1942 Harley Davidson WLA

Although I was late to motorcycles (had only one ride on a motorcycle or dirt bike prior to the age of 25) I made up for it quickly after I purchased my first bike at that age. I gravitated to long distance trips and a lot of solo cross-country adventures on backroads and on the roads less traveled. In 1997 I stumbled across a pile of boxes and a frame at a motorcycle salvage yard that normally only dealt with foreign brands. It was a 1942 Harley Davidson WLA. I had rebuilt a modern HD motorcycle or two but never a vintage bike. Down the rabbit hole of Bruce Palmer books, swap meets, expert vintage mechanics and bike restorers I went. Many years and a lot of learning, buying, selling, swapping, and bartering later I finally got around to partnering with a good mechanic and my 45 Flatty was road worthy. Now it’s the bike I gravitate to when it’s time for a ride here in rural Tennessee as it is very comfortable on the country roads traversing the hill and hollers. My interest in vintage bikes and restoration has only grown and come to include following The Chase and The Cannonball whenever they are happening. I had the pleasure of talking with Todd Cameron about The Chase as he worked on his Cannonball bike one evening in Maggie Valley. The more we talked, the more I was sure I wanted to try this challenging ‘Man and Bike’ adventure. Garda (my olive drab ’42 WLA) isn’t the fastest thing and it may be a bit slow at times up long climbs but we’ll get there. Why do I want to do this? Because of the challenge.