The XLCR represented a bold departure for Harley-Davidson when it was unveiled in 1977: a purpose-built sporting motorcycle inspired by the cafe racer culture that had swept Britain and Europe in the preceding decades. Designed by Willie G. Davidson with a cohesive all-black aesthetic, the XLCR featured a bikini fairing, humped single seat, siamesed exhaust, and cast wheels, presenting a dramatically different profile from any previous Harley-Davidson offering. Based on the familiar Sportster platform, its distinctive styling and sporting intent made the XLCR one of the most unusual Harley-Davidsons of its era.

Produced for only a brief period and in relatively limited numbers, the XLCR has since achieved considerable collector status as a singular expression of Harley-Davidson's design ambition. This example has been restored by the Lighthouse Harley-Davidson workshop and presents attractively today, offering an appealing example of this distinctive American cafe racer.