A lot of amazing stories have been revealed over the years, finding the obscure "barn find" would seem impossible that there's nothing to find anymore. Time has shown us a lot of lessons and none are common than the fact that history repeats itself. Naturally, given enough time, it is possible; however the tale behind this '42 Harley-Davidson WLC looks hardly able to see a sequel. A true barn find makes a good tale, but a WWII Harley Davidson adorned in Honda components and stored inside a barn in a rural region in England? Well that would be an interesting story.
Builder Nick Gale tells us, "I found it whilst visiting a relative 10 years/ten years ago. I got to talk to a local farmer when I was walking my dog one night and he said he's got a classic bike his old man had purchased in 1945 from a Canadian soldier at the conclusion of WWII. The local explained to me he thought it was a Harley, and that it is for sale. The bike had stayed inside the barn from 1945 until1981 he made a decision to make use of it and make it work."
Looking over the motorcycle, it had 18-inch front and rear wheels from Honda, a vintage Honda petrol tank, Honda fenders, a Suzuki headlight, handlebars from an lronhead Sportster, a hand clutch, and a big Vincent sprung seat. The farmer had coated the entire bike yellow, including all the nuts and bolts. Nick continues saying that the motorcycle had a long-expired UK registration and after checking the engine, forks, and frame ensuring they were complete, he sealed the deal for the equivalent of $1,200.
Nick adds, "Once home, I got the motorcycle working and was very happy to see there were no knocking sounds, no smoke, and like every '42s, once on the road, there are no breaks."
To set the Harley for its rebirth, it was stripped to nothing and thoroughly gone through bolt by bolt. New 16-inch tires were installed to exchange the Honda wheels and the first snafu was encountered. Running the front tire within the springer forks was simple enough, but the farmer had torched and curved the back of the WLC's frame to give space for the Honda wheel to match. With many telling him it won't workout, Nick decided to preserve the classic frame and just get a little jazzy with the rest of the bike.
In his words, "The drop seat concept happened when we cut the rear off. We used the whole original pipe work and chose to shape the backbone too. And so the frame was created. The toughest aspect was building the seat plunger to enable us to use a fresh seat dropped by a good few inches from stock. It required four hours with a hammer to remove the old seat post that had been fuse together by welding." At this point the tale goes stale. Right after owning the motorcycle in 2001 and getting the frame remolded, "biker needs" have won so, the old Harley Davidson was boxed up and shelved for yet another day. That day didn't arrive for another decade. At the beginning of 2011 the boxes were and prepared for work yet again.
Opening the 45-inch motor uncovered another amazing discovery. To Nick's delight, the inside was in good condition and with the crank split, the 70 year old oil spilled out. Looking thoroughly showed completely unmarked internals with matching numbers. After getting the complete stock 750cc flathead together, the Amal carburetor was reconstructed and installed with a velocity stack made from brass. The rest of the engine decorated with brass over fresh application and all oil and gas lines were made with hand bent copper tubing. The motorcycle was included with a battered and dirty clamshell exhaust. To cover up decades of punishment, the pipes were covered to conceal the imperfections plus a bend allows the pipe to kick up a little for additional style.
Nick says, "The gears are switched by a smaller sized shifter we built and still runs clutch. All brakes and clutch components are original as well as all the switch gear, levers, and cables. Many parts were acquired as original or reconditioned stock which would possibly be similar as Harley might have worked on 70 years ago. The motorcycle starts on the first or second kick not to mention the hill brake is working, well, sort of."
Body-work was basically not overdone and provides an original overall look, but that's when the similarities stop. The back fender began life as a triumph piece that had been modified with a specialized set of two struts and supported with a back light. Adding some across-the-pond design, the license tag is meant to appear like an old English pub signage. What would you expect from any self-respecting English bike builder? Peeking deep into the fuel tank, it becomes apparent some extra hard work was done.
Nick engineered and constructed the unit into two interlocking parts just as the original but with a little more flair and a curve more in line with the body tweaks. The seat moves from the frame supports to a spring inside the old seat post tube. All the rest of the parts are authentic '42 Harley WLC or new old stock. A deep black paint was applied most parts of the bike with gold accents meticulously applied by hand. To top this up is a vintage motorcycle helmet to carry out the WW II look of the bike.
Within just two days of its six-week modification period, the '42 WLC was displayed at the South of England Rally and bagged its first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. 2 weeks later it made an appearance at the 25th anniversary of the Bulldog Custom show winning Best Classic. After stored in boxes for 10 years, Nick clearly understood that if he didn't find the time to do something with the Harley, it would have been another decade for the bike to sit and wait. It went from a must-do project into a labor of love, and then became an obsession. Nick concludes, "It is a joy to ride once you get used to it. I love it to death."
Builder Nick Gale tells us, "I found it whilst visiting a relative 10 years/ten years ago. I got to talk to a local farmer when I was walking my dog one night and he said he's got a classic bike his old man had purchased in 1945 from a Canadian soldier at the conclusion of WWII. The local explained to me he thought it was a Harley, and that it is for sale. The bike had stayed inside the barn from 1945 until1981 he made a decision to make use of it and make it work."
Looking over the motorcycle, it had 18-inch front and rear wheels from Honda, a vintage Honda petrol tank, Honda fenders, a Suzuki headlight, handlebars from an lronhead Sportster, a hand clutch, and a big Vincent sprung seat. The farmer had coated the entire bike yellow, including all the nuts and bolts. Nick continues saying that the motorcycle had a long-expired UK registration and after checking the engine, forks, and frame ensuring they were complete, he sealed the deal for the equivalent of $1,200.
Nick adds, "Once home, I got the motorcycle working and was very happy to see there were no knocking sounds, no smoke, and like every '42s, once on the road, there are no breaks."
To set the Harley for its rebirth, it was stripped to nothing and thoroughly gone through bolt by bolt. New 16-inch tires were installed to exchange the Honda wheels and the first snafu was encountered. Running the front tire within the springer forks was simple enough, but the farmer had torched and curved the back of the WLC's frame to give space for the Honda wheel to match. With many telling him it won't workout, Nick decided to preserve the classic frame and just get a little jazzy with the rest of the bike.
In his words, "The drop seat concept happened when we cut the rear off. We used the whole original pipe work and chose to shape the backbone too. And so the frame was created. The toughest aspect was building the seat plunger to enable us to use a fresh seat dropped by a good few inches from stock. It required four hours with a hammer to remove the old seat post that had been fuse together by welding." At this point the tale goes stale. Right after owning the motorcycle in 2001 and getting the frame remolded, "biker needs" have won so, the old Harley Davidson was boxed up and shelved for yet another day. That day didn't arrive for another decade. At the beginning of 2011 the boxes were and prepared for work yet again.
Opening the 45-inch motor uncovered another amazing discovery. To Nick's delight, the inside was in good condition and with the crank split, the 70 year old oil spilled out. Looking thoroughly showed completely unmarked internals with matching numbers. After getting the complete stock 750cc flathead together, the Amal carburetor was reconstructed and installed with a velocity stack made from brass. The rest of the engine decorated with brass over fresh application and all oil and gas lines were made with hand bent copper tubing. The motorcycle was included with a battered and dirty clamshell exhaust. To cover up decades of punishment, the pipes were covered to conceal the imperfections plus a bend allows the pipe to kick up a little for additional style.
Nick says, "The gears are switched by a smaller sized shifter we built and still runs clutch. All brakes and clutch components are original as well as all the switch gear, levers, and cables. Many parts were acquired as original or reconditioned stock which would possibly be similar as Harley might have worked on 70 years ago. The motorcycle starts on the first or second kick not to mention the hill brake is working, well, sort of."
Body-work was basically not overdone and provides an original overall look, but that's when the similarities stop. The back fender began life as a triumph piece that had been modified with a specialized set of two struts and supported with a back light. Adding some across-the-pond design, the license tag is meant to appear like an old English pub signage. What would you expect from any self-respecting English bike builder? Peeking deep into the fuel tank, it becomes apparent some extra hard work was done.
Nick engineered and constructed the unit into two interlocking parts just as the original but with a little more flair and a curve more in line with the body tweaks. The seat moves from the frame supports to a spring inside the old seat post tube. All the rest of the parts are authentic '42 Harley WLC or new old stock. A deep black paint was applied most parts of the bike with gold accents meticulously applied by hand. To top this up is a vintage motorcycle helmet to carry out the WW II look of the bike.
Within just two days of its six-week modification period, the '42 WLC was displayed at the South of England Rally and bagged its first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. 2 weeks later it made an appearance at the 25th anniversary of the Bulldog Custom show winning Best Classic. After stored in boxes for 10 years, Nick clearly understood that if he didn't find the time to do something with the Harley, it would have been another decade for the bike to sit and wait. It went from a must-do project into a labor of love, and then became an obsession. Nick concludes, "It is a joy to ride once you get used to it. I love it to death."
About the Author:
A motorbike fan and custom motorbike builder in his own right, he runs to a motorcycle superstore regularly to check out the most up-to-date stuff such as motorcycle helmets, apparel, accessories and parts to evaluate.
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