A number of staggering stories have been revealed over the decades, finding the obscure "barn find" would appear almost impossible that any more could exist. Time has shown us a lot of lessons and none are more prevalent than the fact that history repeats itself. Of course, given some time, it is possible, but the story around this '42 Harley-Davidson WLC looks hardly able to see a sequel. A real barn find makes for a good tale, but a World War II Harley Davidson adorned in Honda components and hidden away in a barn in rural Devon, England? Well that would make a great 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 said, "When I got it back home, I got the motorcycle running and was happy to see there were no strange sounds, no smoke, and like all '42s, once on the road, there are no breaks."
To prep the Harley Davidson for its revival, it was stripped to nothing to the basics. New 16-inch wheels were bought to exchange the Honda tires and the initial snafu was witnessed. Rolling the front wheel with the springer forks was easy enough, but the farmer had heated and curved the back of the WLC's framework to make room for the Honda wheel to match. With more than one friend telling him to scrap it, Nick opted to maintain the classic frame and just get a little creative with the build.
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 said, "The gears are swapped by a smaller sized shifter we put together and yet runs trap clutch. All braking systems and clutch components are genuine as well as all the switch gear, levers, and cables. All parts were sourced as genuine or refurbished stock which would most likely be similar as Harley would've done 70 years ago. The motorcycle ignites on the 1st or 2nd kick not to mention the hill brake is working, 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.
Within two days of its 6 week conversion process, the '42 WLC was shown at the South of England Rally and came home with its very first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. Two weeks later it was displayed 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 took time to sit and work with the Harley, it would have been another decade for the bike to sit and wait. It started from an ordinary project into passion, and then turned into an obsession. Nick concludes, "It is a joy to drive a bike once you get used to it. I, for one, 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 said, "When I got it back home, I got the motorcycle running and was happy to see there were no strange sounds, no smoke, and like all '42s, once on the road, there are no breaks."
To prep the Harley Davidson for its revival, it was stripped to nothing to the basics. New 16-inch wheels were bought to exchange the Honda tires and the initial snafu was witnessed. Rolling the front wheel with the springer forks was easy enough, but the farmer had heated and curved the back of the WLC's framework to make room for the Honda wheel to match. With more than one friend telling him to scrap it, Nick opted to maintain the classic frame and just get a little creative with the build.
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 said, "The gears are swapped by a smaller sized shifter we put together and yet runs trap clutch. All braking systems and clutch components are genuine as well as all the switch gear, levers, and cables. All parts were sourced as genuine or refurbished stock which would most likely be similar as Harley would've done 70 years ago. The motorcycle ignites on the 1st or 2nd kick not to mention the hill brake is working, 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.
Within two days of its 6 week conversion process, the '42 WLC was shown at the South of England Rally and came home with its very first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. Two weeks later it was displayed 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 took time to sit and work with the Harley, it would have been another decade for the bike to sit and wait. It started from an ordinary project into passion, and then turned into an obsession. Nick concludes, "It is a joy to drive a bike once you get used to it. I, for one, love it to death."
About the Author:
A fanatic and custom bike builder himself, he runs to a motorcycle superstore frequently to check out the most recent products such as motorcycle helmets, clothing, accessories and parts to check out.
