A number of wonderful tales have been uncovered over the decades, chronicling the elusive "barn find" would seem nearly impossible that there's nothing to find anymore. Time has shown us lots of stories and none are more usual than the fact that history repeats itself. Naturally, given enough time, anything is possible; however the story about this ‘42 Harley-Davidson WLC appears to be a one time episode. A true barn find makes for a good story, but a WWII Harley Davidson covered in Honda pieces and hidden away inside a barn in rural Devon, England? Well that would make a great story.
Custom builder Nick Gale said, "I found it whilst visiting a relative 10 years/ten years ago. I got to speak to a local farmer when I was strolling my dog one night and he told me he has a classic motorbike his father had bought in 1945 from a Canadian soldier at the end of the Second World War. The local farmer said he knows it was a Harley, and I could buy it if I wanted to. The motorcycle had stayed inside the barn from 1945 until 1981 when the farmer decided to customize it and get it running."
Looking over the motorcycle, it had 18-inch front and rear wheels from Honda, a vintage Honda tank, Honda fenders, a Suzuki headlight, handlebars from an lronhead Sportster, a hand clutch, and a huge Vincent sprung seat. The farmer had painted the bike yellow, as well as all the nuts and bolts. Nick goes on to say that the bike had an expired registration and after checking the engine, forks, and chassis making sure they were correct, he made the offer for $1,200.
Nick said, "When I got it back home, I got the bike working and was very happy to see there was no strange sounds, no smoke, and like every '42s, once driven, there aren't any breaks."
To prep the Harley Davidson for its revival, it was stripped down to the basics. New 16-inch tires were bought to change the Honda tires and the first problem was witnessed. Rolling the front tire with the springer forks was okay, but the farmer had torched and bent the back of the WLC's framework to make room for the Honda wheel to match. With most of his friends telling him its junk, Nick decided to keep the original framework and just get a little funkier with the rest of the bike.
In his words, "The drop seat concept took place when we cut the back off. We used the original pipe work and decided to profile the backbone too. So, the body was born. The hardest aspect was making the seat plunger to enable us to use a fresh seat reduced by a good few inches from stock. It required 4 hours using a hammer to get rid of the existing seat post that was fused together." At this point the tale goes stale. Right after owning the bike in 2001 and getting the framework into shape, "customer needs" have prevailed and the old Harley Davidson was boxed and shelved for yet another day. That day did not come for the next 10 years. At the beginning of 2011 the containers were made available and readied for work once again.
Busting the 45-inch engine revealed another whirlwind find. To Nick's enjoyment, the interior was like new and with the crank split, the World War II oil spilled out. Looking closely showed completely unmarked internals with matching numbers. After bringing the whole stock 750cc flathead back together, the Amal carburetor was reconstructed and topped with a speed stack made from brass engine received brass accents over new application and all oil and fuel lines were created with manually bent copper tubing. The motorcycle was included with a battered and soiled clamshell exhaust. To hide 70 years of punishment, the pipes were covered to hide the marks and a curve allows the pipe to kick up a bit for more style.
Nick said, "The gears are modified with a small shifter we built and yet runs the mouse trap clutch. All brakes and clutch mechanisms are genuine as well as all the switch gear, levers, and cables. Many parts were sourced as genuine or old stock which would possibly be the same as Harley Davidson would have done 70 years ago. The bike ignites on the first or second kick and even the hill brake works just fine, well, sort of."
Bodywork was kept minimal and provides a classic look, but that is where similarities end. The rear fender started life as a victory piece that has been adapted with a custom made set of struts and backed with a back light. Bringing in some across-the-pond design, the license plate holder was made to seem like a classic English pub signage. What would you expect from any tenured British bike builder? Looking deep into the fuel tank, it becomes clear some extra work was done.
Nick designed and constructed the unit in two interlocking parts similar to the original but with added look and a curve more in line with the frame tweaks. The seat sways from the frame mounts to a spring inside the classic seat post tube. All the rest of the parts are authentic '42 Harley WLC or new old stock. A deep black color was applied most parts of the bike with gold accents painstakingly placed by hand. All that's needed is a vintage motorcycle helmet to complete the WW II look of the bike.
Within just two days of its long change period, the '42 WLC was shown at the South of England Rally and won its very first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. Two weeks later it appeared at the 25th anniversary of the Bulldog Custom show winning Best Classic. After sitting in boxes for a decade, Nick clearly understood that if he didn't spare the 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 a passion, after which became an obsession. Nick concludes, "It is a joy to ride once you get used to it. I love it to death."
Custom builder Nick Gale said, "I found it whilst visiting a relative 10 years/ten years ago. I got to speak to a local farmer when I was strolling my dog one night and he told me he has a classic motorbike his father had bought in 1945 from a Canadian soldier at the end of the Second World War. The local farmer said he knows it was a Harley, and I could buy it if I wanted to. The motorcycle had stayed inside the barn from 1945 until 1981 when the farmer decided to customize it and get it running."
Looking over the motorcycle, it had 18-inch front and rear wheels from Honda, a vintage Honda tank, Honda fenders, a Suzuki headlight, handlebars from an lronhead Sportster, a hand clutch, and a huge Vincent sprung seat. The farmer had painted the bike yellow, as well as all the nuts and bolts. Nick goes on to say that the bike had an expired registration and after checking the engine, forks, and chassis making sure they were correct, he made the offer for $1,200.
Nick said, "When I got it back home, I got the bike working and was very happy to see there was no strange sounds, no smoke, and like every '42s, once driven, there aren't any breaks."
To prep the Harley Davidson for its revival, it was stripped down to the basics. New 16-inch tires were bought to change the Honda tires and the first problem was witnessed. Rolling the front tire with the springer forks was okay, but the farmer had torched and bent the back of the WLC's framework to make room for the Honda wheel to match. With most of his friends telling him its junk, Nick decided to keep the original framework and just get a little funkier with the rest of the bike.
In his words, "The drop seat concept took place when we cut the back off. We used the original pipe work and decided to profile the backbone too. So, the body was born. The hardest aspect was making the seat plunger to enable us to use a fresh seat reduced by a good few inches from stock. It required 4 hours using a hammer to get rid of the existing seat post that was fused together." At this point the tale goes stale. Right after owning the bike in 2001 and getting the framework into shape, "customer needs" have prevailed and the old Harley Davidson was boxed and shelved for yet another day. That day did not come for the next 10 years. At the beginning of 2011 the containers were made available and readied for work once again.
Busting the 45-inch engine revealed another whirlwind find. To Nick's enjoyment, the interior was like new and with the crank split, the World War II oil spilled out. Looking closely showed completely unmarked internals with matching numbers. After bringing the whole stock 750cc flathead back together, the Amal carburetor was reconstructed and topped with a speed stack made from brass engine received brass accents over new application and all oil and fuel lines were created with manually bent copper tubing. The motorcycle was included with a battered and soiled clamshell exhaust. To hide 70 years of punishment, the pipes were covered to hide the marks and a curve allows the pipe to kick up a bit for more style.
Nick said, "The gears are modified with a small shifter we built and yet runs the mouse trap clutch. All brakes and clutch mechanisms are genuine as well as all the switch gear, levers, and cables. Many parts were sourced as genuine or old stock which would possibly be the same as Harley Davidson would have done 70 years ago. The bike ignites on the first or second kick and even the hill brake works just fine, well, sort of."
Bodywork was kept minimal and provides a classic look, but that is where similarities end. The rear fender started life as a victory piece that has been adapted with a custom made set of struts and backed with a back light. Bringing in some across-the-pond design, the license plate holder was made to seem like a classic English pub signage. What would you expect from any tenured British bike builder? Looking deep into the fuel tank, it becomes clear some extra work was done.
Nick designed and constructed the unit in two interlocking parts similar to the original but with added look and a curve more in line with the frame tweaks. The seat sways from the frame mounts to a spring inside the classic seat post tube. All the rest of the parts are authentic '42 Harley WLC or new old stock. A deep black color was applied most parts of the bike with gold accents painstakingly placed by hand. All that's needed is a vintage motorcycle helmet to complete the WW II look of the bike.
Within just two days of its long change period, the '42 WLC was shown at the South of England Rally and won its very first trophy as winner of the Best Professional Category. Two weeks later it appeared at the 25th anniversary of the Bulldog Custom show winning Best Classic. After sitting in boxes for a decade, Nick clearly understood that if he didn't spare the 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 a passion, after which became an obsession. Nick concludes, "It is a joy to ride once you get used to it. I love it to death."
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