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12-13-2020, 12:39 AM - 1 Like   #1
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Name that hog! (Or help identifying an old Harley Davidson motorcycle)

Can anybody identify the year/model of the Harley in this photo? It's a picture of my mom's biological father when he worked as a motorcycle police officer in Indianapolis sometime after he came home from WWII. You should be able to click the image for a larger version.



I'm planning to print this onto canvas as a Christmas gift for my mom, and I wanted to include some text with his name, the department, the motorcycle, etc.

FYI, the image is a scan of a black and white 8x10 photo. I colorized it using the My Heritage "deep learning" AI tool, so the colors of details on the bike may not necessarily be accurate. However, I was pretty impressed with the results. It rendered his pants navy blue and his uniform shirt light blue, which would seem to be accurate. And the color of the bricks on the building behind him certainly seems reasonable. Something in the coloring of the bushes looks a bit suspect to me, but all in all I was very impressed. It was basically a one-click operation to colorize it. But here's how the photo originally looked:



I wish I had some backstory for the photo, but unfortunately we don't have any details. My mother grew up with a step-father, and only has memories of her biological father as a little girl when he would come visit her, usually while working. He died in 1959 at the age of 42, so she did not really get a chance to know him. She recently connected with a half-sister she did not grow up with, and she was able to borrow this photo long enough to scan it.

The photo looks staged to me, possibly with off-camera lighting, so I wonder if it was something for a newspaper, or some kind of official department photo op. And the 8x10 has a lot of detail, so I'm guessing it was taken with a decent camera.


Last edited by Edgar_in_Indy; 12-13-2020 at 12:47 AM.
12-13-2020, 05:39 AM - 1 Like   #2
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I think that's a Harley Flathead E-Series, with the tank mounted instruments started in 1937, I'm guessing 1937 to 1941, although I don't see that shiftier on the tank.

Last edited by Roadboat24; 12-13-2020 at 05:50 AM.
12-13-2020, 05:49 AM - 1 Like   #3
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I'm no Harley expert, but it looks to me like a Harley Davidson ULH 1200 (74 cubic inches) or ULH 1340cc (80 cubic inches) big V-Twin, flathead (engine) . Final year of production I understand was 1941.

The motorcycle in the picture has girder front forks and Harley didn't get the more modern telescopic front forks till the 1949 model year. So I would say this would confirm that this bike was made somewhere in the '30's or '40's.

It could be a 750 cc cubic inch WLA (A-American Army) of WLC (C-Canadian Army) motorcycle, but they were made from 1942 onward and were primarily military bikes, although after the war, some were used as police bikes, However the bike in the picture, looks more like a big twin. than a middleweight twin like the 750 WL series..

I think it is likely a ULH .

It could also be an Indian motorcycle, another bike that was used for police work in North America, but to me it looks like a Harley Davidson.

Probably your best bet would be to contact a local Vintage motorcycle club. There is bound to be a H-D expert there who could readily identify it.

Or contact Harley Davidson company, probably the museum. Think they have a historian based in their Milwaukee headquarters.

Another alternative contact could be a local Harley Davidson dealer, who might be able to identify it.

Again, I'm not a Harley expert, but I am a motorcycle enthusiast (British, European, Japanese motorcycles) are more in my area of knowledge.

Police departments a lot of times kept their motorcycles going for a number of years, so this picture could of been taken in the 1950's, but more likely the 1940's.

If you know the name of the police department, I wonder if they would be a good contact. A lot of times there is an officer, or retired officer who through personal interest becomes the unofficial historian of the department.

Hope this helps, somewhat.
12-13-2020, 12:28 PM - 1 Like   #4
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Just a suggestion, that you contact Harley-Davidson directly! They even may want a copy of the picture! Harley-Davidson History Timeline | Harley-Davidson USA

12-13-2020, 12:36 PM - 2 Likes   #5
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I contacted the Harley expert I know, Randy Lamb, and here's what he says:

"It's a Flathead Servi Car WL- 45. (45 cubic inch engine) If you look closely- it's a three-wheeled motorcycle. You can see the storage box on the rear. There was an early and a late Servi Car This one could be as new as a 1957 because of the Springer front fork. Some one has converted the tank gear shift and foot clutch- to a hand clutch and a foot shift. Or they have moved the tank shift to the other side. I have seen both done. The three wheeled 45 Servi Car was produced up until 1973 with the same basic engine.

The Servi Car production run was from 1932-1973. The 1934 and newer had a reverse. The 1932-1957 had springer forks and the 1958-1973 had hydraulic front forks. In 1963 you could get an electric start. On Harleys that old if you can see the engine numbers at the base of the "V" where the cylinders bolt to the block- on the left side- the first two numbers are the year of the engine. It doesn't mean that the engine wasn't swapped at some point- but it will tell you the engine year at least. So, if we can enlarge the photo enough to see that area of the engine, we may be able to make out the year of production - of the engine, at least."

Based upon the Harley Davidson badge on the fuel tank, it's likely to be a 1947-1950 model. So, you're looking at a Harley Davidson Flathead Servi Car WL- 45, 1947-1950.



Here's a video of a similar one. (Not my image)

Also not my image, but a 1947 model one:

Last edited by MarkJerling; 12-13-2020 at 01:37 PM. Reason: changed link, added information.
12-13-2020, 01:27 PM - 2 Likes   #6
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I just had a thought: I wonder if the photo was deliberately cropped so as to make the motorcycle appear to be a regular motorcycle rather than a three-wheeler?
12-13-2020, 01:38 PM - 1 Like   #7
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I'll agree with Mark, I think it's a late 40's - early 50's police Servicar. The springer front end puts it in that time period. Too bad the back end is cropped out. There were some 2 wheel springer police bikes made in that period and some old pictures showed a large flat radio box directly behind the rider.

12-13-2020, 02:18 PM   #8
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Also, the bike appears to be well used in the photo, so, based on the 47-50 model year, I'd guess that this is probably an early 50s to mid 50s photo. Was there, per chance, any pencil markings on the rear of the photo?
12-13-2020, 02:18 PM - 2 Likes   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by MarkJerling Quote
I just had a thought: I wonder if the photo was deliberately cropped so as to make the motorcycle appear to be a regular motorcycle rather than a three-wheeler?
I would say you're right on what model it is and also the fact that it may the picture may have been cropped to give it the appearance of a regular motorcycle rather than a 3 wheeler . I didn't see the box behind it, until you mentioned it. It fooled me.

Good analysis, Mark.
12-13-2020, 02:26 PM - 1 Like   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
I would say you're right on what model it is and also the fact that it may the picture may have been cropped to give it the appearance of a regular motorcycle rather than a 3 wheeler . I didn't see the box behind it, until you mentioned it. It fooled me.

Good analysis, Mark.
Oh, I can't take the credit Les, my mate Randy is the Harley expert. He's been playing with Harleys for 50 years!
12-13-2020, 03:00 PM - 1 Like   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by MarkJerling Quote
Oh, I can't take the credit Les, my mate Randy is the Harley expert. He's been playing with Harleys for 50 years!
I've never been that knowledgeable about Harley Davidsons. To me.......they are a puzzle, and with apologies to Churchill...."a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma' with the number of model variations that have been produced. They have been a very successful motorcycle manufacturer over a very long history and that is a matter of record.

Now when it comes to British motorcycles such as Matchless, Norton, Triumph or BSA, I am on more solid ground.
12-13-2020, 04:08 PM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
I've never been that knowledgeable about Harley Davidsons. To me.......they are a puzzle, and with apologies to Churchill...."a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma' with the number of model variations that have been produced. They have been a very successful motorcycle manufacturer over a very long history and that is a matter of record.

Now when it comes to British motorcycles such as Matchless, Norton, Triumph or BSA, I am on more solid ground.
The engine is not well exposed for definitive identification but it does look like a possible "Flat Head" engine. Harley introduced the "Flat Head" engine in 1929, the Knucklehead in 1936, then the Panhead in 1948. That does look like it could be the Flat Head engine which would make that at latest a 1935 or '36 model bike. I would say it is definitely not a Knucklehead or a Pan Head. Though it could also be a a "F Head" which was used from 1911 to '29. That would make it even older. There is no clutch lever on the left hand handlebar so this is certainly pre-1952.

Please do not take this as irrefutable fact, I am not a Harley-Davidson historian, just someone who did a little research on google and Wikipedia. I do own and ride a H-D, but not an expert. I hope this helps you some in your endeavor to gather more information.
12-13-2020, 04:56 PM - 1 Like   #13
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This community is great! I've yet to pose a question that the Pentaxforums Collective could not answer, lol!

Apparently my grandfather was both a gearhead and a hoarder, and from what I hear he left behind a pretty large collection of Harley Davidsons in various states of repair when he passed. I can only imagine the collection would have been worth a fortune now. Here's a picture from probably near the end of his life, with another Harley:



And the talk of a three-wheel motorcycle reminded me of another picture. Looking at the front end of the bike, it appears to me that it is possibly the same bike from the police photo. The two-tone front fender looks the same (click for larger version):



12-13-2020, 05:14 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Photos-by-Chas Quote
The engine is not well exposed for definitive identification but it does look like a possible "Flat Head" engine. Harley introduced the "Flat Head" engine in 1929, the Knucklehead in 1936, then the Panhead in 1948. That does look like it could be the Flat Head engine which would make that at latest a 1935 or '36 model bike.
The 45 Flathead motor was produced from 1929 to 1973 and powered two-wheeled motorcycles until 1952 and three-wheeled Servi-Cars until 1973. (See Harley Davidson history)
12-13-2020, 05:18 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Edgar_in_Indy Quote
This community is great! I've yet to pose a question that the Pentaxforums Collective could not answer, lol!

Apparently my grandfather was both a gearhead and a hoarder, and from what I hear he left behind a pretty large collection of Harley Davidsons in various states of repair when he passed. I can only imagine the collection would have been worth a fortune now. Here's a picture from probably near the end of his life, with another Harley:



And the talk of a three-wheel motorcycle reminded me of another picture. Looking at the front end of the bike, it appears to me that it is possibly the same bike from the police photo. The two-tone front fender looks the same (click for larger version):


Great find! I'd say it's almost certainly the same bike, based on the detailing of the front windscreen, the front fender and the tyre tread pattern.
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