Like other Harleys in the 1998 lineup, the 1998 Harley-Davidson XL-1200C Sportster motorcycle could be ordered with special paint and trim celebrating company's 95th anniversary.
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The Sportster's V-twin had remained virtually unchanged until 1986. At that time, it was updated with aluminum heads and cylinders along with hydraulic lifters, improvements that earned it the same "Evolution" title as its Big Twin brothers.
At first offered in 883- and 1100-cc versions (the former with the same displacement as the original Sportster in 1957), the larger engine grew to 1200 cc in 1988 -- the same 74 cubic inches of the pre-1978 overhead-valve Big Twins.
By 1998, the Sportster line included standard models along with Sport and Custom variations, the latter graced with 16-inch slotted cast rear wheel and 21-inch spoked front wheel.
As seem on this 1998 Harley-Davidson XL-1200C Sportster motorcycle, the Custom also eschewed the Sportster's traditional "eyebrow" headlight cover, wearing instead a simple chrome "bucket" headlight.
Available only in 1200-cc form for 1998 (an 883 would appear later), the Sportster Custom was among the models that could be ordered with Harley-Davidson's special 95th anniversary trim package that year.
And like all the other anniversary models, it has since become a prized collector's item.
Go to the next page to see more pictures of the 1998 Harley-Davidson XL-1200C Sportster motorcycle.
For more great motorcycle articles and pictures, check out:
- Classic Motorcycles
- How Motorcycles Work
- Harley-Davidson Motorcycles
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