Advanced Auto Parts

Quite a few amazing tales have been brought to light over the years, finding the obscure “barn find” appears impossible that any more could exist. The years have taught us a lot of lessons and none are common than the fact that history repeats itself. Naturally, given plenty of time, it’s possible, even so the tale behind this ’42 Harley-Davidson WLC seems to be a one time episode. A genuine barn find produces a great tale, but a World War II Harley outlined in Honda bits and stored in a barn in a rural region in England? Well that just has a nice twist to it.

Custom builder Nick Gale tells us, “I found it when I was visiting a loved one A decade ago. I got to speak to a local farmer whilst walking my dog one night and he told me he has a classic motorcycle his dad had bought in 1945 from a Canadian soldier at the end of the Second World War. He explained to me he knows it was a Harley Davidson, and I could buy it if I wanted to. The bike was stored inside the barn from 1945 until1981 when the farmer decided to customize it and make it work.”

Looking over the bike, it had 18-inch front and rear wheels from Honda, a classic Honda tank, Honda fenders, a Suzuki front light, handlebars from an lronhead Sportster, a hand clutch, and a big Vincent sprung saddle. The farmer had coated the entire motorcycle yellow, including all the nuts and bolts. Nick goes on to say that the motorcycle had a long-expired UK registration and after examining the engine, forks, and frame making sure they were complete, he closed the offer for $1,200.

Nick adds, “When I got it back home, I got the bike working and was pleased to see there were no crackling sounds, no smoke, and like several ’42s, once on the road, there aren’t any 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.

Nick said, “The drop seat concept happened when we cut the back off. We used most of the original pipe work and decided to shape the backbone too. And the frame was created. The most challenging aspect was making the seat plunger to enable us to use a new seat cut down by a good few inches from the original design. It spent four hours using a hammer to remove the existing seat post that was fused together.” From this point the story goes stagnant. After owning the bike in 2001 and getting the frame remolded, “custom biker wants” have won and the old Harley was boxed and shelved for another day. That day didn’t come for another decade. In early 2011 the boxes were and readied for work 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.

According to Nick, “The gears are replaced by a smaller sized shifter we made which still runs clutch. All braking systems and clutch components are authentic as are all the switch gear, levers, and cables. Many parts were acquired as authentic or old stock which would possibly be similar as Harley would’ve done decades ago. The motorcycle starts on the first or second kick not to mention the hill brake works just fine, well, sort of.”

Bodywork was not overdone and brings a classic look, but that is when the resemblances stop. The back fender started life as a triumph piece that had been modified with a custom set of two struts and backed with a tail-light. Adding some across-the-pond design, the registration tag was made to look like a classic English pub signage. What would you anticipate from any self-respecting English bike builder? Looking deeper into the fuel tank, it becomes clear a little bit more effort 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.

In just two days of its long transformation, the ’42 WLC was shown at the South of England Rally and won its very first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. A couple weeks later it was exhibited and won Best Classic at the annual Bulldog Custom Show. After sitting in boxes for 10 years, Nick clearly understood that if he didn’t find the time to sit and work with the Harley, it would be subject to another 10 years of sitting there. It started from an ordinary project into a labor of love, and then developed into an obsession. Nick concludes, “It’s a joy to ride once you get used to it. I love it to death.”

Always remember that it’s critical to be certain that you cruise with your bike with safety. Always make sure that you always wear authentic motorcycle helmets.