Yeah, this whole bit about calling Sportsters Shovelheads baffled me when I first got re-involved with these machines. It's become a common misnomer that I railed about on another forum. As far as I'm concerned there has never been nor ever will be a shovelhead Sportster (unless, of course, it's one of those strange hybrids the mechanically deranged occasionally cobble together in their garages). In fact, this whole notion of calling the old bikes Ironheads is a little disconcerting--the only distinction we used to make was between H and CH. Calling them "Ironheads" makes sense, though; calling them shovelheads does not.

While I'm at it, a Sportster tank is not a peanut tank, either. It's a Sportster tank, whether large or small, and an icon of industrial design (well, as a few others have pointed out, it's actually a Hummer tank, but that's not where it gained fame). A peanut tank, at least to those of us that have been around awhile, is the sort of tank used on the Captian America (Easyrider movie) bike.

Thanks for more great pictures, Patrick. I'd forgotten about those alloy heads.

 

One time, when I came out of the dealer into the parking lot, some guy was looking at my 76 XLCH and said, "Nice Shovelhead." I had never heard of that. I figured he didn't know one bike from another. I told him no, it was a Sportster. He got all bent out of shape and said, he knew what it was, and it was a shovelhead. I figured it wasn't worth arguing or fighting about.

 

If you are looking for a quick way to ID them as they go by, the Shovel has a single camshaft, so the pushrod tubes slant in toward each other at the bottom. The Ironhead has 4 cams, so the tubes are straight down from heads to timing cover. Ironheads (as well as 45 inch flatheads and K models) have the drive chain on the right while big twins have them on the left. Ironheads (all Sportsters and K models for that matter) have the transmission and engine case cast together as a unit while big twins have separate castings. (Later ones look like they are cast as one piece, but they are bolted together.) Also, many Sportster produced 1 HP per cubic inch from the factory while few (if any) Shovels did.

 

I once had a guy come up to me in a parking lot and say "Nice Ironhead, It's a 1978 right?" To which I replied "Thanks, it's a 1980 but that was a pretty good guess" He got a little upset and said "It wasn't a guess..." to which I replied "Sure it was or you would have got it right". He just turned and left

 

Cool post! PJ great reply! I keep learning and learning...

 

The latest Haynes shop manual that covers '70 - '03 Sportsters actually calls the motor a Shovelhead! What a joke. Buy a factory shop manual if you need one.

 

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Ironhead Sportster = Ironhead
Shovelhead = Aluminum head
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Simple answer is best.........YOU ARE CORRECT!
+ Shovelhead separate tranny and crankcase......Ironhead Sportster is unit construction ( tranny, engine share same cases)
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Also......(not to be a smartass)...GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND.