1977 XLCR CAFE RACER

The Black Mamba of Cafe Racers

Before “modern” sport bikes such as the 1985 Suzuki GSX-R750 arrived, there were cafe racers. An outgrowth of the “Mods and Rockers” age of wannabe road racers in England, they got their name from The Ace Cafe near London, a hangout for fast two-wheelers. Here in America, private builders wanted cafe racers of their own. To get there, sometimes they bought Dunstall kits, complete machines from Norton or Ducati, or devised their own, using parts from Webco or other resources. It was still a DIY society. Then, using its 997cc Sportster as a basis, Harley-Davidson created the outrageous XLCR Cafe Racer from 1977-79. Painted and coated black through and through, it was, as George Thorogood sang, “Bad to the bone.” On the right road in the right hands, it was also a formidable sporting weapon.