Almost from the model's debut, riders wanted higher performance and meaner looks for the XL Sportsters. Milwaukee quickly obliged, offering the XLCH in 1958, legend insisting that the last two letters in the model name stood for "Competition Hot." Delivered as an off-road scrambler with bobbed rear fender and the peanut gas tank borrowed from the 125cc Hummer, the CH was a good 40 pounds lighter than the road model. All XLs got bigger valves and more horsepower that year, but the CH's power-to-weight ratio was superior. Overnight the scramblers sprouted lights, giving riders one of the hottest bikes on the street.

By 1962 lights had become standard equipment, the headlamp with its now-iconic "eyebrow" mount. The Pierce collection's '62 XLCH is fitted with the optional high-rise exhaust system, a nod to the model's scrambler roots.