![]() ![]() Harley-Davidson Engine Timeline: Big Twins; Categories. Serial Numbers; Shop; shotgun pipes. The U series of Harley-Davidson flathead Big Twin engines made. Mar 03, 2011 Harley Davidson Forums: Harley. I know Florida requires a frame to be numbered. The FLA**** could be a Florida DMV assigned number. Harley didn't put VIN numbers. WLA General Information Motorcycle, Chain Drive, Solo (Harley Davidson Model 42WLA) Ordnance Supply Catalog G523 dated 15 September 1944 Harley-Davidson produced about 70.000 WLA and WLC military motorcycles for the US Army and their Allies during WW2. Spare parts for an additional 30.000 bikes were also produced. WLAs were used extensively by US Troops for messenger and Military Police duties and thousands were supplied to other countries thru Lend Lease Agreements. These bikes were nicknamed 'Liberators' in Europe since they were ridden by troops liber ating their towns and countries from German occupation. The name has stuck ever since. One of Belgium's most remembered 'Liberators' is commemorated every year in the Belgian town of Peruwelz where James Carroll of the 628th Tank Destroyer was the first GI to enter the village on 3rd September 1944 after 4 long years of German occupation. Photo from an unknown source James Carroll's WLA surrounded by overjoyed locals in Peruwelz, Belgium, on September 3rd, 1944. This Liberator Story was published in the November 1998 edition of the 'American Motorcyclist' magazine. Jrc radar repair. Read the complete story:! 42WLA Origin & Production During the first half of the 20th century, the Motorcycle was a common means of transport for both civil and government use. The US Army had fielded motorcycles since the Great War and had continued to use them as the ideal transport for messenger, reconnaissance and traffic control purposes. Photo: Harley-Davidson Cpl Holtz on his Harley-Davidson: the First Yank to Enter Germany at the End of the Great War Read the complete story: In 1937, Harley-Davidson introduced the W-series models fitted with a 45 cubic inch engine whose most notable feature was the recirculating oil system, which greatly reduced maintenance. Earlier motorcycles had been equipped with a total-loss oil system which made the rider responsable for checking the oil, adjusting the oil pump or even using the hand oil pump to properly lubricate the engine while riding. The US Army ordered the 1937 WL Model to replace the Model RL Motorcycle then in use. In 1939 the US Army purchased the 39W model. Harley Flathead Serial NumbersAnd in August 1939 two prototype 39WL(A) Models were shipped to the Mechanized Cavalry Board at Fort Knox, Kentucky. These were the first true 'WLA' Models having the typical military look. The engine may have been numbered 39WLAxxxx, but this is not sure. The 39WL(A) was a straight adaption of the civilian Model, still retaining the I-beam type front forks. The 39WL(A) as it is shown in US Army Technical Manual TM10-1510 The Motor Vehicle, Page 52. When war broke out in Europe in September 1939, Fort Knox began an extensive testing program on motorcycles from different manufacturers, amongst which the two protoype 'WLA' Models, competing with Indian and Delco.
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