“Whatever you do, don’t call it pink.” That’s the well-meaning advice Rachel offers newcomers to our shop who find themselves entranced by John’s 1968 Harley-Davidson® Sportster 900 XLCH. The “CH” stands for “Competition Hot” and thereby informs you that it does not have a battery. The official paint code is “Hi-Fi Sparkling Burgundy”, but to the naked eye it can come across undeniably…pink. Calling it such can earn you a side glance and a stifled grumble from John, so don’t say we didn’t warn you. He purchased it in 1972 as a project bike for only $600. Having found its 3rd owner in its mere 4th year in existence, the bike had tales to tell and consequentially was acquired by John in pieces, as shown in the photographs below.
The previous owner stated that he had been riding by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium when he shifted into 4th gear and the transmission effectively exploded and shot out the bottom of the engine case. John sent the engine cases to Trock’s Cycle Specialties to be repaired, as Trock’s had purchased jigs from Harley-Davidson for the Sportster motor. This allowed them to restore the cases back to factory specifications and was why John selected that particular shop for the job. To prevent warping, they welded the cases in a tank underwater. Once the cases were repaired and returned, he reassembled the motorcycle.
Since that time, John and his faithful Sportster have had countless adventures together, spanning much of the United States as reflected in the blacked out states on the map above. In fact, John proudly touts the fact that he has ridden his XL in 38 different states as well as a good portion of Canada.
The majority of these travels took place in just a short six month period of John’s life. He’d previously been employed by Murfin Corporation in Columbus, OH as their Quality Control Manager. He eventually parted ways with the company but was given a 6 month severance package. This gave a very young John the financial freedom to quench his thirst for travel.
If you’ve ever mistakenly thought it were in the front of the shop to be listed for sale and inquired about the price, you may have been stunned by the response. John can often be heard reciting a staggering asking price of $457,000. Yep- you’ve read that right. That is the intangible (and also incredibly unlikely to receive) sentimental value that he places on the adventures and subsequent memories he’s had on this bike. Needless to say, he’s not in the market to sell it any time soon.
While the Sportster sat untouched for a number of recent years, we’re happy to report that, with the encouragement of a good friend, John recently installed pistons and a carburetor and got it back on the road just in time for his 66th birthday!
