html

Sometimes, taking a ride may only be motivated by a lady running a food truck... I really enjoy the subdued, genuine authentic friendliness; I don't know you, but I get repulsed by the overly commercial fake welcoming you get a lot those days.

And through it all, The Beatles.

What caused you to post this ? I went back and read EVERY post in this thread . I realize how many members are no longer "involved" and how much "we" have all changed and not changed. p.s. if you want to keep someone from reading a book , just recommend it.

I read the book years ago and the saddest thing was learning at the end his son was murdered in a totally random knife attach when he was in his early twenties from memory. Felt like you got to know the kid well in the book then this happened. Phil

That's never happened to me.

I use a little dishwasher soap, works great, also for f.i. handlebar grips

It has a Midnight Diner feel to it, but in the daytime. I really enjoyed my two weeks in Japan in winter 2019. So many interesting places to eat, inside of course because of the season. This reminded me of that trip. I want to go back in spring or summer... maybe to eat there?

As Thelonious said (pretty sure he was referring to Guzzis) "You gotta dig it to dig it, you dig?"