Vintage Tech: Bike Custom-made for Soldiers

By Darnell Austria


Returning to the H-D 45



Harley debuted its 45 " (750cc), 4 camshaft, 45-degree V-twins (nicknamed a 45) in 1929 and officially called this model the DL. This motorbike features a vertical generator that's driven by a helical gear.

Harley-Davidson introduced a customized unit in 1932 called the RL, which includes a generator that is parallel with the underside. In 1937, Harley-Davidson started out generating the up graded WL, which includes a re-circulating oil system. All recent 45s have total loss oiling systems. These motorcycles specified for light driving and have a max speed of 55 or 60 mph, dependent on the gear weight. In 1939, Harley started modifying its bikes to suit armed forces demands, developing a motorbike for the Army before the United States was even in the war.

At first glance, there are a number of differences that stand out over a civilian WL and the armed forces WLA. The WLA is fixed with a gun scabbard, an ammunition compartment, lower leg shields, a skid plate, large bags, a heavy-duty luggage rack, and tall fitted side mirrors. And while these are typically most of the noticeable variances, there are a number of more detailed updates. Although the fundamental form of the WLA matches a civilian Harley 45, almost all the parts are not the same when compared with their civilian cousins. For example, one of the primary worries with the US military versions was getting seen by enemy planes. The fix for this concern would be to dress up the bikes with blackout gear. The headlight features a metallic cover over the lens and reflector with a small hood emerging from the top that permits a beam of light to shine ahead of the motorcycle; it is usually noticed at on the ground and not from above. The same lights were installed at the back of the motorbike for taillights and brake lights. The dashboard lights, which happens to be caution signals to inform the biker if he's got a problem with the charging mechanism or if the oil is not distributing, also are blacked out. Instead of the regular lenses, they get black lenses with some 0.090" hole punched directly into them, thus if system fails and the alert signals came on, an enemy craft would not discover them, yet the driver could.

The WLA motor is pretty much like the standard edition WL, with some minimal variances. The heads have reduced compression versions, additionally, the return oil pump has a little fitting for an oil tube that flows to the back chain. The carburetor incorporates a preset, fast speed needle to protect the bike from some farm youngster power-tuning the motorcycle and busting the motor. The standard copper fine mesh air filter was replaced with an oil bath air cleaner, which is similar to the filter design and style employed on semi-trailers.

Also the tires are built from diverse rubber. Due to resource shortages during the war, tires along with other rubberized portions were made from a synthetic rubber mix. Anything from autos to buses had to start using these wheels so that they can contribute in the war effort. However, WLAs still used rubber hand-grips like the pre-war civilian bikes. The rubber foot-board pads were replaced with metallic mats sometime around the early 40s.

More alterations include the oil tank and gas tank, which are equipped with additional drains and bungs. The fenders had the skirts taken off and so mud and dirt could easily be cleaned off the tires. And also the seat was modified to become a stronger and tougher part. The seat pan comes with an extra bit of steel on the outside lip and about three rivets which go through the cover to secure the seam from ripping in the event the motorbike tips over.

By the time the war ended, Harley-Davidson had released over 70,000 bikes for the war effort, along with the countless numbers of other sorts of spare parts to help keep the bikes running. These motorcycles are fantastic motorcycles that did their efforts to victory.




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