Harley Davidson Cafe Racer?

Griff5268

Griff5268

Been Around the Block
HD cafe.. I see this hit on so much around here but never directly discussed. Seems like HD and Cafe, or Ton are bad words.. I saw this at the Atlanta Ride for Kids last weekend (Neal Boortz in the background to those who know who he is, he was our Grand Marshall). In all honesty I never knew Harley got into the cafe styling. Another member posted an old HD cafe in another thread and it got me thinking.. What happened? Did the idea never get to the showroom? I absolutely love the look of the older HD cafe posted by the other member..But I can't stand the way Harley guys look at me at red lights..Amazing how getting on a Harley makes guys forget what makes us different from the 4 wheelers..What do y'all think about HD cafe's? I love the look of the one below, Not sure of the model. But if it weren't for the tag that goes with it.. I would have already prob gotten myself in debt I dont need for a gutted Iron 883, or Nightster. I love the flat black Harley line they came out with recently and those bikes look bad azz once you take all the reflectors, plastics, throw some bars on.. Lot's of options. I like the old small bobber/chopper look as well as the cafe's. Hell I see Harley riders trash talk anyone with an 883 (sportsters) like it's only made for women. I just don't get Harley riders!!!!!!!!! Ok..Forgive me.. I feel better now that I've gotten this Harley beef off my chest.. Maybe thats why the name Harley Cafe even sounds oxymoronic.. Yeah, thats a word. I'm off my soapbox now.
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Griff, that's an XR1200-a newish (past couple of years-orange was available through '09, I think) model that's supposed to look like the XR750, which is/was the classic Harley flat track bike starting back in the '70s. The XR1200 looks like a fun bike-I followed a guy on one for a while the other day, and found myself thinking "now, there's a modern Harley I'd like to ride".

Harley-Davidson made what was practically a factory cafe racer in the late '70s, called the XLCR and based on the Ironhead sportster (I think airtech sells conversion kits to turn your sportster into an XLCR). I really like it-my Suzuki cafe racer may or may not have taken some inspiration from it.

xlcr-1977.jpg
 
You asked about it in another thread.

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Was ridden by the late Lance Weil in the late 60's in the UK. Everone was riding full fairings at the time, but the race coordinators wanted to showcase the motor so... 883 Sportster in a featherbed frame. A thing of beauty.
 
Why not a harley cafe? If you got back in time you'll see that all sorts of bikes were caffed. A BSA Bantam with clubmans a cafe? A Goldwing cafe? Whay not a Harley. Cafes have become a style like bobbers or choppers so just about anything should be fair game.

P.S. When Lance went to England first his Harley was a Sportster frame complete with cast lugs and cast iron brake shoes. The English magazine described it as "agricultural". But when he beat them "agricultual" became irrelevant.
 
Ty Portnoy!
Forgive me, I'm learning as I go here.. Just learning about the history and phrasing.
 
well as much as the majority here hate harleys but mainly there riders we would be just like them to exclude the possibility of harley cafes becoming a norm. now that is not to say i would EVER give harley as a company credit or the benefit of the doubt that they could pull off such a feet. but if more OWNERS start moving in that direction then i wouldnt mind riding NEXT to one.
 
There has probobly been a "cafe racer" built from any bike a kid could get on the cheap at some point. There are some kick ass HD "cafes" out there.

Some examples I dig...

Harley-16.jpg


I dont care who you are, or what you ride... This is fuckin' righteous (and yes, I know Ive said i dont like Roland Sands in the past. Never said I didnt like his bikes though. ;)):

harley-davidson-xr12-6_460x0w.jpg


Some more real nice examples:

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And of course, maybe my favorite race bred HD ever... The TURNIP EATER! Though its technically a drag bike and LSR bike, all it needs is a little suspension work and a hole cut in that gorgeous fairing for a headlight and its ready to scare and embarrass the sportbike kids in a neighborhood near you.

HD_LeoPayneSportster_600.jpg
 
might i throw in an edit that i dont believe anything buell related counts. those bikes are pretty amazing for a street bike. HD created the stigma of there BRAND and they did to fix it with their BRAND. i feel like they have to realize the younger generation doesnt worship the ground they walk on like it was in the past. unless youre just an asshole from birth i grew up knowing the stigma behind the HD brand and wanted nothing to do with them. i support anything on two wheels but man i cant stand that company. mostly because they are just like GM forcing "americana" down your throat while they source out better labor and better QUALITY from Asian nations. yes im an american so dont ask. just have this argument with my farther all the time
 
biker_reject said:
Why doesn't Buell count???
Click to expand...

I would have thought that was obvious. Buell made a Harley cafe that ACTUALLY worked. How can you slag off something that works?
 
Simply, Erik Buell is a forward thinking and brilliant guy. Cant really be lum0ped in w HD. i personally love Sportsters, but will NEVER buy one new. I wouldnt give "the Factory" a red cent.
 
I was confused by cbdublin's sentence

"might i throw in an edit that i dont believe anything buell related counts. those bikes are pretty amazing for a street bike. HD created the stigma of there BRAND and they did to fix it with their BRAND.

Someone want to explain it to me? The syntax is all weird. I know Buell was supposed to be a stand alone brand, but one can't ignore its connection to H-D. It is but it isn't. Y' know? I argue all the time that Buells are modern day cafe bikes. Besides, I think it's obvious by the cafe scene, that a person with enough vision can turn just about any bike, regardless of make, into a cafe race replica. I don't get the sense that DTT'ers really care! :-)
 
i realize i was on a bit of a rant there. i simply meant that i didnt think HD could pull off cafe's in this era. I do think owners who cafe there HD's themselves are surely worthy of the title "cafe". i believe harley has soiled its own name by being a one trick pony and should not get credit as "forward thinkers" for the work that buell did. Yes they are business partners but if harley wanted to make street bikes why wouldnt they put there name on them. they know that the "image" they created would be ruined because the masses that purchase HD's would turn on the concept of a "crotch rocket" in a second. I again love the way buells look but do not think HD as a brand cared at all about making sport bikes but saw a market for profit and acted upon it. better? im not trying to be "that guy" because i would love to eat my words here. HD stores are around every corner here so if they did actually do something cool it would be nice to have that kind of access rather than us old school lovers always rummaging through junk yards every weekend.
 
I'm on a Buell forum and a guy called me out on putting tiny H-D decals on the fender and seat cowl. He thought E. Buell should get all the credit for creating this cornering monster. I agreed but thought it would be ok to show the connection and acknowledge whatever support the company gave Eric Buell. That said, I agree with your assessment of H-D's failure (or refusal) to change with the times. Even their marketing to younger buyers is steeped with old school mentality, touting the image and only hinting at performance. Still though, I think it's perfectly acceptable to caffeinate a Sporty.
 
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