Harley Sportsters - Paying Tribute To A Hot Rod Legend

The Sportster XL was a rudimentary hot rod with a solo seat designed to take on the British imports. To that end, options were sparse and primarily limited to a sport windshield, rear luggage rack, buddy seat, fiberglass saddlebags, and chrome package.

In 1958, XL models shipped with low compression motors, but the new XLCH (CH for Competition Hot) came with larger valves and high-dome 9:1 compression pistons. Simply put, the XLCH was a stripped-down, lightweight Sportster with straight pipes, scanty fenders, no lights, magneto ignition, and a 2.25 gallon "peanut" fuel tank. The Fairbanks-Morse magneto often made kick-starting the Sporty an adventure rather than a routine procedure, partially because a magneto throws a weak spark at low engine rpms and partially because the mag had no provision for setting an ignition advance curve. Early Sportster models required the magneto be set to full advance 100 percent of the time, about 45 degrees BTDC, which frequently caused the engine to kickback unless a hefty and precisely timed effort was placed on the kick starter. A wimpy or hesitated effort, especially with a hopped-up motor and lightweight kicker, often resulted in the kicker being tossed onto the handlebars, or even worse, a sprained ankle. Luckily, XLH owners had a large 6v battery and points system for firing the ignition.

The overall theme of the '58 models was that the street-oriented XLH came adorned with more sheetmetal and accouterments than the off-road and hot rod-based XLCH. To keep mud and road debris off the rider, XLH models had larger, deeper, and more robust fenders than the skimpy bobbed versions embellishing the XLCH. All '58 XLHs shipped with 18-inch wheels and 3.50-section of rubber on both front and back, while the XLCH was shod with 3.25x19 rubber on the front and 4.00x18 on the backside. The headlight on the XLH was chrome and rather large, patterned somewhat after the larger FL-series bikes. In contrast, the XLCH's headlamp was bare bones and usually painted. A robust cast-aluminum primary cover enclosed the triplex primary chain and clutch basket on XLH models, while CHs shipped with a lighter stamped-steel cover. And any CH owner wanting to fend off Triumph Bonnevilles opted for the racy dual-exhaust option.

For 1959, XLHs came fitted with a nacelle-style headlight and dual exhaust. And as the years progressed, Sportster models evolved with more and more improvements. After 1959, the next major milestone year was probably 1965, when the XLH and XLCH were delivered with a 12-volt generator and electrical system. That year, the XLHs used two 6-volt batteries wired in series and didn't get a 12-volt battery until the next year. 1966 also saw the Tillotson diaphragm carburetor and so-called oval "Ham-cam" air cleaner replace the Linkert DC and its traditional round air cleaner assembly. Although developed earlier, "P" cams also became available. In 1967, electric start became an option. A combination of kick- and electric-start options remained in effect until 1980, when all models shipped only with electric start.