Bike of the Month - Harley Davidson WR Racer

With all of Harley Davidson's race pedigree achieved through 50 prior years of competition, these bikes had chrome moly frames and different engines to the road bikes of the same year - for instance roller bearing cams, racing magnetos, angled valves, special race carbs and other secrets.

The first WR was built by H-D in 1941 and was a pure racer. Although the W in the name meant it shared parts with road machines, nothing could be further from the truth, with numerous different components! Harley did this to make the WR competitive with the lighter and faster Indian Sport. The 750cc W-series engine was first introduced in 1937 and was the mainstay of the company's racing program until 1952, when the Model K was introduced.

Today C-class racing is a flourishing sport and quite a spectacle, the last meeting the vendors, Antique Motorcycles, attended was in Davenport, Iowa where they hold half mile races in the original stadium.

Racing is in top gear; once you hit top you stay there for the whole race and believe me it's no disadvantage on the straight-aways, as these bikes wheel stand readily, and at 80+ mph - not bad for an old side valve.

In 1951 only 23 WR racers were made and only a handful survive today, even fewer in original condition such as this example. For 1952 , a total of eight WR racers left the factory but with telescopic forks and KR heads and barrels they lacked the beauty and sleekness of the traditional WR and were a step towards the KR which took over in 1953.

This bike is currently for sale at ANTIQUE MOTORCYCLES in Melbourne. If you want a rare Harley Davidson racer this is a rare opportunity to own one.