1949 Harley-Davidson Other Harley Davidson WRTT Joe Leonard Special WR W WL WLA G 45 flathead Racer

Description

Introduced in 1929 as a competitor to Indian's successful 750cc sidevalve Scout v-twin, the Harley-Davidson Model D - better known as the '45' (its capacity in cubic inches) - really took off when the USA's entry into WW2 created an unprecedented demand for the military WL version. This 750cc sidevalve engine would turn out to be one of the longest running Harley motors, ending its days in the 1973 Servicar. In between it enjoyed considerable success in American oval track racing following the AMA's introduction in 1937 of Class C for 750cc production-based motorcycles intended to make racing more affordable for ordinary enthusiasts. Indian's Sport Scout set the initial standard but Harley was quick to catch up, introducing a series of ever more powerful versions of the '45', culminating in 1941 with the arrival of the first built specifically for racing: the WR, which was available in dirt track and WRTT road-racing forms. In 1950 Larry Headrick, riding a WR prepared by legendary tuner Tom Sifton, won all three AMA national mile races to gain the coveted 'No.1' plate. Due to a street accident, Headrick unfortunately shattered his leg and had to give up racing for the following season. Thankfully, earlier in 1949, Sifton pushed to get a youngster on his bikes - a talented Californian named Joe Leonard.
Young and fearless, Leonard started racing on a Triumph, racking up good results, and therefore getting attention of Sifton who thought he could be another successful rider along with Headricks. Indeed, the early 50s saw Leonard piling up victories in the National Championship Dirt Racing and nation's half-mile, one mile, road racing and TT tracks riding the Sifton / West race prepped WR.
The bike presented here is the work of a passionate from these racing years and fearless riders – Mr. Frederick Fortune from Fortune Motorcycle Cmmpany. Having met and evolved close to Headricks himself and his son, as well as Leonard on various occasions, Fortune started thinking about recreating a WR , similar to those ridden by Headricks and Leonard back in the 40s/50s. The project got fueled by the opportunity to acquire a chopped 1945 WL Solo that appeared to be a perfect base to build his recreation.
After hours spent researching pictures and various conversations with Joe Leonard, who approved and helped in the project, the process started by disassembling the whole bike and sourcing the right components. The frame was repaired and straightened, the correct OEM front forks, correct front and rear hubs as well as most part of the frame were found. When some parts were not available, quality reproduction got sourced and installed instead. The 1953 Servi Car engine got tested, stripped and gifted with new rings, valves lapped and high compression aluminum heads. To this point, the builder had the chance to meet an Antique Motorcycle specialist, Doug Feinsod of Santa Cruz Vintage Cycles who provided him technical advice as well as precious parts to help the building process. Additionally, with the intent to have the bike street legal, electricals had to be installed, so a solid-state generator endcap generator, old-style regulator, battery capacitor and fuse got installed with the addition of controls ant the handlebar. Along with the last final touches, the bike got painted to the black and orange HD racing colors and the work was finally done. In the end, thanks to a 1949 frame, 1953 motor and 1957 tank, the result was a great success and brought a lot of attention in the press, notably in specialized magazines like
American Iron
or
100% Biker
, and more importantly at the 2017 Quail Motorcycle Gathering.
That superb machine is coming with a copy of both
American Iron
and
100% Biker
where the bike appears, a service manual for 1940 – 58 45" SV & Servi-car and an original 1950 spare parts catalog for 45". To be noted that the bike has never seen oil nor fuel since its built and that the successful buyer will thus have the honor to hear that engine roar for the first time since the bike got put together.
More information on this bike can be found on several online blogs such as this:  https://www.bikebound.com/2018/11/23/harley-davidson-wrtt/
Feel Free to ask questions