Lech is a defunct brand of motorcycles that were manufactured in Opalenica,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

from 1929 - 1932. It is claimed to be the first Polish manufacturer of mass-produced motorcycles.

History

On 1 January 1929, industrialist Wacław Sawicki formed the Lech company in Opalenica to build motorcycles. He employed Władysław Zalewski as chief engineer. Zalewski had recently returned to Poland after emigrating to the United States, and had knowledge of the American motorcycles of the era. The first motorcycle was presented at the 1929

Poznań International Fair The Poznań International Fair (PIF, pl, Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie, MTP) is the biggest industrial fair in Poland. It is held on the Poznań fairground in Poland. Poznań International Fair is located in the centre of the city opposite ...

. Reporting on the Fair, ''Samochód'' (Car) magazine reported of the Lech: ''"We can also find all the features of solid and durable work in one Polish motorcycle,"Lech", native to Opalenica"''. The Ministry of Military Affairs was approached in December 1929 enquiring about supplying motorcycles to the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

. The Military Institute of Engineering Research in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

was also contacted asking for a specification for army motorcycles. Capt. Eng. Pawluć of the Institute of Engineering Research visited the factory in January 1930 and Cpt. Olgierd Górski and eng. Piotr Loesch, also from the Institute, visited in February. The reports from these visits were favourable. An improved models was introduced at the Communication and Tourism Exhibition in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

in mid-1930 and was well received by the press. A further updated model was introduced for the 45-kilometre "Po streets Warszawy" rally in 1931. The Ministry of Military Affairs set up an interdepartmental commission in September to look at the supply of motorcycle. The recommendation of the commission was that 1,000 cc machines were to be supplied by

Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe (''Central Car Works'', CWS) was a Polish pre-war car and motorcycle manufacturer. Created by the Polish Ministry of War Affairs in 1918, the privately run company was initially entitled to service of all the me ...

from their Sokół marque, and Lech were to supply machines under 1,000 cc. This arrangement was to have started in 1932. The effects of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

were felt in Poland in the early 1930s and the economy took a downturn. Although Sawicki tried to obtain foreign investment in the company by a share issue, the company was unable to continue and closed in 1932.

Models

Lech 500

The 500 cc

v-twin A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longi ...

engine machine was designed by Zalewski and the engine, frame and front forks were made in the factory. Other components were brought in. There was a sport version which was prepared for competitions. It competed in the Poznań-Gniezno-Bydgoszcz-Grudziądz-Leszno-Poznań rally, the Poznań-Bydgoszcz-Poznań rally and the Warsaw rally. The Lech machines finished in top positions.

Planned models

Several further models were planned, including a

single cylinder A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is a piston engine with one cylinder. This engine is often used for motorcycles, motor scooters, go-karts, all-terrain vehicles, radio-controlled vehicles, portable tools and garden machinery ( ...

, for use as solo machines or for use with a

sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...

Monuments

There is a reproduction Lech on display in Piłsudskiego Square, Opalenica. A second reproduction in displayed in the Town Square. Motorcycle club ''Lech 1929 MC Poland'' is named in honour of the marque and on 19-21 July 2019 they organised a motorcycle rally to celebrate the 90th anniversary.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Polish motorcycle manufacturers Motorcycle manufacturers of Poland 1929 establishments in Poland 1932 disestablishments in Poland Polish brands Science and technology in Poland