1948 Harley-Davidson WL Civilian Motorcycle

Description

Harley-Davidson's 45-inch twins date back to October 1927, when the new side-valve 'Flathead' motor was first unveiled to the public and sales commenced a year later. The Model D's new unit was essentially two 21-cid singles sharing a common bottom end, with a three-speed transmission and a frame similar to the one lungers of the day. In response to lacklustre sales, Harley-Davidson redesigned the frame and made other improvements to lure buyers, the heavily revised Model R boasting new crankcases with better lubrication and alloy pistons. Faced with the challenge from Indian's Sport Scout, the 45-inch baby 'Flathead' underwent further change in 1937, adopting the styling and many of the mechanical features already seen on the new Knucklehead. Designated the W in Harley parlance, the new model also came with roller bearings in the bottom end, one-piece cam gears, stronger gears in the transmission and a new shift mechanism. Particular attention was paid to the lubrication system, with an upgraded oil pump adopted, along with cooling fins on the timing case cover and left-hand side of the crankcase. In addition to the standard W, the model range consisted of the WS sidecar, plus high compression WL Sport and WLD Special Sport versions. Harley-Davidson also offered a production racer, the WLDR, for Class C category events for amateur riders using bikes delivered with full road equipment, featuring raised compression and larger valves. The V-twin was adopted by the United States military for service when that country entered the war in December 1941, the WLA (with 'A' standing for Army) proving a natural choice thanks to the rugged build quality and exceptional reliability. With higher compression and dry sump lubrication over the civilian W-series, the WLA also came with a blacked-out auxiliary bath, an oil bath air cleaner developed for use in North Africa, and a quieter fishtail exhaust system. Other features not found on the civilian model were pannier racks front and rear, a bash plate protecting the sump and the bikes were most often finished in drab olive. Thousands of WLAs were sold as military surplus in the immediate post-war period before civilian production resumed, with few changes made (1948 models received a new speedo), but by 1952 demand had all but dried up and the model was discontinued, although the Flathead motor lived on. Popular with Harley-Davidson collectors, the WL was the workhorse of its day and is now an ideal choice for weekend runs and club events.