1947 Harley-Davidson WL Custom: Perfection in Pearl
Vintage build hearkens back to a time when you didn’t need flashy paint jobs and countless billet accessories to stand out.
The general rule of thumb in the world of custom Harleys is to make them as visible as possible. That means crazy paint jobs with vibrant colors. It also means bellowing pipes, fat tires, and wild custom milled wheels. The goal? To grab attention, seeking to fixate every wandering eye on the bike and the rider. But this 1947 Harley-Davidson WL accomplishes that goal without resorting to any of those aforementioned attention grabbing tricks. And that’s why the vintage Harley stood out among hundreds of others while we were perusing the Hemmings Classifieds recently.
In fact, it captures wandering eyes like ours by doing just the opposite. After all, when was the last time you saw an all-white Harley cruising around? The builder obviously decided that he wanted to stand out by doing something no one else does these days. So he built something that looks like nothing else on the road. And its simplicity is exactly what makes this 1947 Harley-Davidson WL so beautiful.
Indeed, perhaps the most interesting thing about this vintage Harley is just how many stock bits remain. The original stock length springer front is still there, albeit chrome plated. As is the front brake assembly and the front fender, which was adapted to fit out back in proper 40s custom fashion. And what better rolling stock to complete the look than a set of wire wheels with an old school knobby rear tire?
This timeless WL hearkens back to a time when custom meant lots of paint and chrome. And not much else. Because when you’ve already got a beautiful vintage bike to begin with, there’s no need for over-the-top flashy mods. Sometimes, even the most boring hue in the color spectrum can eye catching. And in this case, we’d go so far as to call it perfection.
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