1942 Harley-Davidson WLA and XA Pictures
Though both the 1942 Harley-Davidson XA and the Harley-Davidson WLA were designed for battle, only the WLA saw action in World War II. Almost 80,000 WLAs were built for the military. |
 The WLA used the same fuel tank and gauge as peacetime Harley-Davidsons, but all were painted military olive drab. |
 On the right is the blackout taillamp used when minimizing light was a combat-zone imperative. |
 The Harley-Davidson XA model was specially designed for desert warfare but was never used in combat. |
 In a big departure for Harleys of the day, the XA was equipped with a horizontally opposed twin-cylinder engine and shaft drive. |
 A special shock-and-spring front suspension was added to the World War II Harley-Davidson XA. |
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