From my dad’s photo album. These were taken in St. Petersburg Florida in 1944 after the old man returned from the South Pacific.
I have no idea of the brands (Harley?) or years of these bikes, but it appears the model designations are written on the backs of the photos. I’ll save those for later hints, if needed.
Photo 1
John Berry on his bike:
Photo 2
Dad’s friend Dick on his bike: 
Photo 3
Both bikes on beach:
Any help identifying these would be appreciated.
A little more info on the photo album -
Dad was stationed at Ft. Pollock Louisiana during this time frame and it appears he and Dick were on a little motor bike R&R trip down to Florida. The album has a lot of other photos of the bikes, beaches, etc. It appears they ended the night at the High Hat Club, Tampa Florida in pretty high spirits. John Berry is on the right:
(Funny, when I googled the High Hat Club, Tampa I got this somewhat ironic link)
The tank decal resembles an Indian but the front fender is missing the indian head.
I think I see some HD design in those bikes.
The first pic appears to be a harley davidson wl45.
Mike
I'd guess your dads is a 750cc (45 CI) Harley WL. The year would be 1942-1944. The heads do not look big enough for a 74 CI Harley. The pipes on the bike also resemble the ones on the 45's.
No clue on his friends, although it appears he was about do a front tire.
Deral
A friend of mine's dad received a Purple Heart for a motor cycle accident in the South Pacific. The story goes he was entertaining his buddies by riding on the beach at night firing tracers from a machine gun on a tank shift bike. Just not enough hands to do the job right.
Paul in PA
Paul
My 49' Pan has the side shifter and suicide clutch. I can't imagine trying to do anything but attempt to control it while riding. Certainly not firing a gun while driving.
There is a reason they called it a suicide clutch.
Deral
Photo 1 = ’61 & Photo 2 = ‘45
The caption for Photo 1 says “the ’61” (as to other various photos of the same cycle).
The caption for Photo 2 says “Dick & his ‘45”.
Googling various combinations of Harley, Indian, 45, and 61 results in photos of lots of old cycles, none of which seem to match the photo captions (a 1943 harley '45 looks a lot more like dad's alleged '61).
Photo 1 = ’61 & Photo 2 = ‘45
1936 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead
Comparing the logo on the fuel tanks, I'd say Dick's 45 is a Harley. Dick's is a flathead, not a knucklehead like the one in this photo, but the logos are definitely the same and Harley made a 45 cu. in. flathead.
Can't see it as well (photo #1), but I think your dad's bike has the same logo.
Photo 1 = ’61 & Photo 2 = ‘45
If you check this site it says that Harley made a 61 c.i. engine from 37-51.
Photo 1 = ’61 & Photo 2 = ‘45
Regardless of the make or year I would love to take a spin on one. Old Harley's and Indian's had class. Their style spoke something to me which prompted a purchase of a Road King. The old photo's of yesteryear just seem to wreak of class. The era and riders of the 1920's et al have shirts and ties, tall boots and a love of bikes.
Thanks for the post Mike!!!!
Photo 1 = ’61 & Photo 2 = ‘45
Based on this and what I can see in the photos, I would say both bikes are '36 to '39 Harleys.
Photo 1 = ’61 & Photo 2 = ‘45
Rich, I'll see if I can find a couple more photos to scan. These ones were where the cycles took up most the frame...unfortunatley, the prints are small, about 2 inches square, so even a 1200dpi scan can't bring much more deatail out than a 300 dpi.
