HARLEY DAVIDSON HISTORY
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Harley Engine History
Harley engine history starts it's humble beginnings in a makeshift shed, then helped with World War Two, became the symbol of American
individualism and ended up "KING OF THE ROAD", all in a mere 100 years. Our Custom Chopper Motorcycle website just would not be here if not for the die hard individuals
that brought us all these uniquely designed 4 strokers!
The following is a listing of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles & Engines from 1909 up to date:
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Flathead: 1909-1936
The Flathead was named because of the tell-tail flat vented tops that are recognizable at the top of each cylinder head. This is the famous motor that
propelled the Harley-Davidson to victory after victory in the motorcycle races of the twenties. |
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Knucklehead: 1936-1947
Just at the start of WW2, Harley-Davidson introduced an overhead-valve V-twin with knuckly looking valve covers when viewed from above. The new motor,
affectionately known as the "Knucklehead", performed well both for HD and for America in the difficult years to come. |
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Panhead: 1948-1965
With improvements to the engine design, like hydraulic valve lifters that supplied oil to the rocker arms, the Panhead hit the market in 1948. Named
for the pan-like valve covers replacing the knuckle covers. |
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Shovelhead: 1966-1983
By 1966 the Panhead underwent still more improvements. The most noticeable being the distinctive enclosed cylinder head in a sleek, slightly curved
top. At a glance this looks unmistakably like a shovel with the pushrods tubes resembling the handle of a shovel, and the shovel itself.
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Evolution: 1983-1999
In 1984 on the heels of the employee buyout of AMF, Harley went public and introduced its now famous redesign of the V-twin. This radical new design
utilized styled square blocks to house the valve train. This motor, revered as the Evolution engine is known amongst Harley enthusiasts as "the Blockhead".
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Twin Cam 88: 1999-Present
Twin Cam 88: 1999-Present
With numerous American motorcycle manufacturers trying to surface and resurface, Harley-Davidson introduces its most revolutionary engine yet. The
Twin Cam 88 gets its name from its two cams versus the single cam in all its ancestors. This motor also goes by the nickname "Fathead" for just exactly that, bigger heads.
With this new engine design Harley-Davison puts one more notch in its insurance for success. |
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