someone please tell me the name of this bike
#15
07-06-2009 | 11:08 PM
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 636
Likes: 330
From: Western Australia
G’day xmikeghostx
If it’s got a genuine Harley-Davidson engine then I’d refer to that particular style of engine as a Shovelhead, or Shovel. But some aftermarket companies also manufacture Shovelhead style engines and if it has one of those then I’d refer to the engine by its aftermarket brand name. The name Shovelhead came about because the engine's rocker boxes have a similar appearance to the back of a coal shovel. The engine in the picture appears to be 1970-later style and because it has an alternator it’s sometimes referred to as an alternator Shovelhead. Sometimes it’s called a late Shovelhead for obvious reasons. And because of the shape of the gear cover it’s also referred to as a cone Shovelhead.
The other type of Shovelhead engine had a generator and it was made by H-D for 1966 through 1969. Sometimes it’s called an early Shovelhead and sometimes it’s called a generator Shovelhead. It’s also called a flat side Shovelhead which is a reference to its gear cover and sometimes it’s called a slab side Shovelhead for a similar reason. Some aftermarket companies also make this style of engine.
Stock H-D Shovelhead models didn’t have rigid frames but obviously the engines and some other components can be fitted to H-D rigid frames, sometimes with little or no modification depending on the H-D frame chosen. However, the frame pictured appears to be aftermarket as others have mentioned.
As for furthering your knowledge, apart from tuning into Harley-related forums you could join every library in your area and read every book they’ve got on H-Ds. Absorb as much info as possible from all avenues but don’t automatically believe everything you run across. A lot of incorrect info has been printed and said over the years but eventually you’ll begin to sort the truth from the rest. Eric
If it’s got a genuine Harley-Davidson engine then I’d refer to that particular style of engine as a Shovelhead, or Shovel. But some aftermarket companies also manufacture Shovelhead style engines and if it has one of those then I’d refer to the engine by its aftermarket brand name. The name Shovelhead came about because the engine's rocker boxes have a similar appearance to the back of a coal shovel. The engine in the picture appears to be 1970-later style and because it has an alternator it’s sometimes referred to as an alternator Shovelhead. Sometimes it’s called a late Shovelhead for obvious reasons. And because of the shape of the gear cover it’s also referred to as a cone Shovelhead.
The other type of Shovelhead engine had a generator and it was made by H-D for 1966 through 1969. Sometimes it’s called an early Shovelhead and sometimes it’s called a generator Shovelhead. It’s also called a flat side Shovelhead which is a reference to its gear cover and sometimes it’s called a slab side Shovelhead for a similar reason. Some aftermarket companies also make this style of engine.
Stock H-D Shovelhead models didn’t have rigid frames but obviously the engines and some other components can be fitted to H-D rigid frames, sometimes with little or no modification depending on the H-D frame chosen. However, the frame pictured appears to be aftermarket as others have mentioned.
As for furthering your knowledge, apart from tuning into Harley-related forums you could join every library in your area and read every book they’ve got on H-Ds. Absorb as much info as possible from all avenues but don’t automatically believe everything you run across. A lot of incorrect info has been printed and said over the years but eventually you’ll begin to sort the truth from the rest. Eric
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