1979 Harley-Davidson XLS - 6-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

Description

1979 Harley-Davidson XLS - 6-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, Vintage Magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
There never has. nor ever will be
again a bike quite like the Sportster. In
its day. it was the performance king of
the road; feared by just about any
rider on a bike not equipped with the
833-cc mill. But as time moved on and
the Japanese multis came about, the
king had no choice but to abdicate the
throne. In terms of sheer speed, that is.
But it was nevertheless born with royal
blood, and it remained a monarch in
its own right, if not on the spec sheets
then in the heart of almost every motor
enthusiast.
This is the twenty-third year of the
XL model, making it older than some
of its owners. And. having nobly en-
dured poor economic times, the super-
bike invasion and other market trends,
this latest Sportster adds yet another
chapter to its regal history. Does it
look familiar but different? You bet.
Shown here is the XLS-Harley-
Davidson’s Sportster version of the
low rider.
We've talked about the XLS in our
December ’78 CB, so it would be
redundant to rave about its 16-inch
rear wheel, or the low-rider seating
position, or the two-inch extended
forks, or the straight handlebars on
three-inch risers matched to the high-
way cruising bars, or the. well, you get
the picture.
Instead, let's just jump in the saddle
and see what it is like to ride Willie
G.’s latest. So get your riding gear, and
let’s go.
Swinging the right leg over the sad-
dle, an experienced Sportster rider
quickly notices that, by golly, that seat
is lower than stock. Not a bunch—one
inch, to be exact—but enough to make
a difference. The seat is also hard, sort
of like those cobra seats equipped on
the XL line about four years ago. The
rear passenger pad is a little softer
than the pilot's chair, but not much.
The price one pays for style.
Grabbing the drag-style bars, the
controls seem to fall right into place.
Everything seems to be styled around
the human body. We’re not certain if
this was planned, or if things just
happened to fit, but we like it. Whereas
the FXS makes the rider crouch for-
ward just a bit. the XLS allows him to
maintain a more or less natural seating
posture...
11919-7902-40
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