LOT 632
From The Warr's Harley-Davidson Collection 1978 Harley-Davidson 998cc XLCR Café Racer Registration no. TTO 515R Frame no. 7F16485H8 Engine no. 16485
Sold for £18,975 inc. premium
Lot 632
From The Warr's Harley-Davidson Collection, 1978 Harley-Davidson 998cc XLCR Café RacerRegistration no. TTO 515R Frame no. 7F16485H8 Engine no. 16485
The Spring Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show|23 April 2022, 10:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground
From The Warr's Harley-Davidson Collection
1978 Harley-Davidson 998cc XLCR Café Racer
Registration no. TTO 515R
Frame no. 7F16485H8
Engine no. 16485
1978 Harley-Davidson 998cc XLCR Café Racer
Registration no. TTO 515R
Frame no. 7F16485H8
Engine no. 16485
• Rare two-year-only model
• Presented in beautiful condition
• Rare H-D accessory dual seat and passenger footrests
"If black truly is beautiful, then the XLCR was sublime. So dark, it practically drank in the light, the Café Racer was another of Willie G Davidson's variations on an old theme, in this case reworking the basic 1,000cc Sportster which had first appeared in 1972. When it arrived for the 1977 model year, the XLCR looked revolutionary – the most unashamedly different Harley-Davidson yet." – Mac McDiarmid, The Ultimate Harley-Davidson'.
Harley-Davidson had been building the Sportster model for years but by the mid-1970s it had become obvious that something better would be required to compete with the hottest new road bikes from Europe and Japan. Styled by William G Davidson, the company's Design Director, Harley's riposte was the XLCR 'Café Racer', which combined the iron-barreled Sportster engine with a chassis incorporating an XR750-style box-section swinging arm, cast alloy wheels and triple disc brakes. With its matt black-finished engine cases, matching exhaust system and sleek glassfibre bodywork, the XLCR looked lean and mean. Trouble was, The XLCR still couldn't cut it with the opposition, and traditional Harley owners didn't know what to make of it. Sales were disappointing and the model was dropped after only two years in production. Back in '77, Bike magazine reckoned that the XLCR was essentially "about style and image more than any other machine on the market" and there can be little doubt that turning up on one of these today would get you more attention than any modern sports bike. Only some 3,000-or-so were made and today the rare and stylish XLCR is highly prized by collectors.
This superb example is to original and unmodified specification and has to be one of the very best currently available. Professionally maintained by Warr's Harley-Davidson, the machine has only covered an indicated 7,181 miles and was last run during the winter of 2021. Offered with a V5C document, it represents a rare opportunity to acquire a beautiful example of Harley-Davidson's iconic XLCR Café Racer.
Offered with key
• Presented in beautiful condition
• Rare H-D accessory dual seat and passenger footrests
"If black truly is beautiful, then the XLCR was sublime. So dark, it practically drank in the light, the Café Racer was another of Willie G Davidson's variations on an old theme, in this case reworking the basic 1,000cc Sportster which had first appeared in 1972. When it arrived for the 1977 model year, the XLCR looked revolutionary – the most unashamedly different Harley-Davidson yet." – Mac McDiarmid, The Ultimate Harley-Davidson'.
Harley-Davidson had been building the Sportster model for years but by the mid-1970s it had become obvious that something better would be required to compete with the hottest new road bikes from Europe and Japan. Styled by William G Davidson, the company's Design Director, Harley's riposte was the XLCR 'Café Racer', which combined the iron-barreled Sportster engine with a chassis incorporating an XR750-style box-section swinging arm, cast alloy wheels and triple disc brakes. With its matt black-finished engine cases, matching exhaust system and sleek glassfibre bodywork, the XLCR looked lean and mean. Trouble was, The XLCR still couldn't cut it with the opposition, and traditional Harley owners didn't know what to make of it. Sales were disappointing and the model was dropped after only two years in production. Back in '77, Bike magazine reckoned that the XLCR was essentially "about style and image more than any other machine on the market" and there can be little doubt that turning up on one of these today would get you more attention than any modern sports bike. Only some 3,000-or-so were made and today the rare and stylish XLCR is highly prized by collectors.
This superb example is to original and unmodified specification and has to be one of the very best currently available. Professionally maintained by Warr's Harley-Davidson, the machine has only covered an indicated 7,181 miles and was last run during the winter of 2021. Offered with a V5C document, it represents a rare opportunity to acquire a beautiful example of Harley-Davidson's iconic XLCR Café Racer.
Offered with key
Footnotes
All lots are sold 'as is/where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding
Additional information
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