Classic cars and their owners

Harley Davidson WLC – the badass Betty!

It’s been a while since we’ve had a classic cars and their drivers – apologies for the long wait.

Just to jog your memory, last time we had the distinct pleasure of covering a Mister Softee Ice Cream van – an endearing tale of TLC and the familiar blue and red of childhood’s most sought after vehicle.

And now, in partnership with the awesome Car Facts Disc, we’re trimming four wheels down to two as we get a lowdown of the one and only, Betty: Ross’s utterly badass Harley Davidson WLC – that would not look out of place in a World War 2 movie.

Just sit back and let Ross sweep you away into the badassery that is his kickass Harley. Enjoy!

“I acquired Betty ( one early 1942 Harley Davidson WLC), from Zossen, about 25 miles south of Berlin. A young lad found her in a ditch in 1946. Him and his two friends managed get her out and back to Gustavs home. They put Betty into an out building and this is where she stayed, untouched, until July 2016. This is when I heard about Betty, tracked her down and managed to purchase her”.

“The markings you see on her were uncovered under hand painted green. This was – and is – one of the most complete and original finds to date of a true war bike. Everything you see is either original to Betty or NOS – genuine WW2 military Harley parts. The exception to this being tires and tubes, battery and the leather on the seat“.
“The panniers are original to Betty, as is the scabbard.  Every single last nut, bolt, washer, is exactly right, including the parkerised finish. There’s two parts of Betty not restored; the gear link (original wartime paint) and the speedometer face. I like here where the face shows her age/history. I do have an NOS face, but just couldn’t bring myself to change it”.

“So, next she is a WLC, made for the commonwealth contract for Canada. But only 72 of the total 25000 WLC variants where made to the WLA spec. Of these 72, she is the only one remaining”.
“WLC running spec with WLA tin/load out”.

Onwards

If that isn’t badass, I don’t know what is. You can almost see Captain America himself blazing trails aboard Betty, she’s that awesome.

Such stories are made more accessible with Car Facts Disc. So if you’ve got a story to tell, do the automotive world a favour and get yourself one!

Until the next time, this is Classic Cars and their Owners. Sayonara folks.

Enjoyed the read? Check out Mikaniki’s Fun Corner. We’ve got some interesting pieces coming up, so watch this space!

Nikhil L

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Nikhil L
Tags: classic cars Harley Davidson

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