harleyKmodel

Is there ad artwork for the 1958 XLCH?

Thanks,

Mark

motormark wrote:Is there ad artwork for the 1958 XLCH? Mark

The 1958 XLCH (and XLC) were not offered to the public (as far as I know. DaveC - any input?), so there wouldn't be advertising material for them. There may be some photos from desert racing events out there, but I've never seen any.

The Literature section of this website has most of the factory literature - dealer pamphlets, brochures, other public advertising - arranged year by year - to make it easy to find. Special factory-to-dealer kinds of things are in their own sections there. If you have literature, or see some on an auction site, that should go in this section, let me know, and I'll do my best to include it in the proper place.

The Cut and Mat Books are pretty rare - only a handful will show up on eBay each year, and that includes the 1930s and 1940s. I bid on any of the K/Sporty ones I see, and I've won the ones you see in the Literature section. I have been outbid (by stupid money) only for a couple of them.

hennesse wrote:

motormark wrote:Is there ad artwork for the 1958 XLCH? Mark

The 1958 XLCH (and XLC) were not offered to the public (as far as I know. DaveC - any input?), so there wouldn't be advertising material for them. There may be some photos from desert racing events out there, but I've never seen any.

Dave, what do you mean by this? A friend of a friend bought one brand new from the dealership.

Dave: The 1958 XLCH (and XLC) were not offered to the public (as far as I know. DaveC - any input?), so there wouldn't be advertising material for them. There may be some photos from desert racing events out there, but I've never seen any.

Yep, never advertised!!!

Here they are, Motormark...

https://web.archive.org/web/20120206180603/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/1958-xlc-recto.jpg

https://web.archive.org/web/20120206180659/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/1958-xlch-verso.jpg

https://web.archive.org/web/20120206180726/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/1958-xlc-leaflet-hds.jpg

https://web.archive.org/web/20120206180754/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/1958-c-ch-s.jpg

https://web.archive.org/web/20071218132548/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/1958_xlc_xlch.htm

Patrick

Good stuff !

Thanks Patrick

Early XLC photo at Kennedy's shop:



Front bike is obviously a 1959 CH, but the back one is a 1958 XLC/XLCH: No eyebrow and fancy aftermarket headlight, straight through pipes and racing front fender, cut just below the bottom stay.

Patrick

Patrick,

Thanks for the literature and that 59 and 58 XLCH photo. I've never seen the literature before, or the photo, of course.

Why do you figure they made so many "race" versions of what is basically a Sportster; the C, CH and XLR (not a Sportster, I know). You would never see that sort of optioning/versioning from a manufacturer today, except maybe Porsche for their cars.

Thanks for the Hendricks quote. I have always enjoyed, "Turn that damned thing down!" And quote it often.

Mark

No probs, Mark...

This 1967 extract's probably the best one for me, sums up nicely where we are today!!!

""I have lived here before the days of ice
And of course this is why I'm so concerned
And I come back to find the stars misplaced
And the smell of a world that has burned
A smell of the world that has burned"""

Patrick

As the story goes the 58 CH was produced at the request of several California dealers for off road use. Many 57 XL’s were modified for off road desert use in southern California. The late Mike Slemmon had photos of several of those bikes. I have actually seen two 57 XLC’s that were stripped down bikes but I have yet to see any factory records of these bikes being produced. Over the years, I spoke with old time dealers such as Andy Veronin (HD of Santa Monica) and Armendo Magri (HD of Sacramento) among others. They claim that they and other dealers committed to buy 200 of the off road Sportsters, hence the 58 XLCH. I believe that 200 came to California and the remaining 39 were sold in the rest of the 48 states. One of mine was sold to a factory employee and I am the third owner.

http://harleykmodel.com/gallery/oskrg/2 ... index.html

The only factory photo I have seen is attached and was in the HD archive book, along with my Buell RR1000.

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These 2 Pohlman 1958 XLC/XLCH factory photos (filed on Sept 25th 1957) are also known and have been on my site for the best part of 15 years...

https://web.archive.org/web/20071216184444/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/0p%201958%20xlch%20left.jpg

https://web.archive.org/web/20071216184617/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/0p%201958%20xlc%20right.jpg

Close inspection show them to be the modified XLR-TT prototype (photos filed a month earlier, Aug 28th 1957), but still, they were the ones used in the adverts I've shown above...

https://web.archive.org/web/20071215035705/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/0p%201958%20xlr%20left.jpg

https://web.archive.org/web/20071215035533/http://www.harleykrxlrtt.com/images/0p%201958%20xlr%20right.jpg

All the best from Patrick