1942 HARLEY-DAVIDSON WLA MILITARY MOTORCYCLE WITH SIDECAR - U.S. ARMY ISSUE

OVERVIEW:
AN EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE OF THE ICONIC HARLEY-DAVIDSON WLA MILITARY MOTORCYCLE, COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL SIDECAR AND PERIOD-CORRECT ACCESSORIES. THIS 1942 MODEL REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AMERICAN MILITARY VEHICLES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR ERA. THE WLA (W = 45-CUBIC-INCH ENGINE, L = LOW COMPRESSION, A = ARMY SPECIFICATION) WAS PURPOSE-BUILT FOR MILITARY SERVICE AND SAW EXTENSIVE USE BY THE U.S. ARMY SIGNAL CORPS AND OTHER MILITARY BRANCHES THROUGHOUT THE WAR AND BEYOND. THIS PARTICULAR EXAMPLE RETAINS ITS ORIGINAL MILITARY CONFIGURATION WITH AUTHENTIC OLIVE DRAB FINISH, WHITE STAR INSIGNIA, AND U.S. ARMY MARKINGS.

SPECIFICATIONS:
- MANUFACTURER: HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
- YEAR OF MANUFACTURE: 1942
- MODEL: WLA (45-CUBIC-INCH SIDE-VALVE ENGINE, MILITARY SPECIFICATION)
- ENGINE TYPE: V-TWIN, AIR-COOLED, SIDE-VALVE
- DISPLACEMENT: 45 CUBIC INCHES (APPROXIMATELY 750CC)
- TRANSMISSION: 4-SPEED MANUAL WITH HAND CLUTCH AND FOOT SHIFT
- FRAME: STEEL CRADLE FRAME WITH RIGID REAR SUSPENSION
- WHEELS: 16-INCH WIRE-SPOKED WHEELS WITH PERIOD-CORRECT TYRES
- BRAKES: MECHANICAL DRUM BRAKES FRONT AND REAR
- FINISH: ORIGINAL MILITARY OLIVE DRAB PAINT WITH WHITE STAR INSIGNIA AND U.S. ARMY MARKINGS
- SIDECAR: ORIGINAL MILITARY-SPECIFICATION SIDECAR WITH CANVAS COVER, LEATHER UPHOLSTERY, AND PERIOD HARDWARE
- ACCESSORIES: ORIGINAL LEATHER SADDLE, CANVAS SADDLEBAGS, MILITARY-ISSUE HEADLIGHT AND TAIL LAMP, RIFLE SCABBARD MOUNTING POINTS VISIBLE ON FRAME

CONDITION ASSESSMENT:
THIS MOTORCYCLE PRESENTS IN GOOD OVERALL CONDITION CONSISTENT WITH ITS AGE AND MILITARY SERVICE HISTORY. THE ORIGINAL OLIVE DRAB PAINT FINISH DISPLAYS AUTHENTIC PATINA WITH MINOR SURFACE WEAR, SCRATCHES, AND FADING APPROPRIATE TO AN 84-YEAR-OLD MILITARY VEHICLE. THE LEATHER SADDLE EXHIBITS EXPECTED AGE-RELATED CRACKING AND WEAR FROM DECADES OF USE. THE CANVAS SIDECAR COVER SHOWS WEATHERING AND MINOR TEARS BUT REMAINS SUBSTANTIALLY INTACT. CHROME AND BRASS FITTINGS DISPLAY OXIDATION AND PATINA CHARACTERISTIC OF UNRESTORED ORIGINAL HARDWARE. ALL MECHANICAL COMPONENTS APPEAR PRESENT AND STRUCTURALLY SOUND. THE MOTORCYCLE RETAINS ITS ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION WITHOUT EVIDENCE OF MAJOR RESTORATION OR REPAINTING. THIS PRESERVATION OF ORIGINALITY SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCES THE HISTORICAL AUTHENTICITY AND COLLECTOR VALUE OF THE PIECE.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON WLA REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AMERICAN MILITARY MOTORCYCLES OF THE 20TH CENTURY. APPROXIMATELY 90,000 WLA MODELS WERE PRODUCED FOR MILITARY USE BETWEEN 1940 AND 1945, SERVING WITH DISTINCTION IN BOTH THE EUROPEAN AND PACIFIC THEATRES. THE WLA WAS RENOWNED FOR ITS RELIABILITY, DURABILITY, AND ABILITY TO OPERATE IN EXTREME CONDITIONS. THIS PARTICULAR EXAMPLE, DATING TO 1942, REPRESENTS THE PEAK PRODUCTION YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND CARRIES SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL WEIGHT AS A GENUINE MILITARY ARTIFACT FROM THIS PIVOTAL PERIOD.

Item Size: Height: 30cm, Width: 35cm, Depth: 20cm, Weight: 3Kg

Condition: Good

221802+5

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