Timeless Nostalgia
October 1, 2003
If there were only one example to serve as the prototypical motorcycle, it would surely be a thundering V-twin by Milwaukee ironmonger Harley-Davidson. No other has made such an indelible impression on the general public or the impassioned, and since the beginning, these imposing bikes have assumed a position as kings of the two-wheeled jungle.
Harley-Davidson introduced the UL models in 1937, powered by the company’s tried-and-true 74-inch flathead twin. The UL was a true performance machine, its high-compression motor coupled to a new 4-speed transmission. This example is exceedingly rare, a civilian model of the many military machines supplied for America’s war effort. It is essentially stock, apart from the chrome plating not seen on government models and its preference for red over olive drab.
The UL was the final iteration of the side-valve engine that powered Harley-Davidson bikes in the 1920s and ’30s. After 1948, the 61- and 74-inch motors featured a newer overhead valve design—progress, while continuing the tradition of timeless style.
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