THE ELMER ZASTROW COLLECTION “Competition hot!” That is the meaning behind the CH in Harley-Davidson’s model XLCH, which debuted in 1958. Peppy and relatively light with an aggressive throttle, the XLCH, including this gorgeous HiFi Blue 1961 Harley-Davidson Sportster, proved to be precisely what riders in the early 1960s were looking for. The Motor Company had fared well in the American motorcycle market by sticking to its guns, building the hefty V-twin touring motorcycles for decades. Since the 1920s, the brand had positioned itself perfectly as a lifestyle in and of itself, aligning its name and motorcycles with the very concept of motorcycling. Still, despite having outlived Indian motorcycles, Harley-Davidson’s main rivals since the beginning, by the 1960s, it found itself up against a flood of fresh, modern and exciting imports from England and Japan. Innovation was desperately needed in Milwaukee, leading the storied brand to develop a sportier version of its aging 45 CI (750cc) middleweight flathead. The result was the K series, a new breed of a unit- construction side-valve “forty-five,” which debuted in 1952. However, the K proved to be just a stepping stone, as in 1957, the Motor Company released the XL Sportster, a 54 CI (883cc) overhead-valve twin built in a similar unit-construction style. The following year, the XLCH became the Sportster’s experimental sophomore effort, initially configured as a lightweight scrambler and testbed for performance-minded enthusiasts. What the British bikes did well was off-road riding and racing, and the taller, lighter, faster “competition hot” XLCH was intended to excel in the same genre. However, once street riders discovered the raw, torque-heavy nature of the XLCH, it quickly became the darling of the culture. The XLCH was an instant hit with its lean, muscular style, thanks to its bobbed fenders and peanut gas tank that defined the model family for decades and remains a signature of the Harley-Davidson’s Sportster lineup. Coming from the Elmer Zastrow Collection, this gorgeous HiFi Blue 1961 XLCH Sportster features a 54 CI (883cc) OHV V-twin and a 4-speed, foot-shifted gearbox. A standout example from an iconic model, this XLCH, with its high-performance, lightweight design helped lay the foundation for the enduring popularity of the Sportster line. NO RESERVE T127 1961 HARLEY-DAVIDSON XLCH SPORTSTER
