Harley 45 Flathead (W and G Series)

Article by Mark Trotta

The W-series (1937-1952) made up the majority of Harley V-Twin Flatheads, and were the basis for the WLA military bike, WR factory racer, and others. The three-wheeled Servi-Car (1932-1973) was powered by the same engine, but had a "G' prefix on the VIN number.

Side-Valve Simplicity

Advantages of a flathead (side-valve) engine over an OHV (overhead valve) engine were cost of manufacture and simplicity. With valves positioned in the engine block beside the piston, instead of in the cylinder head as in an OHV engine, push rods and rocker arms were not needed. Cylinder heads need only be a simple casting with threaded holes for the spark plugs.

Harley 45 Engine Specs

A bore and stroke of 2.75" x 3.18" displaced 742cc, advertised as 750cc, which is also 45 cubic-inches. Throughout it's long production run, engine bore and stroke remained the same. This makes parts interchangeability between different years excellent.

Picture Courtesy American Classic Motorcycle Museum

In stock trim, 45 WL output was about 21 horsepower. Standard compression ratio was 4.5:1, which increased to 4.75:1 in 1941. Remember that at this time in America, there was no high-octane gasoline to allow high-compression engines to operate.

Harley 45 Flathead Models

Harley WL Solo

The WL series flatheads were manufactured from 1937 until 1952 and featured a "high-compression" motor. The compression was increased through use of different cylinder heads. The 45's highest output model, however, was the WR factory racer.

Harley-Davidson WLA

During the years 1940-1945, nearly all Harley-Davidson motorcycle production was for military use. The vast majority was the WLA military bike. Accessories included a luggage rack, ammo box, and leather rifle scabbard. Painted in olive drab, bikes were equipped with blackout lights to reduce nighttime visibility.

Read: Harley WLA History

When World War II was over, there was a large surplus of WLA bikes, most of them being sold very cheaply. In America, these surplus military models became some of the first modern-day choppers.

Harley WR Racer

In 1946, the 45ci WR flathead racer was introduced. It conformed to stricter Class C AMA rules, which were intended to reduce costs for competitors. In Class C rulings, flatheads were allowed to displace 750cc, while OHV motors were limited to 500cc.

With increased compression and hotter cams, the WR-750 shared a large number of parts with the mass-produced military WL series. The WR racer saw considerable success, competing against rival Indians on dirt track speedways throughout the 1930s.

During the Korean War, manufacture of WLA started up again (1950-1952).

The Harley WL 45 engine was left pretty much unchanged throughout it's 41-year production run. Until the Sportster surpassed it in 1998, it was Harley-Davidson's longest running engine in production.

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Harley 45 Frame

Like any vintage factory piece, a good original frame will increase the value of your motorcycle restoration. Any 1941 through 1973 Harley 45 engine will fit into any 1941 through 1952 45 Solo frame.

Read: Harley 45 Frame Choices

Unless you're proficient and measuring and welding, beware of frames that have been modified (raked neck, missing brackets, etc). And beware of people who are making Solo 45 frames out of Servi-Car frames.

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Spark Control Grip

Retarding the distributor timing helps cold engine starting, and on early Harley flathead models this was done manually. The left hand grip was referred to as the "spark control" grip.

Before kick-starting the engine, the rider twisted the cable-activated left grip outward, moving the ignition timer outward. This would retard the ignition timing. Once the engine started and was warmed up enough, he would twist the grip back inward to it's fully advanced normal running position. Sometimes when riding, a rider might retard the distributor slightly to avoid engine knock under heavy load or acceleration.

Auto Advance Timer

In 1964, flathead 45 Servi-cars were upgraded with "auto advance" ignition timers. Auto-advance doesn't make an engine run any better, it just makes it easier to operate.

Read: Harley 45 Timer And Ignition

Mechanical and auto advance ignition timers are interchangeable with each other. Custom bike builders favor the latter because it's visually cleaner; removing the spark control grip and cable unclutters the handlebar area.

Harley 45 Magneto

High performance flatheads like the WR factory racer were equipped with magneto ignition. Unlike an ignition timer, they don't require a coil or battery to produce spark. Instead, spark is created by internal magnets. Magnetos work well at higher speeds but produce weaker spark at low RPMs.

Harley 45 Generator

There are two types of generators found on Harley-Davidson 45 flatheads. Early-style motors (1937 to 1958) have a three-brush generator, which is mounted to the engine with two 1/4" bolts, and utilizes a strap which goes around the generator body. Later 45 motors (1959-1965) have a two-brush generator which does not require the strap, and has two 5/16" bolts holding it in place.

Your classic bike's generator really doesn't charge the battery until engine rpm is considerably higher than idle. Trips that are less than 15-20 miles are typically not enough to recharge the battery's losses from starting.

Read: Harley Generator - Repair or Replace?

Servi-Car Alternator

Servi-car 45 motors from 1966 and later came with a car-style alternator which was externally driven by a belt.

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Harley 45 Serial Numbers

Stamped in the left engine case, the serial (VIN) number starts with the last two digits of the year, followed by the letter designation, then a 4 or 5 digit assembly sequence code.

Harley WLA motors had an additional number in the VIN (example: 42WLAxxxxx).

NOTE: All WLA motors began with "42", regardless of the year they were produced. This was unique in H-D's history, and was presumably done to simplify paperwork.

Although pre-1970 Harley-Davidson motorcycle frames were never numbered, engines were usually sequentially-numbered. So, even though they all have the same "42 WLA" designation, it's possible to identify the year of manufacture from casting numbers and date codes on the engine cases.

Most Harley Servi-car motors are stamped 'G' or if it's an electric start (1964-1973) will be stamped 'GE'. Very early models may be stamped 'GA' or 'GD' or 'GDT'. The letters (up to four) are the model code. The first two numbers are the year and the remaining numbers are the production number.

Harley 45 Belly Numbers

This example will help decipher the engine case numbers on your Harley 45 motor. In number 361-1722, the number 3 will probably indicate a round top case. The second and third digit is the year (1961), and will probably be stamped in a closed-top letter style with a short horizontal stroke across the top. The four numbers after the dash are a sequential assembly-line number.

If you're building a Harley 45 motor from the cases up, belly numbers that match usually mean that line-boring may not be required, although its always a good idea to check.

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Related Articles:

Harley 45 Engine Teardown and Inspection

Harley 45 Bottom End Rebuild

Harley 45 Cam Timing

Harley 45 Cylinders and Heads

Harley 45 Scavenger Oil Pump Repair

Read: Harley 45 Drivetrain

Read: Harley 45 Gas/Oil Tanks

Read: Custom-Wiring A Motorcycle