Harley-Davidson XLCH Sportster

Years produced: 1958-74
Total production: 4,900 (XLCH, 1968)
Claimed power: 50hp @ 6,300rpm
Top speed: 120mph
Engine type: 900cc (55ci) overhead valve, air-cooled 45-degree V-twin
Weight (wet): 205kg (452lbs)
Price then: $1,600
Price now: $4,900-$11,000
MPG: 40-50mpg (est.)

When Carl Fronk returned from his tour of duty in Vietnam in June 1968, the first thing on his mind wasn’t finding a job — it was finding a new Sportster.

"I walked into Chico’s Harley-Davidson in Trenton, N.J., which was right over the bridge from where I lived. I tried to cut a deal, but he wasn’t having any of it. But then he pointed to this XLCH and said I could have that for $25 off list price because nobody wanted an ugly green Sportster.

"It didn’t matter to me what color the bike was because I was going to take it home and paint it anyway," says Carl. A week later, he was riding around on his shiny new black Sportster.

When Carl shipped out to Vietnam, he left behind a 1961 XLCH Sportster that he’d bought in 1963 with 900 miles on the clock, and used every day to ride to school. And two or three times a week, he’d have a blast at the local drags. He was 16 when he bought it, and Carl rode his Sportster until the day he got on the bus to boot camp at age 18. No wonder he dreamed about owning another Harley every day he was in Vietnam, and couldn’t wait to get his hands on a new one when he got back home 21 long months later — even if it turned out to be the ugly green one.

Blast from the past
It’s funny how things work out. A number of years back, Carl advertised for race bike parts in a motorcycle magazine. "I got a call from a fellow in Chattanooga, Tenn., and after finding out about the race parts, I asked him what else he had. That’s when he told me about this green, original paint 1968 Sportster. I told him, ‘jeez, I’d really like to buy that motorcycle,’ but he was an unwilling participant in the transaction."

Carl telephoned the owner two or three times a year, and then in 1999, 17 years later, he got a call back. "He was a crusty old guy," Carl says. "He said that his son was going to graduate school, and as he hadn’t done anything to help him through four years of college, he wanted to buy him a car. The green Sportster was for sale — but only if I bought all the other Sportster parts he had with it.