A model for the origin of pulsar velocities based on the disruption of massive binary systems is presented. Such binary systems produce two neutron stars, the first of which is usually unobservable as a radio pulsar until the formation of the second neutron star, at which time the binary is disrupted. If the orbital period of the binary is quite large and an asymmetric kick of order 200 km/s is imparted to the newly formed pulsar, then the two pulsars have quite different properties. The first-born pulsar has a weak, decayed field and a slow velocity representative of its orbital speed. The new pulsar has a strong field and a large velocity. As a result, there is a correlation between the velocity and magnetic moment or radio pulsars without any dependence of the kick velocity on the initial magnetic field strength of the pulsar. This model provides a natural method of producing pulsars with intermediate spin periods at birth.
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M. Bailes (1989) studied this question.