m
ost people don’t realize it, but the “45” Flathead was the longest running production engine that the Motor Company ever produced and included everything from civilian solo, and trike models to police duty to military service which is what we have here or at least to a degree. It’s kind of hard to believe that 73 years ago this frame and some of the
other parts she’s running were painted OD (Olive Drab for you non-military types) green and quite possibly saw service in the European theatre. Although, some complete bikes, as well as large inventories of spare parts, were deemed surplus either here at home or to our Axis allies under the Lend-Lease program which accounts the large numbers of these bikes still overseas. As luck would have it, this one
Article By:GTP Photos By: Chris Callen
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December ‘18 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
ended up with bobbed fenders and a lot of hard miles behind a closed gas station in Oklahoma and fortunately escaped the scrap yard! Fast forward to around 2005. A rebirth was in order but this time with a G Servi Car motor as well as a few new-fangled pieces like a set of Flanders risers. It was during this incarnation that she ended up as a model for Tom Fritz, an authorized Harley
