The Motorcycle That Won The War

The WL and the WLA were brilliant motorcycles, but their 5:1 compression side valve engines gave them around 9Km per liter of fuel - and if you commute say 100Km a day and then add the cost of the fuel up for a week and then multiply this by 48 weeks, per year and then multiply this by 10 years - sure the bike will do it, but with modern cars and bikes getting say 25 Km a liter, - if you work it out in your own currency and location etc., the 45's a REAL gas guzzlers....

It's a pity HD never made decent overhead valve barrels and heads and gave them a 8.5:1 compression ratio and a 4 or 5 speed transmission - and a cruising speed of 120 Kmh - then they could of kept on selling forever.

Aside from the very low compression engines and the horrendous fuel consumption - they were a fucking brilliant bike.

I like showing off the maths for this. Say Australia $2 a liter for 91 ocatane fuel, doing 100Km a day commute, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, x 1 year, 5 years x 10 years

Compared to a car / motorcycle getting 25 Km a liter:

With a touch of rounding - rather than nit picking precision.

OK 100 Km at 9 Km a liter = 11 liters x $2 a liter = $22 in fuel a day.
x 5 days = $110 in fuel a week.
x 48 weeks a year = $5280 a year in fuel
x 5 years = $26,500 in 5 years
x 10 years = $53,000 in 10 years.

Now doing the same calculations for a vehicle that gets 25 Km a liter.
OK 100 Km at 25 Km a liter = 4 liters x $2 = $8 in fuel a day.
x 5 days = $40 in fuel a week.
x 48 weeks a year = $1900 a year in fuel
x 5 years = $9,500 in 5 years
x 10 years = $19,500 in 10 years.

This is why I was really pissed off that Harley never developed the engine as far as putting an over head valve, high compression set of barrels and heads on them - even getting say 20 Km a liter would have made them very competitive on the fuel consumption alone....

But they didn't - so the fantastic 45's sunk under the weight of their own fuel consumption....

It's just horrendous - as the daily commuter motorcycle - but I wish they would bring them back - in a slightly more modern take....

The foot clutch and hand gear shift - when you did a really good double clutch gear shift - man that was a work of art.......You know, just by how easy and perfectly you had the gear shifting down pat, and it was easy enough - like it was no mystical event, just paying attention and doing it right and fuck - fuck - it was a NICE gear shift......

And the retards whinge about a rigid frame motorcycles lack of rear suspension - well it did have excellent suspension - it was a combination of the rear tyre pressure and the seat posts greasing and springing as well.

The friction of the grease was the dampening mechanism... it was the same as the oil in a shock absorber...

If you set the rear tyre pressure just so like 28 PSI solo - so it had just a little bit of flex in the sizewall when you pressed your weight on the luggage rack / rear seat, and that and a heavy grease in the seat post - Man that thing handled like a dream... The rear tyre pressure and "springiness" and the seat post springing and greasing - worked together.... and if you had an average chick on the back, you'd pump the back tyre up to 32 PSI...

The ground clearance was a bit too low... at like some 6" - but all the weight of that lovely cast steel barrels, huge flyweels and frame lugs and the heavy steel tubing - for such a small motorbike at 550 LBS - down so low... and it has nice wide handlebars and a very good upright seating position....

Fuck it was a NICE bike.

If it was modernised - and dropped to say 400 lbs and made into a unit construction (united motor and gear box) with good quality steel tube - all welded, instead of the elegant cast steel lugs and brazed frame and a frugal-ish fuel consumption - along with the foot clutch and hand gear shift, and a 120 KMH cruising speed - I'd love to get another one.... I had modified my one extensively to get 11 Km a liter and to get the cruising speed from around 80 Kmh or 40 MPH to a top cruising speed of ~100 KMH or 60 MPH.


But the original - issue - the HUGE fuel consumption was an absolute killer.....

Doing a 200 KM daily commute - well take the original 100 K a day commute and double it.

OK 200 Km at 9 Km a liter = 11 liters x $2 a liter = $44 in fuel a day.
x 5 days = $220 in fuel a week.
x 48 weeks a year = $10,560 a year in fuel
x 5 years = $53,000 in 5 years
x 10 years = $106,000 in 10 years.

That is just straight out unaffordable...... So that is why I had to sell it - pure economics.

Through Harley Davidsons brain dead failure to innovate and update the engine, from a very inefficient low compression side valve engine, relegated what could have been the daily drive for millions of people, to something only the, "every fourth Sunday vintage bike club riders" would and could afford to use.