Jim’s Laverda Alpino 500

Jim had sourced this peachy 500 via the Laverda club. It had been restored a few years ago, and while the cosmetics and build quality were really good, it was running unpredictably. The original jerky Bosch ignition would sometimes cut out, and cold starting was an issue too.

A few emails had us agreeing on converting the ignition to an Ignitech, with new coils to suit. It’s the same solution I usually fit to the bigger Laverdas. Jim bought the parts and asked me to fit them, and also to check the old loom and repair any sadness.

It was lucky he did, because although most of the harness was fine, there were a few bare wires from an ancient repair. Quite literally, a fire hazard.

It’s good fun to repair a loom which is mostly OK. You just comb through it bit by bit, figuring out the best way to restore good reliability and connection. Fitting the coils and ignition is easy enough, as long as you keep checking they won’t get in the way of the side panels and tank. This is why I always try to use Dyna Mini Series coils – they are smaller than most, and that comes in handy when space is restricted. Which it always is.

I know I often say the bike started first time, but it did. Jim rode it home up the A1 to York, and sent a mail a couple of days later: “Thanks again for your work on my Alpino last week. The engine response is much smoother now which (along with the thing not catching fire!) is what I was looking for.”

You can’t get a better recommendation than that. Cheers Jim.