The Harley-Davidson WLA is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was produced to US Army specifications in the years during and around World War II. It was based on an existing civilian model, the WL, and is of the 45 solo type, so called due to its 45-cubic-inch (740 cm 3) engine displacement and single-rider design.

Nov 11, 2016 · In honor of all American veterans and those men and women currently serving in the U.S. Military around the world, we are featuring the Harley-Davidson WLA now on display at the National Motorcycle Museum among other military motorcycles.

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.

The Harley-Davidson WLA was designed to be an exceptionally tough motorcycle for use in the Second World War that could ford a stream up to 16 inches deep, carry 40 lbs of equipment, run on very low octane fuel, and remain reliable in environments ranging from the deserts of North Africa, to the Soviet Russian tundra, to the jungles of the ...

Feb 21, 2012 · Specialized for military duty with a skidplate and skirtless fenders for mud clearance, the WLA was further differentiated with service-ready accessories such as a heavy-duty rack, secondary ...

Harley WLA History Article by Mark Trotta. During World-War-Two, nearly all Harley-Davidson motorcycle production was for military use. Several different models were produced, but the vast majority was the WLA Flathead 45, which saw use in every theater of military operation.

Jul 4, 2023 · The US called upon Harley-Davidson to produce a specialized motorcycle for the armed forces in 1940, and the result was the WLA, which was affectionately known as the “Liberator” by those serving on the frontlines.

Nov 30, 2021 · Fast Facts – The Harley-Davidson WLA. The Harley-Davidson WLA was developed as the militarized version of the earlier WL model, it was given a range of upgrades and modifications to make it better suited to military and off-road use.

Nov 14, 2024 · Harley-Davidson trialled an adapted version of the civilian WL which was offered to the US Army at a cost of $380. It would become denoted as the WLA, and it passed the tests.

Jul 14, 2021 · 1942 harley-davidson wla spans the globe Harley-Davidson built WLAs, and variants of it for not only the US Army, Navy, Army Air Corps and Marine Corps (WLA), they also built them for Canada (WLC), South Africa, and even the Soviet Union who bought 30,000 of them under the Lend-Lease program.