1942 WL Harley-Davidson

WORDS AND PHOTOS STUART FRANCIS

Back in 1973, in the UK, my mate Dave Evershed bought a very nice 1947 WLD which attracted a lot of attention. Spurred on by this machine and fanciful thoughts about being the next Peter Fonda I started looking around. Most machines on offer were far too expensive or too far away. Dave spotted one in Northamptonshire that seemed to fit the bill.

I bought my first Harley-Davidson in 1974 for £325 after some haggling. It was a second-hand WLC (Canadian Army 750cc sidevalve V-twin).

I quickly discovered it had had a hard life, needed some work and the suicide foot clutch fitted was not normal. With the mechanicals in better order and a nice electric blue paint job I thought I was the bee’s knees. I had several adventures with this machine, including five weeks of commuting to and around London on a three-speed hand change, suicide foot clutch machine with virtually no brakes. However my last big trip on the machine, to the Isle of Man (IoM) for the 1975 International Six Day Trial, proved to be a challenge. I lost second gear (of three) on the way to the IoM and the generator started to fail later in the week. I still have flashbacks of trying to keep up with my mates riding along Marine Drive, on sidelights, one wet and windy night. Stupidly I sold the machine, plus another basket case WLA, shortly after my return from the IoM when somebody made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Fast forward to 1992. I heard through the Trowbridge grapevine that a local character had acquired some wartime HarleyDavidsons. Always regretting the sale of my first machine I hot-footed around to his place, whereupon he whisked me away to his secret storage shed hidden away in a remote village on the edge of Salisbury Plain. The story emerged that he had been working in Saudi Arabia and came across a scrapyard full of relatively new vehicles. Tucked away in one corner was a stash of dilapidated old motorcycles, including two Knuckle Head (EH) and seven WL 45ci Harley-Davidsons in civilian trim. He was told they were a group of machines suppled during the war as outriders for the Saudi Royal family.

The Knuckle Heads had unfortunately already been sold but all the 45s were still there, previous potential customers having

been put off by their appalling condition and part dissembled state. I quickly realised they were civilian models and with a bit of selective picking could put together the good basis of a WL. After a bit of horse trading, including a running Triumph TRW and some money, I acquired my kit of parts.

With copies of the US Army parts list and workshop manual to hand I stripped the machine down and took stock of what had to be done. All the engine and gearbox bearings were well worn and required special tools to repair them, the cycle parts were complete but had seen better days and would require some welding and panel beating, and the tanks needed some repairs. On the plus side all the civilian bits, deep mudguards, 16inch wheel rims, handlebars and lights were there.

About nine months after buying the Harley I was temporarily transferred to Portland Naval Base for two years and I quickly discovered my digs were a half mile away from one of the country’s leading 45 HD experts, Ian Cottrell. As money allowed I farmed out the crankshaft, crankcase and gearbox rebuild to Ian, while I got on with the cycle parts.

The WLs are substantially built and under-stressed, designed for the wide open roads and rugged long distances of the USA rather than twisty English country roads. It takes a long time to wear out a WL but once it is worn it is a long process to properly rebuild them. All of the principle bearings are caged roller types. To take out wear they are honed and lapped out by hand until they can take the next largest oversize roller, available in ½ thou increments, a tedious and time consuming task even with the right tools.

I finished the first rebuild in 1997 and completed the tedious registration process, made that much more difficult because it was originally imported and HDs of that era did not have frame numbers (and officially didn’t until 1969). Initial running revealed only a couple of small teething problems which were easily fixed. I took great care running the engine in, previous experience with side-valves has taught me that it takes some time for high spots in the bore (adjacent to the exhaust) to bed in.

I brought the machine to New Zealand when I emigrated in 2011.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The engine of the WL is a 45 degree side-valve design, which is reliable though not particularly efficient in comparison to overhead-valve designs. The small twin flathead design was popular in applications needing reliability more than power. However the Ricardo squish head design gave the engine reasonable performance, producing 17bhp at 4000rpm. The early models had cast iron cylinder heads which were superseded by aluminium ones in 1942.

The three-speed hand change gearbox is substantial, and the crossover drive makes it strong and compact with little overhang on the input and output shafts. The clutch is on the left-hand end and output sprocket on the right-hand end. Later machines had a four speed box as an option, and the Servi-cars had an additional reverse gear.

The six spring clutch is enormous and when properly set up and relatively free of oil is bullet proof. The only problem is if the machine is left sitting on its side-stand the oil gradually drains into the clutch from the gearbox. A good clean out normally fixes the problem but the plates gradually become contaminated and become more difficult to recover. The proper clutch pedal is a heel and toe rocking arrangement with a friction damper and over centre spring so the clutch can be left open while putting your left foot down. A suicide clutch is like a car clutch pedal.

WL was Harley’s middle weight side-valve machine, the basic model was launched in 1937 as a replacement for the model D. WL 45 was the backbone of Harley’s line-up for the next 15 years. Serving in modified forms as military motorcycles in WWII, and in numerous two and three-wheeled version police machines. It was succeeded by the unit construction K class in 1952, although the engine remained in production until 1973 in the Servi-Car.

WLA military model differed from the civilian model in a number of ways, different wheels, modified mudguards, a heavy-duty luggage rack (for radios), ammo box, leather Thompson submachine gun scabbard, skid plate, leg protectors, windshield, modified crankcase breather and changed lighting. The excellent 45 Restoration Company catalogue list over 40 military parts and some sources even believe the fork legs were two inches longer.

WLC was built in Canada for the Canadian armed forces, it is very similar to the WLA. The main difference is interchangeable wheels which required some modifications to the front forks. WLD – the sportier WLD was typically referred to as the Special Sport Solo and employed a higher compression ratio. Wheel sizes, styling and trim were nearly identical to the EL and later FL, but a shorter wheelbase and less weight made for more nimble handling.

WLDR and WR - were AMA Class C flat track and TT racing machines.

The primary drive cover is actually a dust cover designed to keep dust, stones and rocks out but it was never designed to be oil tight. The duplex chain is lubricated by a tapping off the oil pump and by adding or subtracting washers under an adjustment screw more or less oil can be delivered.

The Harley-Davidson has ‘fly-by-wire’ controls, the throttle and advance and retard are operated by piano wire. In the end of each handlebar is a slot through which a pin protrudes. The pin engages with a slug which is locked to the piano wire that slides within the handlebar. The twist grips have spiral slots cut into the bodies which mate with the protruding pin. Turning the twist grips pushes the slugs up and down the handlebar slot.

The Linkert M88 is a butterfly carburettor, more like a car carb. The military air-cleaners are enormous, they initially used a vertical tube about four inches in diameter standing about 12 inches tall, and then a rectangular one of similar size, both with oil-bath filtration. These air-filters are so large they look like they come from a small truck. The civilian air-filter is a circular copper gauze element under a dome directly attached to the carburettor.

The oiling system has separate delivery and return pumps. The right-hand side of what looks like a petrol tank is actually the oil tank, a clam shell that fits on the outside of the actual petrol tank that goes through the frame like a flat tank. As the engine warms up and oil circulates the oil tank warms up, great in winter but a bit of a pain in high summer. The heat can also dry out filler and paintwork leaving spidery cracks. The system has controlled leaks to oil the primary and rear chain and a timed crankcase breather that emits a small quantity of oil. The simple oil system loves to wet sump if left for any time, draining the sump is recommended after any appreciable time.

The machine originally came with a single saddle. An optional extra was a dual saddle/seat, a large peach shaped arrangement with handles on the back, which given my larger size I thought would be ideal. After a number of years riding around I changed over to a single saddle, so much more comfortable and easier to mount.

The front forks are short leading-link spring-controlled with sliding friction dampers, the rear legs are substantial, far stronger than girder forks. The HD forks were admired by George Brough who fitted a copy of these to Brough Superiors under the trade name Castle.

REFURBISHMENT

Shortly after I had finished the initial restoration it became plain that the paintwork I had spent so much time on was rather naff and was very susceptible to petrol damage. The main problem seemed to be the antirust paint primer I had used, it was not up to the job and also reacted to some paints. It was a ball aching job chasing the rust break-outs over the years. Worst affected were the petrol and oil tanks which were also petrol damaged. Modern petrol seems to be a very effective paint stripper, with spilt and leaking petrol taking its toll. The original clear coat had no resistance, and attempts over the years to try better products failed, with only modern two pack paints being able to resist it.

The repainting process was a tedious journey taking much longer than expected. The mudguards were blasted back to bare metal revealing that some of my original welding needed tidying up and some enthusiastic panel beating might reduce the gallons of filler I had originally used! The first coat of primer revealed several areas that needed filling, so I became locked into a process of filling, rubbing back, paint and repeat. After several cycles I thought it was time for the topcoat, at which point all the paint defects seem to leap out, somehow magnified. A number of further cycles of filling, rubbing back, paint, taking out smaller and smaller imperfections before an acceptable standard was achieved. However along the way there were a couple of twists, I used a good quality industrial antirust primer, which provided an excellent base for the topcoat if the primer was allowed to dry out fully. Too quick a top coat, or a top coat over primer that had been touched during rubbing back, could and did produce reactions which meant more rubbing back.

I took a different approach on the tanks, hand rubbing them back as I did not want grit in them. I went through the same process of filling, rubbing back, paint and repeat until I finished up with an acceptable finish. I then put them out in the conservatory to thoroughly dry out before getting a local car painter to give them a clear coat of two-pack paint.

The fuel tap is built inside the tank and operated by a rod, with a knurled knob that emerges just in front of the petrol cap. The lower end of the rod screws into a seat in the bottom of the tank. Once worn these valves are notoriously leaky, I installed a petcock after the valve, which has improved things no end. Petrol dripping from the carburettor had slowly damaged the paint on the primary chain-case. I had the primary chain-case epoxy powder coated which is petrol proof and better suited to the gravel and muck likely to be encountered down there.

Another mistake I made with the initial rebuild, because of financial constraints, was reusing and painting the front fork springs. They soon became very tatty shedding small clouds of paint and not adding to the overall look. I did think of plating the existing springs but was concerned about hydrogen embrittlement. The reasonable price for new chrome plated springs settled the argument. Replacing the springs was much more difficult than expected, I had to make up a spring compressor to get them to fit.

Rebuilding the clutch was relatively simple, with a new set of friction plates and springs. However the rear friction plate, part of the clutch main body, needed a new friction disc riveted in

place. After going to some lengths to make a proper riveting tool for the hollow rivets, the final rivet cracked the new friction disc. Fortunately a local clutch and brake shop was able to bond a new friction disc in place.

I always use straight 40 oil — I know the old adage to use straight 50 for summer and straight 30 for winter but the mild weather down here, and only occasional use in good weather, negates the extremes. Ian Cottrell believed these machines were appreciably noisier on multi-grade oil. Not wanting to restart the great oil argument but my attitude is if it has a roller/ball bearing bottom end then straight is best, and if it has shell bearings then multi-grade is best.

RIDING

Starting from cold, after turning the petrol on by unscrewing the tank mounted knob, I always give it full choke using the fiddly little lever behind the civilian air-filter and kick it over twice without the ignition on. Move to half choke, retard the ignition to half way, switch on the ignition and a good swing normally brings it rumbling into life. Push down the rear pedal of the left hand foot clutch with the heel of your boot, disengage the clutch and the left hand can then push forward to select first in the gear gate. Easing open the throttle, slowly advancing the ignition and rocking the foot clutch forward usually results in forward motion. It takes a bit of practice to get it right, particularly on rough or sloping ground where with only one spare foot you cannot hold it on the rear brake. I was lucky that I learnt early in life with a suicide foot clutch and then the proper heel and toe rocking clutch pedal.

Accelerating away it quickly becomes time to change into second by disengaging the clutch while closing the throttle then firmly moving the left hand gear lever rearward into the second gate, re-engaging the clutch and opening the throttle. Undertaken slowly and deliberately it is a peaceful process, try and do it quickly and it can become a graunchy experience. Selecting top (third) is just the same. With a very broad spread of torque and an effective advance and retard, gears can be selected earlier than most of their OHV counterparts.

First gear is little used as it is very low so most riding is done in second and third; second can easily be used for pulling away. Once in third out on the open road there is usually little need to change down as it will happily chug up most hills with a little retard. For stop start riding around town I tend to leave it in second and concentrate on avoiding lane swapping vehicles with better brakes. They are quite good for a heavy machine of that era but they are no match for modern brakes. The more substantial rear brake drum with a sprocket (that stops the drum from belling) is better than the front brake. Unfortunately both are prone to fade (while being a boy racer on my original machine I had the experience of the front brake lever fading all the way back to the handlebar, while the rear brake pedal faded to the floorboard).

Slowing down is similar to changing gear but with the added complication of braking so that every single appendage is involved in the process with the added complication of revving the engine at each down change to get a clean change. If you have the space it is quite satisfying braking and changing down cleanly, however you are usually braking hard or coming to a halt. I tend to leave the bike in top, concentrating on braking and trying to slip it into first while coming to a stop.

Once out on the open road the excellent Harley-Davidson front forks, the low pressure 16 inch tyres, footboards, good sitting position and well-proportioned sprung saddle, all soak up the bumps to give a very comfortable ride. On smooth roads the handling is quite good (I regularly used to scrape the footboards on my original machine) but things can get a bit exciting if you try and push it too hard through a bumpy corner, even with the steering damper screwed down.

Swift acceleration is not its forte, it gradually builds speed but is also reluctant to lose it, the broad band of torque keeps pushing on. The long-stroke engine with small valves and conservative valve timing runs out of puff over 60mph, the military version has a warning sign telling riders not to take it above 65mph. However, flat on the tank downhill on the Fosseway (an old Roman road) I once saw 75mph but things were getting a bit exciting at that point.

The machine is well suited to the roads and traffic densities here in rural Southland. The other sensation experienced is one of solidity and reliability that the over-engineered HD projects, a quality rarely felt with other machines, with the exception of BMWs.

So how does it stack up against other allied medium/heavyweight machines of that wartime era — having been lucky enough to ride some of these machines the answer lies in the intended use. If you wanted to travel from Invercargill to Christchurch on main roads the HD would be the first choice closely followed by the Indian 741 with probably the Royal Enfield WD/C 350 sidevalve at the back of the queue. However if you wanted to go into the unsealed backroads around Bendigo then the Matchless G3L, closely followed by the Velocette MAF or Ariel W/NG, would be the first choice with the HD and Indian being at the back of the queue. I would love to try a BMW R 75 outfit as I think it might be at the head of the queue for both scenarios.

HD HEROES

Searching through some old photos I found these two of me with my first HD. The first photo was taken at the 1975 ISDT in the IoM where I was marshalling. The photo was taken by an American photojournalist who could not believe it was being used for every day transport.

The second photo was with David Evershed, taken the morning we were delivering his WLD to Leeds (250mls away) after selling it. Dave’s WLD was initially attached to a sidecar and had the optional 3 speed box with reverse. One of Dave’s mates decided to try out the reverse, succeeding in lifting the sidecar going backwards.