Harley-Davidson WLA

The Harley-Davidson WLA is a motorcycle that Harley-Davidson produced to United States Army specifications during and around the Second World War. It was based on the civilian WL and belongs to the 45 solo type, named for its 45 cubic inch engine and single-rider layout; in Europe it earned the nickname Liberator. In the model code, W marks the 45 cubic inch flathead family developed from the earlier R and D families, L means high compression, and A means Army. Production began in small numbers in 1940 and rose sharply after the United States entered the war, with some 56,000 built during the war, and a close variant, the WLC, was made for the Canadian Army. Many WLAs went to allies under Lend-Lease, the largest recipient being the Soviet Union, which received about 30,000.