Changes

Most of the Harley-Davidsons employed in World War II were legendary WLA models, assigned to reconnaissance and courier duty. While German machines were still often equipped with sidecars for gunners and deployed in battle, the Allies no longer sent unarmored cycles into combat as had occasionally happened in World War I. Harleys were so ubiquitous as scout vehicles at the head of military convoys that they were often the first vehicles into towns and villages liberated across Europe by the Allies and came to be known as "Liberators." <ref>Panhead, Jim, “Top 5 Harley-Davidson Prototypes of WWII,” ''Ride Apart'', 2016</ref>

==The Decline of the Motorcycle in the Military==