Harley-Davidson have dropped pictures of a sweet café racer concept dubbed the RMCR. The name is derived from the initials of Revolution Max, Harley’s latest engine design, and Café Racer. It pays homage to the late ‘70s XLCR, the short-lived XL Sportster based model which has gained a cult following in the intervening years.
Harley says the RMCR is a tribute to designer Willie G. Davidson, grandson of company co-founder William A. Davidson and former design boss. The XLCR was a project close to Willie’s heart, said to be his personal bike of choice, and although it was a relative sales flop (with just over 3000 units reported to have been built between 1977 and 1978, with a handful more in 1979) its unique design has become much loved over time. Today its rarity and distinctive looks make it a highly coveted and collectable classic motorbike.
The XLCR was an evolution of the XL-series Sportster model, with styling cues from the XL750 flat track racers. The Sportster’s fuel tank was restyled, the solo seat was racy, and the distinctive look was topped with cast wheels, a neat bikini fairing and an unusual ‘siamesed’ two-into-two exhaust system which saw the downpipes from the front and rear cylinders conjoin on the right-hand side of the engine block. These features, especially the last two, are all in evidence on the RMCR – although whether we’ll see a production version remains to be seen.
While the XLCR was a failure, there’s nothing to suggest the RMCR wouldn’t be a smash hit if The Motor Company was to stick it in its 2027 brochure. The ‘70s bike flopped because it appealed to neither the Harley faithful, moving too far away from the traditional cruiser design, nor sports bike riders – who expected more performance and better handling from a café racer styled machine.
Harley says that this 2026 concept was a project which set about seeing how far they could push the Revolution Max platform. Constructed using copious amounts of carbon fibre, it showcases the thoroughly modern 1250cc Revolution Max motor, which produces 150bhp in the Pan America adventure bike.
And while the 1970s biker couldn’t get its head around Willie G.’s beloved machine, evocative café racers from heritage brands are very much in vogue right now, with Ducati and Triumph both launching modern interpretations of classic models in recent months. The latest Harley-Davidsons are no longer the agricultural iron horses they were back in the day, and we reckon the iconic American brand is testing public opinion to see if it should put the RMCR into production.
The concept has been teased in social media posts, signed off ‘the feedback line is open’ suggesting that a production version may appear in the future… if potential buyers give it the thumbs up.
