AllMoto's Motorcycle Investor mag

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Return of the cafe racer

Harley-Davidson concept bike

March 24, 2026, by Guy 'Guido' Allen; Pics via Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson has taken a giant leap back, near enough to 50 years, to re-imagine what a cafe racer might look like.

You would hope that former corporate styling guru Willie G Davidson would approve of this one. Dubbed the RMCR – Revolution Max Cafe Racer – this concept bike has popped out of the company's design workshop.

The basics are it is running the 150hp 1250cc V-twin engine used in the Pan America and Sportster S, with chassis elements from the adventure tourer and other models.

The original Sporster-based XLCR of 1977 marked the third high-profile model Willie G designed for the company and is said to have been a pet project. Some 3134 were produced across 1977-79. Though not highly-regarded as a ride, they are now collectible. See the 1977 Cycle World magazine review.

His first notable exercise was the 1971 FX Super Glide with its distinctive 'boat tail'. See Harley's Willie G profile.

Of course we'd all like to know if something like this will ever reach production. So far, there is no word either way.

Harley-Davidson has been through challenging times in recent years and there seems to have been a revolving door for hopeful CEOs since 2019. Cycle World has a good backgrounder on that issue and the RMCR.

Here are some more pics...