The Harley Davidson WL 45 motorcycle is the smaller engine Harley Davidson motorcycle. The engine size is 742cc and the first of these Harley Davidson motorcycle engines were produced in 1925. This smaller Harley Davidson motorcycle went on serve America well in World War II with 80,000 being produced for the war effort. This is the Harley Davidson motorcycle that kept the company going during the Great Depression years in the 1930's. Without this bike Harley Davidson would have went out of business due to the fact the WL 45 was affordable and easy to maintain. This Harley Davidson motorcycle was very popular and evolved over the years with improvements made every few years until the motorcycle was phased out in 1952. The WL 45 was known for its reliability, comfortable ride and could cruise at sixty miles per hour all day long without any problem. This is one of the Harley Davidson motorcycle models equipped with what was called a suicide clutch and this gear shifting design was very difficult for riders to become accustomed to.