35. War Surplus Kicked Off the Association of Hells Angels With Harley-Davidsons
In 1940, Harley Davidson began producing a limited number of motorcycles for the US Army. Production skyrocketed when America joined the war the following year. Known as Harley-Davidson WLA Liberators, they had 739 cc displacement, 3-speed transmissions, had 23.5 horsepower, and could do 65 m.p.h.
Over 90,000 WLA Liberators were manufactured for the Army during the war, along with spare parts that were the equivalent of many more. Different models were also produced for the US Navy and Marine Corps, and a close WLA variant, known as the WLC, was made for the Canadian Army. When peace returned, the military began selling surplus Harley-Davidsons dirt cheap, and they were snapped up by returning veterans. Some veterans formed innocent motorcycle clubs, that eventually morphed into not-so-innocent biker gangs.