Not the “Captain” you were thinking.
It’s called product placement and I’ve blogged about it previously HERE and HERE. It’s all about socializing Harley-Davidson on the big screen.
Sure we know that Harley-Davison has used product placement in the past, but these days it’s up to the Davie Brown Entertainment Team to make sure it’s a core part of a marketing push into film/entertainment. And as we’re told countless times each night on TV commercials… entertainment can sensationalize the excitement and thrill of riding a motorcycle to the point of moving people to the dealers to check it out, right?
Disregard that only 3% of the U.S. consumers own a motorcycle. It’s the other 15-20 million individuals in the U.S. being targeted and the hope is to generate a desire to buy one. But, I’ve gotten way ahead of myself…
This bit all started at the outset of WWII, where the U.S. Government gave H-D an assignment. Design a motorcycle that could withstand desert conditions. You see the Germans were already using a desert-ready BMW motorcycle in the North African campaign and we didn’t really have anything to respond.
Harley-Davidson’s response was the 1942 XA. It had horizontally-opposed flat twin engine (750), a shaft final drive a hand operated clutch with foot-operated shifter and a “wet-sump” design circulated oil from the pan underneath the engine, protecting the oil from sand. It also had heavy-cleated tires to provide traction against shifting terrain. The contract was cancelled early due to war combat moving out of North Africa and only about a thousand XA’s were ever built.
It was also in about the same timeframe, during and around World War II that the Model WLA was produced to U.S. Army specifications. Called the 45 solo type, due to its 45 cubic inches (740 cc) engine and single-rider design. The same engine, in a slightly lower state of tune, also powered the three-wheeled Servi-Car (the “G” family), leading to the “solo” distinction. During World War II, Harley-Davidson produced and dispatched approximately 90,000 WLA motorcycles overseas to support the war effort. The motorcycle was affectionately known as the “Liberator” by U.S. Service Men and Women.
Private Robert J. Vance
Quick to recognize a product placement opportunity, H-D (via Davie Brown) worked with Marvel Studios to recreate five replica bikes which is tied in to the July 22nd release of Captain America: The First Avenger. In addition, Harley Davidson has launched an interactive web site that showcases the hero’s vintage ride and offers fans a chance to win a one-of-a-kind custom motorcycle. Cool.
Lastly, the northwest has something loosely connected with this movie…Private Robert J. Vance, from Portland, Oregon, had his photo taken while riding a motorcycle as a messenger of the 33rd Armored Regiment of the 3rd Armored Division in the fields of Normandy in late July, 1944 on a H-D WLA.
Photos courtesy of Marvel, H-D WLA Service Manual (large .pdf) and U.S. Army Signal Corps
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