Reincarnating a Second World War Bike Relic

By Darnell Austria


A lot of amazing stories have been revealed over the years, finding the obscure "barn find" would seem impossible that there's nothing to find anymore. Time has shown us a lot of lessons and none are common than the fact that history repeats itself. Naturally, given enough time, it is possible; however the tale behind this '42 Harley-Davidson WLC looks hardly able to see a sequel. A true barn find makes a good tale, but a WWII Harley Davidson adorned in Honda components and stored inside a barn in a rural region in England? Well that would be an interesting story.

Builder Nick Gale tells us, "I found it whilst visiting a relative 10 years/ten years ago. I got to talk to a local farmer when I was walking my dog one night and he said he's got a classic bike his old man had purchased in 1945 from a Canadian soldier at the conclusion of WWII. The local explained to me he thought it was a Harley, and that it is for sale. The bike had stayed inside the barn from 1945 until1981 he made a decision to make use of it and make it work."

Looking over the motorcycle, it had 18-inch front and rear wheels from Honda, a vintage Honda petrol tank, Honda fenders, a Suzuki headlight, handlebars from an lronhead Sportster, a hand clutch, and a big Vincent sprung seat. The farmer had coated the entire bike yellow, including all the nuts and bolts. Nick continues saying that the motorcycle had a long-expired UK registration and after checking the engine, forks, and frame ensuring they were complete, he sealed the deal for the equivalent of $1,200.

Nick adds, "When I got it back home, I got the bike working and was pleased to see there were no crackling sounds, no smoke, and like several '42s, once on the road, there aren't any breaks."

To set the Harley for its rebirth, it was stripped to nothing and thoroughly gone through bolt by bolt. New 16-inch tires were installed to exchange the Honda wheels and the first snafu was encountered. Running the front tire within the springer forks was simple enough, but the farmer had torched and curved the back of the WLC's frame to give space for the Honda wheel to match. With many telling him it won't workout, Nick decided to preserve the classic frame and just get a little jazzy with the rest of the bike.

In his words, "The drop seat idea took place when we cut the back off. We used the whole original pipe and chose to shape the backbone too. And the body was created. The hardest aspect was building the seat plunger to allow us to use a fresh seat dropped by a good few inches from stock. It took 4 hours with a club hammer to remove the old seat post that had been welded in." From here the story goes stagnant. After buying the bike in 2001 and getting the frame remolded, "customer needs" have prevailed and the old Harley was boxed and shelved for another day. That day did not come for another decade. In early 2011 the boxes were opened up and readied for work once again.

Opening the 45-inch motor uncovered another amazing discovery. To Nick's delight, the inside was in good condition and with the crank split, the 70 year old oil spilled out. Looking thoroughly showed completely unmarked internals with matching numbers. After getting the complete stock 750cc flathead together, the Amal carburetor was reconstructed and installed with a velocity stack made from brass. The rest of the engine decorated with brass over fresh application and all oil and gas lines were made with hand bent copper tubing. The motorcycle was included with a battered and dirty clamshell exhaust. To cover up decades of punishment, the pipes were covered to conceal the imperfections plus a bend allows the pipe to kick up a little for additional style.

Nick said, "The gears are swapped by a smaller sized shifter we put together and yet runs trap clutch. All braking systems and clutch components are genuine as well as all the switch gear, levers, and cables. All parts were sourced as genuine or refurbished stock which would most likely be similar as Harley would've done 70 years ago. The motorcycle ignites on the 1st or 2nd kick not to mention the hill brake is working, well, sort of."

Bodywork was kept minimal and carries a classic look, but that's where the similarities end. The rear fender began life as a triumph piece that was adapted with a custom set of struts and backed with a taillight. Adding some across-the-pond design, the license tag was created to look like an old English pub signage. What would you expect from any English motorcycle builder? Looking deeper into the gas tank, it becomes clear some additional work was done.

Nick engineered and constructed the unit into two interlocking parts just as the original but with a little more flair and a curve more in line with the body tweaks. The seat moves from the frame supports to a spring inside the old seat post tube. All the rest of the parts are authentic '42 Harley WLC or new old stock. A deep black paint was applied most parts of the bike with gold accents meticulously applied by hand. To top this up is a vintage motorcycle helmet to carry out the WW II look of the bike.

In just two days of its long transformation, the '42 WLC was shown at the South of England Rally and won its very first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. A couple weeks later it was exhibited and won Best Classic at the annual Bulldog Custom Show. After sitting in boxes for 10 years, Nick clearly understood that if he didn't find the time to sit and work with the Harley, it would be subject to another 10 years of sitting there. It started from an ordinary project into a labor of love, and then developed into an obsession. Nick concludes, "It's a joy to ride once you get used to it. I love it to death."




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