One of these was my first almost- "real bike". I was still living with the folks, and Mother had strong feelings (very negative) about motorcycles. I was only able to get the Leader because it "looked like a scooter! " My very first powered wheels was a Vespa 150 Clubman, new in 1958. Back then, you could get a motorcycle drivers' licence at 16, and I got the Vespa as a ride-to-work when I was an enginereing apprentice.
The Leader was actually much better than I expected, except for its front brake. Nowadays it would be looked down on because of its "smogginess". It had a 250 cc 2-stroke twin and the recommended oil/fuel ratio was 1:16. It smoked like a factory chimney! The previous owner had the name "Old Smokey" painted on the fairing. It handled very well and could easily keep up with Austin-Healey Sprites and Triumph Spitfires (at least up to about 70 mph).
I'd love to find a restorable basket case, particularly if it had the license number FJP 929. I don't think the Leader ever made it to the USA, so I'm probably limited to UK machines, if there are any left that aren't over-restored to a ridiculous price. If anyone knows of a "barn find" Leader, drop me a message.
It's ironic that, after owning a bike with a horribly ineffective front brake, I ended up as an engineer on the Commando, which suffered from the same problem for its first years in production.
The Leader was actually much better than I expected, except for its front brake. Nowadays it would be looked down on because of its "smogginess". It had a 250 cc 2-stroke twin and the recommended oil/fuel ratio was 1:16. It smoked like a factory chimney! The previous owner had the name "Old Smokey" painted on the fairing. It handled very well and could easily keep up with Austin-Healey Sprites and Triumph Spitfires (at least up to about 70 mph).
I'd love to find a restorable basket case, particularly if it had the license number FJP 929. I don't think the Leader ever made it to the USA, so I'm probably limited to UK machines, if there are any left that aren't over-restored to a ridiculous price. If anyone knows of a "barn find" Leader, drop me a message.
It's ironic that, after owning a bike with a horribly ineffective front brake, I ended up as an engineer on the Commando, which suffered from the same problem for its first years in production.
