Extremely Rare 1959 XLCA
Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 9:36 pm
Here is a photo of the extremely rare - probably one of a kind - 1959 XLCA. Building on the success of the limited production not-street-legal 1958 XLC and XLCH, Harley followed up with another limited production not-street-legal bike. The XLCA was designed for longer California desert races, such as the Three Flags, and used the large capacity gasoline tank. A special racing frame eliminated the need for rear fender struts, so the frame horns where the struts would be attached were shortened. An ingenious method of supporting the rear fender was employed, but is hidden by the shocks in this photo. The primary cover was shaved to eliminate the "Sportster" wording, and has a very rough-cast finish. The gearcase cover on the other side has a similar shaved and rough-cast appearance. Although the bike otherwise appears like a stock 1959 XLH, we suspect hot cams, high-compression pistons, and big valves were inside. Little else is known about this bike, except the meaning of XLCA, which stands for Competition April, as the bike was released on the first day of April, 1959.