A flathead 45…

Spotted this beauty earlier today, and you’ll never guess where!   A hint:  It wasn’t in Milwaukee!

High fashion indeed...a Harley 45 flathead a long way from home!

Harley made quite a few of these flathead 45 cubic inch bikes for the US Army during World War II (in military guise, it was the WL-A, with the A standing for “Army”).   Harley survived and thrived after the war, while Indian closed its doors just a few years after the war ended.   Ever wonder why?

Both Indian and Harley built bikes for the Army, but Harley was a lot more independent-minded in its dealings with the Feds.  The Army told Harley they really wanted a 500cc bike, but Harley told the Army this is what we have…take it or leave it (the 45 was a 750cc motorcycle).   The Army also told Harley and Indian they wanted 100% of both companies’ production capacity focused on making military bikes.   Indian did like they were told, but Harley again told Uncle Sam “no, we’ll do it our way…” and Harley kept building bikes for the US government and the public.   The result?  Harley was able to hang onto the civilian market after the war ended, and Indian did not.  Indian never fully recovered, but Harley…well, you know the story.