Harley Davidson WLA
Encyclopedia
The WLA is a model of Harley-Davidson
motorcycle
that was produced to US Army specifications in the years during and around World War II
. It was based on an existing civilian model, the WL, and is of the 45 solo type, so called due to its 45 cubic inch engine and single-rider design. The same engine, in a slightly lower state of tune, also powered the three-wheeled Servi-Car (the "G" family), leading to the "solo" distinction.
Harley-Davidson began producing the WLA in small numbers in 1940, as part of a general military expansion. The later entry of the United States into World War II saw significantly increased production, with over 90,000 being produced during the war (along with spare parts the equivalent of many more). Harley Davidson would also produce a close WLA variant for the Canadian Army called the WLC and would also supply smaller numbers to the UK, South Africa, and other allies, as well as filling orders for different models from the Navy and Marine Corps.
Unusually, all the WLAs produced after Pearl Harbor
, regardless of the actual year, would be given serial numbers indicating 1942 production. Thus, war-time machines would come to be known as 42WLAs. This may have been in recognition of the use of the continued use of the same specification. Most WLCs were produced in 1943, and are marked 43WLC. The precise serial number, as well as casting marks, can be used to date a specific motor accurately, and some other parts bear year and month stamps. Frames and many other parts were not tagged with the serial number, and cannot generally be dated. (This is common prior to adoption of the VIN
.)
Many WLAs would be shipped to allies under the Lend-Lease
program. The largest recipient was the Soviet Union
, which was sold over 30,000 WLAs.
Production of the WLA would cease after the war, but would be revived for the Korean War
during the years 1949–1952.
Most WLAs in western hands after the war would be sold as surplus and "civilianized"; the many motorcycles available at very low cost would lead to the rise of the chopper
and other modified motorcycle styles, as well as the surrounding biker
culture. Many a young soldier would come home hoping to get a Harley-Davidson like he saw or rode in the service, leading to the post-war popularity of both the motorcycle and the company in general.
However, this also ensured that few nearly-original WLAs would survive in the US or even Western Europe. A significant number of WLAs were left in the Soviet Union, and either stored or put in private hands. With little access to parts and no chopper culture, and no export path to the West, many of those WLAs were preserved during the Cold War. Russia and other former Soviet countries are now a major source of WLAs and parts.
The WLA is very similar to civilian models, specifically the WL. Among the changes making it a military model:
The US Army would use motorcycles for police and escort work, courier duties, and some scouting, as well as limited use to transport radio and radio suppression equipment. Allied motorcycles were almost never used as combat vehicles or for troop mobility, and so were rarely equipped with sidecars as was common on the German side. Nevertheless, the WLA acquired the nickname "Liberator", since it was seen ridden by soldiers liberating occupied Europe.
Though the model designation suggested high compression, for reliability, the Army version actually used a medium-compression version. In modern terms, the WLA's compression ratio of 5:1 is very low. Due to this low compression, a WLA will run on 74 octane
gasoline
, necessary due to the poor quality of refining at the time, although fuel technology would improve rapidly during the war.
The WLA also features springer front suspension. Harley-Davidson would not adopt telescopic front forks until after the war. The rear wheel had no suspension, giving this type of motorcycle the nickname "hard tail".
Harley-Davidson provided motorcycles to the Army during World War I
and for earlier excursions against Mexican bandits like Pancho Villa
.
During World War II, the Army produced a specification for a motorcycle much like the BMW
s used by German forces. That meant shaft drive, a boxer engine, and several other features that made the BMWs exceptionally reliable and low-maintenance machines. Harley-Davidson produced the XA
based closely on the BMW. Though an excellent machine, only about 1,000 were produced. Due to its new features and low production, the XA was expensive, and by that time it was clear that the Jeep was the Army's general purpose vehicle of choice; the less advanced but cheaper WLA was considered sufficient for its limited roles.
Other motorcycles produced by HD for World War II included US Army and Canadian versions of the Big Twin EL family, the ELA and ELC, as well as an Army version of the UL, the ULA. These were produced mainly for "home front" use, and not in very large numbers. Consequently, they are very rare today.
Indian
, Harley-Davidson's major competitor at the time, also produced a war-time model, the Indian 741, and a longitudinal V-twin shaft-drive model, the Indian 841
.
Harley-Davidson would later produce the MT350E, after acquiring the British Armstrong
company in 1987. These were dual-sport
machines, capable of both on-road and off-road service, powered by 350 cc Rotax
engines. The MT350E was a redesign of the 500 cc Armstrong MT500, which reduced weight, added an electric start, and upgraded pollution standards. The MT500 began as the Italian SWM
XN Tornado, which Armstrong acquired the rights to in 1984 when SWM liquidated, and then modified for military use with assistance from CCM
. The MT350E mostly saw British and Canadian service, and some are still in use.
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
that was produced to US Army specifications in the years during and around World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was based on an existing civilian model, the WL, and is of the 45 solo type, so called due to its 45 cubic inch engine and single-rider design. The same engine, in a slightly lower state of tune, also powered the three-wheeled Servi-Car (the "G" family), leading to the "solo" distinction.
Model designation
The model number breaks down as follows:- W : the W family of motorcycles. Harley Davidson (except in very early models) gives a letter designation for each model family. The W series at the time was the newest incarnation of the 45 cubic inch flatheadFlathead engineA flathead engine is an internal combustion engine with valves placed in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head, as in an overhead valve engine...
motor, and was developed from the earlier R family 1932–1936. - L : "high compression", in the usual HD scheme. The "low compression" W model was only briefly available.
- A : Army. The company would also produce a model to the slightly different specifications of the Canadian Army, which would be named the WLC. The WLCs differed from WLAs chiefly in the use of some heavier components, usually Big Twin parts, as well as Canadian blackout lighting.
History
Unusually, all the WLAs produced after Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, regardless of the actual year, would be given serial numbers indicating 1942 production. Thus, war-time machines would come to be known as 42WLAs. This may have been in recognition of the use of the continued use of the same specification. Most WLCs were produced in 1943, and are marked 43WLC. The precise serial number, as well as casting marks, can be used to date a specific motor accurately, and some other parts bear year and month stamps. Frames and many other parts were not tagged with the serial number, and cannot generally be dated. (This is common prior to adoption of the VIN
Vin
Vin may refer to:*Voltage input, an alternative form for Vin-People:*Vin Diesel*Vin Scully*Vin Suprynowicz*Vin, the name of a character from the video games Jak II and Jak 3*a diminutive of the name "Vincent"...
.)
Many WLAs would be shipped to allies under the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
program. The largest recipient was the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, which was sold over 30,000 WLAs.
Production of the WLA would cease after the war, but would be revived for the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
during the years 1949–1952.
Most WLAs in western hands after the war would be sold as surplus and "civilianized"; the many motorcycles available at very low cost would lead to the rise of the chopper
Chopper (motorcycle)
A chopper is a type of motorcycle that was either modified from an original motorcycle design or built from scratch to have a hand-crafted appearance. The main features of a chopper that make it stand out are its longer frame design accompanied by a stretch front end...
and other modified motorcycle styles, as well as the surrounding biker
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
culture. Many a young soldier would come home hoping to get a Harley-Davidson like he saw or rode in the service, leading to the post-war popularity of both the motorcycle and the company in general.
However, this also ensured that few nearly-original WLAs would survive in the US or even Western Europe. A significant number of WLAs were left in the Soviet Union, and either stored or put in private hands. With little access to parts and no chopper culture, and no export path to the West, many of those WLAs were preserved during the Cold War. Russia and other former Soviet countries are now a major source of WLAs and parts.
Military changes
- paint and other finishes: painted surfaces were generally painted olive drab or black and chromeChrome platingChrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness.-Process:A component to be chrome plated will...
- or nickel-platedElectroplatingElectroplating is a plating process in which metal ions in a solution are moved by an electric field to coat an electrode. The process uses electrical current to reduce cations of a desired material from a solution and coat a conductive object with a thin layer of the material, such as a metal...
parts were generally bluedBluing (steel)Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust, and is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. True gun bluing is an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface...
or parkerized or painted white. Some parts were left as unfinished aluminum. However, Harley Davidson was apparently very practical in its use of existing parts and processes, and many finishes remained in their bright civilian versions for a time, and, in some cases, for the whole production run. - blackout lightBlackout lightBlackout lights are head and tail lights that are equipped with special lenses that are designed to cast a defused horizontal beam of light for the driver of the vehicle to navigate with, and drivers of other vehicles to spot the vehicle with...
s: in order to reduce nighttime visibility, WLAs were fitted with a second set of blackout head and tail lights. - fenders: to reduce mud clogging, the sides of the standard fenders were removed.
- accessories: a heavy-duty luggage rack (for radios), ammo box, leather Thompson submachine gunThompson submachine gunThe Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
scabbard, skid plate, leg protectors, and windshield could be fitted. Most came with at least these accessories less the windshield or leg protectors. - air cleaner: an oil bath air cleaner, originally used for tractors and other vehicles in dusty environments, was fitted to handle the dust of off-road use and to allow easier field maintenance. Oil bath cleaners require only the addition of standard motor oil rather than replaceable filters.
- fording: changes to the crankcase breather reduced the possibility of water intake into the crankcaseCrankcaseIn an internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder, which in a multicylinder engine are usually integrated into one or several cylinder blocks...
.
Uses
Technology
The engine of the WLA is a side-valve design, which is reliable though not particularly efficient in comparison to overhead-valve designs. Harley Davidson already had overhead valve engines in production for its Big Twin lines, but the "small twin" flathead design was popular in applications needing reliability more than power. This engine remained in production from 1937 to 1973 in the Servi-Car, although it was superseded in two-wheeled motorcycles by the more advanced flathead engine used in the Model K (the ancestor of the OHV Sportster) in 1952.Though the model designation suggested high compression, for reliability, the Army version actually used a medium-compression version. In modern terms, the WLA's compression ratio of 5:1 is very low. Due to this low compression, a WLA will run on 74 octane
Octane
Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula C8H18, and the condensed structural formula CH36CH3. Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain...
gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, necessary due to the poor quality of refining at the time, although fuel technology would improve rapidly during the war.
The WLA also features springer front suspension. Harley-Davidson would not adopt telescopic front forks until after the war. The rear wheel had no suspension, giving this type of motorcycle the nickname "hard tail".
Other military motorcycles
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and for earlier excursions against Mexican bandits like Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
.
During World War II, the Army produced a specification for a motorcycle much like the BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
s used by German forces. That meant shaft drive, a boxer engine, and several other features that made the BMWs exceptionally reliable and low-maintenance machines. Harley-Davidson produced the XA
Harley-Davidson XA
The Harley-Davidson XA was a flat-twin shaft drive motorcycle made by Harley-Davidson for the US Army during World War II....
based closely on the BMW. Though an excellent machine, only about 1,000 were produced. Due to its new features and low production, the XA was expensive, and by that time it was clear that the Jeep was the Army's general purpose vehicle of choice; the less advanced but cheaper WLA was considered sufficient for its limited roles.
Other motorcycles produced by HD for World War II included US Army and Canadian versions of the Big Twin EL family, the ELA and ELC, as well as an Army version of the UL, the ULA. These were produced mainly for "home front" use, and not in very large numbers. Consequently, they are very rare today.
Indian
Indian (motorcycle)
Indian is an American brand of motorcycles. Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the...
, Harley-Davidson's major competitor at the time, also produced a war-time model, the Indian 741, and a longitudinal V-twin shaft-drive model, the Indian 841
Indian 841
The Indian 841 was a motorcycle designed by the Indian Manufacturing Co. for desert warfare. It pioneered the drivetrain configuration later popularized by Moto Guzzi, having a longitudinally mounted air-cooled 90-degree V-twin with shaft drive to the rear wheel.-History:During World War II, the...
.
Harley-Davidson would later produce the MT350E, after acquiring the British Armstrong
Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles
Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer. Based in Bolton, England. Alan Clews formed CCM in 1971 from what was left of BSA's off-road competition team and bought spares to produce his own motorcycles. This was a successful business and the Bolton factory was established...
company in 1987. These were dual-sport
Dual-sport
A dual-sport, colloquially known as "dualie" or an "on-off road bike" is a type of street-legal motorcycle that is designed for both on and off-road use. The terms All-road and Dual-purpose are also used...
machines, capable of both on-road and off-road service, powered by 350 cc Rotax
Rotax
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG , commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products products as well as for motorcycles, karts,...
engines. The MT350E was a redesign of the 500 cc Armstrong MT500, which reduced weight, added an electric start, and upgraded pollution standards. The MT500 began as the Italian SWM
SWM (motorcycles)
SWM was founded in 1971 by Piero Sironi and Fausto Vergani and was based in Milan, Italy. SWM manufactured Observed Trials, Enduro, Motorcross and off-road motorcycles in the 1970s and 1980s. They started with small capacity Sachs engined enduro bikes and began making Rotax engined trials bikes in...
XN Tornado, which Armstrong acquired the rights to in 1984 when SWM liquidated, and then modified for military use with assistance from CCM
Clews Competition Motorcycles
Clews Competition Motorcycles or CCM for short, is a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bolton, England.-History:CCM was born out of the collapse of BSA's Competition Department in 1971....
. The MT350E mostly saw British and Canadian service, and some are still in use.
See also
- BMW R71
- BMW R75BMW R75The BMW R75 is a World War II-era motorcycle and sidecar combination produced by the German company BMW.In the 1930s BMW were producing a number of popular and highly effective motorcycles...
- ZundappZündappZündapp was a major German motorcycle manufacturer. The company was founded in 1917 in Nuremberg by Fritz Neumeyer, together with the Friedrich Krupp AG and the machine tool manufacturer Thiel under the name "Zünder- und Apparatebau G.m.b.H." as a producer of detonators...
- Harley-Davidson XAHarley-Davidson XAThe Harley-Davidson XA was a flat-twin shaft drive motorcycle made by Harley-Davidson for the US Army during World War II....
- Indian 741
- Indian 841Indian 841The Indian 841 was a motorcycle designed by the Indian Manufacturing Co. for desert warfare. It pioneered the drivetrain configuration later popularized by Moto Guzzi, having a longitudinally mounted air-cooled 90-degree V-twin with shaft drive to the rear wheel.-History:During World War II, the...
- G-numbers
External links
- Bruce Palmer, "How to Restore your Harley Davidson"
- Bruce Palmer, "How to Restore your Military Harley Davidson"
- "The Unofficial Harley-Davidson XA Website"
- www.theliberator.be
- www.autogallery.org.ru
- Harley-Davidson MT350E Army Bike, part 1 and part 2 at www.realclassic.co.uk
- Harley-Davidson WLA and other 45 transmission ratios
- http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_harleywla.php3