| Author |
Message |
    
5liter
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 11:47 am: | 
|
Maybe we need a sign:
|
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 01:25 pm: |
|
Well, in my case the turn is somewhat related. I came within a gnat's arse of buying a new 1978 XLCR, but instead I bought a 1978 Buick Regal turbo... |
Jayvee
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 01:52 pm: |
|
OOH baby, in 1978 I sat on (they wouldn't let me test drive it) a running, used, XLCR at I think a Kawasaki dealer, and I even filled out the loan paperwork to buy it for $4,000. They called me 3 days later to tell me I was approved for the loan, "come pick it up." I was a broke college student then, and I chickened out, didn't think I could make the payments, maybe a bit scared to own a Harley. Didn't buy it. One of the few regrets of my life.
Thankfully, my M2 is better in every performance way, but still just not as "cool" somehow. |
Djkaplan
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 02:32 pm: |
|
I never got close to buying an XLCR, but that was the bike that made me want a booming Harley powered cafe racer. I was only a kid back then, but the only motorcycles that appealed to me were cafe bikes. The Moto Guzzi LeMans, Ducati 900SS, Laverda Jota and the John Player Norton were the most sporting motorcycles of the period, with rearsets and low bars right from the factory. They were the bikes I daydreamed about in study hall when I should have been paying attention to the girls (and studying). When that XLCR came out in 1977, I was already primed and ready for it. I was never a Harley fan (at all), but something about putting a Sportster engine in a more sporting chassis really appealed to me. I still have every magazine that tested The XLCR, but I never actually ever saw one in person.
When I saw the first Buell BattleTwin in Cycle magazine in the mid 80's, I thought it was the natural progression of what the XLCR would have evolved to had it stayed in production. At the time, Buells were rare exotica and the price reflected it. Ownership was absolutely out of the question for anyone beyond someone with way too much expendable cash... certainly not me.
Much to my astonishment, Buell prices started falling to mortal levels in the late 90's and I found myself in a position where I could actually consider buying one. I waited a long time to get my booming Cafe Racer. A real long time... 23 years to be exact.
I finally got to see an XLCR at the Barber Motorsports Museum. Now I'm in my 40's, but when I saw that black beauty up on that pedestal... I felt like that 15 year old kid again. Everytime I get on my Buell, I think of that beautiful Cafe Racer. It may have been a sales failure, but it planted a seed in 15 a year old kid that ultimately came to fruition as a Buell owner.
Thanks Wille G. Thanks Erik. I get to be 15 forever now. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 02:33 pm: |
|
Yea, the local Harley dealer here (Charleston, SC) had 3 unsold 1978 XLCR's left after the 1979 models had come out. Two were unrun and one had been ridden some and modded with drag pipes. IIRC they were asking $3500 for each of them. I had had an XLCR poster up in my room at college for months.
I came SO close to buying one, but I thought that was too much bike for me to start out on and somehow didn't get around to buying a two-wheeled vehicle for another ~24 years.... |
Aldaytona
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 02:59 pm: |
|
HEY, rode my Sportster for RIDE TO WORK day, wearing my BUELL helmet, and bought a bag of CHEETOS for lunch.
Life doesn't get much better than that. |
Djkaplan
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 03:03 pm: |
|
No okra? |
Aldaytona
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 03:29 pm: |
|
Had Okra and Sam Adams when I got home, gotta save the best for last. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 05:30 pm: |
|
The discriminating beer drinker wants to know: which Sam Adams is appropriate with okra? |
Paint_shaker
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 06:09 pm: |
|
When I mentioned about buying a sporty to a friend of mine today, he called it a girlie bike... That is the thinking of today's "macho" bigger bike riders.
Me, I like the late 80's- mid 90's 883 with the peanut tank. Seen a few converted to a cafe style that looked freaking sweet!!! |
Tom_b
| | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 07:27 pm: |
|
Sporty, doesn't the name say it? A sporty or at least decent handling harley that doesn't handle like a pig. I'd take one over a geezer glide fat boy or whatever harley calls em these days. girlie bike? i think not and i'm not even a big fan of them |
Aesquire
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 12:04 am: |
|
I remember when it was the Sportster & the Triumph, and the new Honda's were 305's.
I didn't get to ride one until the Evo's were out, & hit an oils slick on the test ride, and the bike was good enough to save me. I take no credit. I stupidly passed a deal on a XR1000, and am still kicking myself.
I remember thinking anyone who can tour on a Sportster gets my admiration ( for numb nerve ends ). |
Wile_ecoyote
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 12:25 am: |
|
Never met a "discriminating" beer drinker. I thought it might be a myth or urban legend. |
Rick_a
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 01:19 am: |
|
Yeah, the days of air-cooled bikes being king are long gone, but I still like 'em best. I've always wanted to build a Sporty Cafe racer...someday...
 |
Djkaplan
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 09:39 am: |
|
Oh, hell yeah, Rick!
You got details? |
Rick_a
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 11:15 am: |
|
It's a bike a friend of one of the guys on supermotojunkieis building. From what I can tell I believe those are Magura 1" clip-ons, Crossroads rearsets and fork brace, Storz tank and steering damper, Airtech vintage tailsection, chain drive conversion, looks like a 150 rear tire, and who knows what else. |
Cityxslicker
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 02:44 pm: |
|
Always been a sucker for the classic look of the original . Heres my retro 57 rendition, its 2005 XL883R
|
Tom_b
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 06:55 pm: |
|
cool rick! give me one of those a 70 stage 1 gs and i'm set. transpo wise anyway |
Diablobrian
| | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 07:49 pm: |
|
I like the nightster version of the sportster, especially the black and orange version or the flat black one. |
Natexlh1000
| | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 03:23 am: |
|
Recently, I saw a nightster with olive drab/black paint.
Sounds awful but looked great!
....
(steals picture from H-D page)
....
|
Rich
| | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 06:12 am: |
|
My old sportster
 |
Firebolt020283
| | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 06:34 am: |
|
rich that was my dream bike as a kid. I had a huge poster of one of those on my wall in my room. Ironicly next to it was a poster of a buell rr1200 (i think though it might have been a 1000) |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 06:39 am: |
|
Rich,
Is that a cafe'd XR1000, or an XLCR with XR1000 heads? Sweet!!!
I think the Nightster's pretty cool, but it'd be cooler with an 18" back wheel. |
Firebolt020283
| | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 06:46 am: |
|
i thought that a certian amount of xr1000s came with the cafe body work. |
Firebolt020283
| | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 06:50 am: |
|
never mind i was wrong. |
Dave
| | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2007 - 08:35 am: |
|
I've been fortunate to ride a couple girl's HD products
XLCR - My Dad's but I'd exercise it - around 1980
My 1984 XR1000 in Alaska - about 1992
DAve |
|
