Spoke wheels VS Lesters

[vanzen]

...
Course, just to stir up the hornet's nest: if you run the Lesters tubeless, then your total weight comes out about the same as spoke wheels with tubes, but you've removed the tube weight from even further out toward the perimeter than the rims.

... and, as I recall, some Lesters were MTH (tubeless) rated.

[Duane Ausherman]

While not directly involved with Lester, my very good friend, Byron Limber, was one of the testers of his products. Lester made dozens of versions of wheels. Sometimes only a single set and sometimes several sets of some new idea. All of these got into the market and are now out there.

This means that comments made about Lester wheels are not the full story.

All of us in my shop could feel the difference in handling with those heavy wheels.

An unfair criticism of the time was that they would spin the bearing stack in the hub, same as BMW. That is because riders transferred a defectively spaced stack into the Lester.

The motorcycle business was just his hobby and his money was made with wheels for 4 wheeled vehicles. I don't recall if he made wheels for other brands, but I assume so.

[vanzen]

Lesters were stock from the factory issue on the 1979 T140D Triumph Bonneville Special,



these were "tube-type", optional for other Triumph models ...

Lester wheels were also the choice of noted MC chassis / frame designer, Colin Seeley,
on his (Honda CB-750 based) Seeley 750
(although some used cast wheels from Campbray in the UK):



Lesters were available for most of the brands and models back in the day ...

[twist]

the picture of the Bonneville makes me really miss my TR6C! That was a fun bike.

After I installed the snowflakes on my Beemer, tubeless, I noticed a difference right away but I'm not sure if that's due to new tires or the wheels. One thing is sure, it really feels solid and like it's on rails. Kinda fast steering but the feel is noticeably more solid and stable, the feel gives me more confidence.

[the quinner]

... and, as I recall, some Lesters were MTH (tubeless) rated.

Very correct. I have a set of Lesters that are tubeless rated...and recently sold a set that were not. I have a set of Morris wheels that are tubeless rated...and two sets that are not. A lot of the "stories" that have survived and evolved from the period do not seem to recognize the different versions. Like Duane says...they're all out there.