I have the opportunity to purchase a SELVA 15 HP o/b (new, but at a good price) and wondered if anyone would offer an opinion as to SELVA reliability (positive or negative). Many thanks.
I once purchased a new 4 hp Seagull (rebadged Selva) abut 4 years ago it was very well made and as a result heavy. unfortunately it was not properly prepared prior to delivery and ran incredibly roughly, it also tended to run on, ie Desiel due to the high mix of oil to fuel during the running in period. It was also hard to start. Found support virtually non exsistant. It may have improved by now. I hated it so much I took a loss and replaced it with a Suzuki 4 hp which started first time every time.
So I guess answer is if you have a good dealer supplying it to you you should be ok. For my money I'd buy a Suzuki any day.
I ran a 15 on my cat for several years, and found it totally reliable and quite a lot quieter than many Jap counterparts. The only problem was the near impossibility of obtaining spares, but I have heard that the situation has improved since then. Check where the nearest supplier is, and if you go ahead you will have a nice smooth economical engine!
And I never heard of the 4 being anything remotely like a Seagull, which I find hard to beleive in view of the Italian origin of the engine!
