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Model WLA 1942 Harley-Davidson: at the Trev Deeley Motorcycle Museum 1875 Boundary Road in East Vancouver - Photographed May 17, 2008.

The winds of War were blowing in the late 1930s and various nations were building up their armed forces and motorcycles were a part of the compliment of vehicles of the modern army.

Harley Davidson's proven 45 cubic in WL was tough enough for the job and required only minimal changes and additions to meet military specifications. The WL also had the edge as it was fully developed and in current production which promised quick delivery.

During World War II, Harley-Davidson produced over 88,000 WL's for military use and nearly half of these were shipped to allied nations. At least 20,000 WLC variants were supplied to Canadian Armed Forces alone.

All WLA's and WLC's built in 1942 have serial numbers prefixed 42.

During the 1940's and early 1950's, Trev Deeley dominated the sport of motorcycle racing during a fifteen year career. He became a factory rider for Harley-Davidson carrying American motorcycle Association Nation No. 22 to many victories and track records throughout Canada and the US. He was the first Canadian to carry an AMA expert plate.

In 1995 Trev was inducted into the Canadian Motor Sport Hall of Fame and in 1997 became the first Canadian recipient of the American Motorcycle Association prestigious Dudley Perkins Award - bestowed annually to one individual.

Hero, mentor, friend, competitor, enthusiast, advisor, business mogul, philanthropist - Trev was many things to many people, and his influence was far reaching. Right up until the day he died, Trev Deeley remained a force for change at Harley-Davidson.

During the late 1950's, 60's, and 70's, Trev Deeley concentrated on the business of Motorcycles. In 1957, he was appointed the first Honda motorcycle distributor in the English speaking world and later went on to also distribute Yamaha motorcycles and snowmobiles. In 1973, Trev founded Fred Deeley Imports, Harley-Davidson distributors for Canada, with his partner Don James, and together they developed the most respected dealer network in the country.

From 1986 to 1991, Trev served on the board of directors at Harley-Davidson Inc. He was the first non-American to be invited to do so.

To say that Trev loved motorcycles would be a great understatement. He raced, rode, repaired, collected, customized, sold, distributed, and talked about motorcycles - all of the time.