Description
This motorcycle is Lot 25 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Spring Stafford Sale (The International Classic MotorCycle Show) on April 25th & 26th, please see the Bonhams Motorcycles Website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 1 - 94 are to be sold from 14:30 on Saturday 25th April 2026.
Lots 201 - 353 are to be sold from 11:30am on Sunday 26th April 2026.
Public Viewing:
Available 25th & 26th April 2026 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Staffordshire County Showground (The International Classic MotorCycle Show).
The Connoisseurs Collection, Part II
** c. 1978 Harley-Davidson 998cc XLCR Café Racer**
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. * 7F24144H8*
Engine no. * 7F24144H8*
** The Lot is from outside the UK. Shippio Ltd must automatically uplift this Lot after the auction, complete all post sale import or export customs administration, and store this Lot until it is customs cleared. A compulsory fee of £350 + VAT will be added to the buyer's invoice for this. This Lot cannot be collected from the auction venue by the purchaser or any alternative transporter.
If the Lot is to stay in the UK or is not exported within 90 days of sale, Import VAT at 5% on the hammer price is payable.**
"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 matte 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 example was purchased by our vendor from a United States auction in September 2001 (copy purchase paperwork on file). Nothing else is known of the history of this XLCR, which currently displays a total of 8, 728 miles on the odometer.
Offered unregistered and without documents aside from the 2001 copy purchase paperwork. Following a period of inactivity, this motorcycle will require recommissioning and/ or restoration to a greater or lesser extent before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this motorcycle's completeness, history, authenticity, originality and mechanical condition prior to bidding.
Offered with key
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. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
