1953 A10 Plunger For Sale

[Brian]

The seat cover is a bit of a mystery. My first thought was to replace it but the person I bought it from got it from the original owner who said it had a red seat from new. He reckons he has a photo he will send me to prove it. I dont have an original sales brochure for 55' models but I do for 56' and it shows them with a red seat. The seat does need new foam so I will have to try and find out for sure one way or another. Might send a e-mail to Leightons in the UK, they will probably know.

Doesnt need restoring as such but does need some work, has a couple of oil leaks and the wiring is a bit ratty. I'm going to put it up on the bench and pull the top end off and replace the base gaskets plus any other things that need doing before I ride it any distance.

I've been looking for one for some time and was on the verge of buying a 56' model when this one came up for sale. I wanted a 54' or 55' because of the wheels.

Once I get it sorted it should be a nice bike.

[shabashow]

My 52 A10 has a red seat, don't know if it's from new. Got a replacement cover from leightons, told them it was a red one and was going to send a sample so they could get the same colour. They knew exactly what the colour was - maroon with light piping. I think it sets off the bike just fine. I think if it were replaced with a black seat, it would be 'too black'.

[jfligg]

Hey Brian
  Thats a really nice B33.  Do you need heavy boots to get her going.  Cheers Jeff

[Brian]

Actually Jeff the singles are probably easier to start than the twins if you have them set up right.

The "secret", if you could call it that, is the magneto. It has to be perfect so it throws a decent spark at a very low cranking speed. A good maggy and just a gently push on the kickstart will fire them up every time.

I've got a plunger B33 I've had for years and have been looking for a good swingarm one for some time. I've got it in bits at the moment giving it a thorough going over, wont be long and it will be going again ready for some serious miles.

[LJ.]

I find the viscosity of the oil is much more crucial with singles, if I still have sae 50 in the engine after summer and its a cold day I know I'm about to have problems, whereas with twins using sae 50 in winter, they usually start without too much effort.