The Harley-Davidson XLCR was the American company’s café racer, built between 1977 and 1979. It was made from the existing XLCH Sportster with a bikini fairing, a slim front mudguard, a solo seat and a two-into-two siamesed exhaust, and it is remembered as a sales flop that turned into a collector’s machine.
Harley-Davidson XLCR at a glance
| Production | 1977–1979 |
|---|---|
| Base | XLCH Sportster |
| Design team | Bob Modero, Jim Haubert and Willie G. Davidson, with styling influence from Dean Wixom |
| Bodywork | bikini fairing, slim front mudguard, reshaped tank, solo seat |
| Exhaust | two-into-two siamesed |
| Fuel tank | an enlarged XR-750 dirt track tank |
| 1977 | 1,923 built, 3,595 dollars each |
| 1978 | 1,201 built, 3,623 dollars each |
| 1979 | 9 or 10 built from remaining parts |
| Reputation | ignored when new, a collector’s item thirty years later |
History of the Harley-Davidson XLCR
The XLCR was made between 1977 and 1979 and is often described as Willie G. Davidson’s own idea, built from the existing XLCH Sportster. The design was in fact the work of a committee of three: Bob Modero, an engineer at Harley-Davidson, Jim Haubert of Jim Haubert Engineering, hired as an independent skunkworks contractor, and Willie G. Davidson. Dean Wixom had a strong styling influence on the group although he was not present, and one of their starting points was to enlarge a dirt track XR-750 fuel tank, which Wixom had originally designed.
The styling changes were a bikini fairing, a slim front mudguard, a reshaped fuel tank, a saddle without a pillion seat and a unique two-into-two siamesed exhaust. Launched in the 1970s, the bike was largely ignored by buyers and became famous as a sales flop, criticised as a narcoleptic turner because of its long wheelbase and cruiser-like steering geometry and for its lethargic performance. Thirty years later it had become a collector’s item.
Harley-Davidson built 1,923 XLCRs in 1977 at 3,595 dollars each and 1,201 in 1978 at 3,623 dollars, then assembled 9 or 10 more in 1979 from parts left in stock. Auction prices show the change in status: a 1978 model made 9,900 dollars in New Zealand in 2004, a 1977 machine sold for about 20,000 dollars through Bonhams in 2010, and another 1977 example made 12,000 dollars in 2013.
Design and features
- Café racer styling: bikini fairing, solo seat and a slim front mudguard.
- XR-750 tank: an enlarged version of the dirt track racing tank.
- Siamesed exhaust: the two-into-two pipe that defined the model’s look.
- Collector status: rare from new and valuable today.
Harley-Davidson XLCR versions
- XLCR (1977): 1,923 built at 3,595 dollars.
- XLCR (1978): 1,201 built at 3,623 dollars.
- XLCR (1979): 9 or 10 assembled from remaining parts.
The model the XLCR was built from is described in the article on the Sportster, the racing machine whose tank it used in the article on the XR-750, and the factory custom of the same decade in the article on the Super Glide. More are in the collection.
Sources
- Harley-Davidson XLCR, English Wikipedia: design, production numbers, prices, reception
- Harley-Davidson Sportster, English Wikipedia: XLCR production figures and engine
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