Harley-Davidson XLCH 1000 Sportster
Harley-Davidson Sportster 1000 | |
Manufacturer | |
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Also called | XLCH 1000-Sportster, XLH1000 Sportster, XLH 1000 Sportster, XLCH 1000 Sportster |
Production | 1972 |
Engine | Four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder. |
Compression ratio | 9.0:1 |
Top Speed | 9 Liters / 2.3 US gal |
Ignition | Electronic |
Transmission | 4 Speed |
Frame | Steel, Double cradle frame |
Suspension | Front: Telescopic forks, 175mm wheel travel Rear: Swing arm, 100mm wheel travel |
Brakes | Front: Drum, 292mm disc from optional Rear: Drum |
Front Tire | 90/ 90-R19 |
Rear Tire | 100 90-R18 |
Weight | 235 kg / 518 lbs (dry), |
Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 9 Liters / 2.3 US gal.
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder.. The engine featured a 9.0:1 compression ratio.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the Wet, multiple discs, cable operated.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 90/ 90-R19 front tire and a 100 90-R18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Drum, 292mm disc from optional in the front and a Drum in the rear. The front suspension was a Telescopic forks, 175mm wheel travel while the rear was equipped with a Swing arm, 100mm wheel travel. The bike weighed just 235 kg / 518 lbs.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Harley Davidson
XLCH 1000 Sportster
Road Test Cycle Guide 1972
Back in 1957 Harley-Davidson launched the CH
model commonly referred to as the Sportster. Its displacement then, and until
this year, was 900 cc's. Its reception in '57 (Buddy Holly, I Like Ike, little
T-Birds with the spare on the back and Lew Burdette winning three games in the
Series) certainly was eager and even idolatrous. At least among Harley fans it
was. As one publication in the early 60's noted, "On the motorway one could
drive one handed in the 90's while nonchalantly blowing one's nose with the
other sitting bolt upright while the opposition were spread-eagled all over
their bikes." While we don't admit to being aficionados of nonchalant nose
blowing, whether on or off a moving Harley, such statements do give a picture of
the praise and applause heaped upon this forebear of the current Sportster. How
about "its shattering acceleration almost beggars belief or -take a fistful of
throttle at 90 and the acceleration hits you in the backtake another fistful at
110 and there's still more to come.- Uh huh.
This only serves to illustrate the tremendous
goodwill that the Milwaukee manufacturer has built up over the years since Mr.
Harley and Messrs. Davidson got together back in 1901. Owner devotion can be
almost maniacal in steadfast faithfulness to the product. This no doubt enabled
H-D to weather the adversities all other American manufacturers could not.
Twenty years ago Harley discontinued production
of their 61-inch model. The Sportster displacement increase to 1000cc's this
year in effect has created a new "61" for Harley. It is a third larger in engine
displacement than the six other machines (all 750's) selected for inclusion in
our comparative analysis of the big bore tourers and street scorchers.
Its styling, deceptively slim yet simultaneously
massive, lends much credence to the suggestion of labeling the Sportster the
ultimate muscle machine. It is distinctively masculine. Its tank, seat,
handlebars and pipes make it readily noticeable and identifiable. The
buckhorn-shaped bars are higher than those on other bikes (with the exception of
the '73 Trident). The adjustment to the vertically canted hand grips for a rider
new to the Harley presents no problem at all. There's not much you can say about
the eye appeal of the Sportster gas tank that hasn't already been waxed prosaic.
It is the stock tank for customizing and jumping off point for ultra-stylistic
one-of-a-kind designers. The tank's aesthetic requirements limit capacity to two
and a quarter gallons. Capacities of other bikes range from Suzuki's and Honda's
4.5 gallons to the Norton's 2 3/4 gallons. The cobra styled seat is another only
one of its kind treat for the eyes if not the posterior. The lightly padded seat
is poor for long distance riding and highly unsuitable for two up motoring. A
passenger, even a slim female type, can just fairly fit on with no room to spare
at all. But it sure does look good sloping along the contour of the bike
permitting the rider to sit in rather than on his mount. Another visual point of
distinctive manner is the routing of both exhaust pipes along the right side of
the bike. While some other machines may have two pipes on one side, they do have
at least one offsetting or two balancing pipes on the other side. Whatever
styling pleasure may be lent the viewer is offset by the rapid and extensive
discoloration of the "California special"' pipe fitted to meet the state's tough
exhaust noise requirements. We don't know if this discoloration is as pronounced
on pipes used on out of state machines.
Harleys have been around for a long time. They
are the basic (in fact only) American tourers available. Longevity implants
preconceived concepts in the mind of the public. This public consciousness is a
desired trait but can be a handicap when an unfavorable image has developed in
one or more areas. If improvements are made, those inside the industry may be
aware of them, but it often takes longer for word of mouth to circulate and
penetrate the psychological barriers built by bad words. The Sportster has an
image as a big brutish powerhouse that costs a lot, doesn't have the greatest
handling in the world, and minimal inclination toward stopping without literally
throwing out the anchor. The opportunity to compare seven different machines in
the span of one day verified the validity of some of these preconceptions and
altered our views regarding others.
First, it is not so big and heavy after all. We
received the kickstarting version of the Sportster, which weighed in at 475 lbs.
fully fueled. Although we had already tested the electric starter model, which
hit the scales for 525 lbs. dry, we suspect acceleration and handling
considerations prompted the distributor to supply the lighter version. At 4 75
lbs. the Sportster was lighter than the Trident, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki. The
electric starter model probably would have just edged out the water-cooled
Oriental as heaviest bike.
It is true the H-D costs more than any other
comparable bike. It is also true the brakes aren't too hot. Harley brake
performance was just opposite of that of the binders on the Norton. The H-D was
very easy to control during the panic stop. It just didn't seem all that
concerned about the urgency of the situation and took its own time. Full
stopping power of the English twin couldn't be utilized since it made the bike
very tricky to keep straight.
The non-electric Sportster turned in a 13.35
quarter mile acceleration performance and broke a ton with .44 mph to spare.
This slotted the Harley in 4th place for the quarter. Since the 1000cc machine
had all others by a third again as much size in engine displacement and ranked
as third lightest machine, it is easy to understand why the stock Sportster
doesn't have a real hot stoplight steeplechase reputation. The Sportster was the
easiest bike off the line at Orange County International Raceway without a
doubt. Starting procedure was merely to wind it up and dump the clutch with a
smooth powerful take off unmarred by loss of rear end traction or front wheel
rear up. The Harley was seven tenths of a second slower than the Kawasaki, which
while it was the quickest, was also the trickiest to handle during the quarter
mile testing.
The power range of the Sportster is all that
could be asked for. In most instances the pilot just dials in more without
having to change gears. The torque produces low end tractor-like power from
little, more than idle up to 5500 or six grand. This power, coupled with the low
center of gravity profile of the big V-twin, makes it quite stable at low
speeds. It certainly is an unusual experience to be tooling around town at no
more than two grand without the slightest hint of bogging down.
Top speed indicated on the speedometer was 110
mph. While the Harley's speedo was quite accurate at 60 mph (it understated true
speed by an average of only 1.4%), it was close to 8% off at 80 mph. Actual
speed was again understated with the Sportster measured electronically at an
average actual speed of 86 mph. Only the Norton was as accurate at 60 mph, being
not quite 1.5% optimistic. The Norton, however, maintained its credibility at 80
also and was less than 1.2% off actual speed.
The handling performance of the Sportster
surprised us. High speed roadability drew a rating of good with minimal effort
necessary through the curves and esses of the racing course. There was no
unexpected clearance problem leaning into the turns, and the riding position was
quite satisfactory. The absence of a return spring on the throttle did
necessitate extra concentration during high speed cornering. The forks and
shocks produce only fair suspension. Rear shocks are not adjustable. We noted no
change with a passenger perched over the rear fender. We didn't expect the H-D
to handle like a road racer, and it didn't. It does an admirable job for what it
was designed to do. It is very stable and confidence inspiring.
Harley's new 61, while massively impressive in
profile, is easily the slimmest looking super bike because of the 45 degree
placement of the vertically twin cylinders. The offbeat rhythm of the cylinder
firings give the Sportster a very distinctive sound, an urgency of power greater
than normal equally spaced power pulses. The pulses occur at 405 and then 315
degrees for every two revolutions, giving something like a "'shuffle blues
beat to the big thumper.
There is nothing to fault on the operation of the
four-speed gear box, shift lever or the clutch. The H-D has so much torque that
the rider doesn't have to be at all fussy about gear selection. Neutral is easy
to find at red lights, and the clutch can be engaged with minimal hand pressure
on the hand lever.
The Sportster requires five or six good healthy
kicks to get it going cold. It warmed up within two minutes, and generally one
kick when hot was all that was necessary. If you get tired of kicking, an
electric starter model is available. There were no noticeable traces of leakage
and no problem regarding the chain. Throttle response was without delay and
fairly smooth. The absence of a return spring on the throttle may be convenience
for touring but safety-wise it is a detriment since letting off on the right
hand grip or removing the hand does not reduce the throttle setting. One other
safety consideration is the front headlight. It could be much brighter. There
are no turn signals and no kill switch.
The engine was surprisingly quiet considering its
size. Other than a good clunk when shifting from 3rd to 4th we noticed nothing
out of the ordinary acoustically. As the red line is reached (7000), the engine
does sound noticeably different as though things are starting to float.
We were quite surprised over Harley's much
publicized hassle regarding noise after listening to their biggie and then some
of the other bikes. Our test machine had the special California pipe installed
to satisfy the strict decibel meter reading law enforced by the Golden State.
The Harley representative claimed that this was the very same bike that squeaked
through at the maximum allowable Db(A) reading of 88. To our ears it produced a
subdued, almost mellow note and even when wicked up during the decibel meter
testing procedure didn't seem offensive. By both "seat of the pants" reckoning
and our Db meter is was quieter than several of the machines. Honda edged out
Yamaha and Suzuki as the quietest.
As could be expected, the irregular firing
sequence that produces that thumpety-thump sound does contribute to additional
vibration which is felt in all rider contact pointsthe handlebars, seat and
footpegs. But considering that we didn't expect the Sportster to be a real
smoothy, it surprised us a bit. We would not rate the vibration as excessive
considering the machine for what it is.
We discovered that the Sportster's dubious
braking reputation is justifiably deserved. In previous testing we didn't fault
performance for around town driving but noted marginal capabilities at freeway
speeds or higher. In the 35 to 0 panic stop braking test the H-D barely avoided
bottom rung on the ladder just edging the Suzuki, which is some 60 pounds
heavier than the Milwaukee twin. The two traded places for the freeway speed
panic stop from 65. These two bikes were the only tested that were not equipped
with front disc brakes. Optional disc brakes will be available with the '73
model. The back binder actually was judged better than the front, which is not
all that exciting when you consider the old 30 to 70 braking ratio. After the
first panic stop there was considerable drop in performance. All bikes, tested
dropped off after the first 65 mph panic stop but not as noticeably as the
Harley. The Sportster wasn't difficult to halt to a stop. There was no rear end
hop or front end nose diving or rear end coming around probably because there
just wasn't enough stopping power there to activate such reacting.
The Harley has long had a reputation genuinely
earned as being nearly tank like regarding its indestructability. It is a
durable package. It pulls like a tractor and endures like an armored military
vehicle. It is readily accessible as far as performing maintenance, and we deem
it quite suitable for the purpose it was designed to fulfill.
Priced at $2,120 (suggested retail), Los Angeles,
it is a big bundle justifying a large outlay. As long as the public keeps
demanding this last American produced, high speed performance machine, why
should or even, how can, the price come down faced with current economic
conditions? The cheapest bike in the comparison test was the Kawasaki at $1,386.
An often little considered item by many purchasers is resale value. A long
existing demand for Milwaukee's finest keeps second sale pricing of these units
at a premium.
In a way, at least to a certain portion of the
populace, the grandiose and massive image of the Harley is as American as the
proverbial apple pie or Mom and the flag. It certainly is at least second
echelon behind this celebrated trio. Viewing the current demand for the big road
burner, prodigious parent of the chopper, it appears it will be with us as long
as those persistent old standbysdeath and taxes.
Source Cycle Guide 1972
Make Model | Harley Davidson XLCH 1000 Sportster |
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Year | 1972 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder. |
Displacement | 997 cc / 60.8 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 81 x 96.8 mm |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Compression | 9.0:1 |
Lubrication | Dry sump |
Induction | 38mm Keihin carburetor |
Ignition | Electronic |
Starting | Kick & Electric optional |
Max Power | 57 hp / 41.6 kW @ 6200 rpm |
Max Torque | 60 lb ft / 81 Nm @ 3500 rpm |
Clutch | Wet, multiple discs, cable operated |
Transmission | 4 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Frame | Steel, Double cradle frame |
Front Suspension | Telescopic forks, 175mm wheel travel |
Rear Suspension | Swing arm, 100mm wheel travel |
Front Brakes | Drum, 292mm disc from optional |
Rear Brakes | Drum |
Front Tire | 90/ 90-R19 |
Rear Tire | 100 90-R18 |
Dry Weight | 235 kg / 518 lbs |
Top Speed | 9 Liters / 2.3 US gal |