Shovelhead engine

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The Shovelhead was an air-cooled, 45 degree, V-twin motorcycle engine manufactured from 1966 to 1984 by the Harley Davidson Motor Company. It was made in the 1200cc bore and, after 1978, in the 1340cc bore for Harley's Big Twin bikes.

It replaced the Panhead style engines and in turn was replaced by the Evo engines. The name "Shovelhead" was a continuation of the convention of naming the engines for the shape of the rocker covers at the top of the engine. The Shovelhead has subtly rounded rocker covers that resemble the shape of a shovel.

The Shovelhead was in production so long during a time of significant innovation and competition that it was considered a relic long before it was replaced. By the standards of the late 70's and early 80's, the Shovelhead's oil management systems, reliability, maintenance schedule, and overall performance were woefully out of date.

Currently, a number of third-party engine manufacturers produce custom Shovelhead-style engines, in a variety of bores, many much larger than the original design displacements. Each manufacturer includes significant upgrades to the original design to improve the performance and reliability while still providing the original styling and overall engine structure.

[edit] See also

Harley-Davidson engines
Engine	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s
One-cylinder engines
unnamed	1903–1910
unnamed			1926–?
Big twin engines
F-head (IOE)		1914–1929
Flathead			1929–1936
Knucklehead				1936–1947
Panhead					1948–1965
Shovelhead							1966–1985
Evolution									1984–1999
Twin Cam										1999–
Sport engines
Sport		1919–?
XA					1942
WR					1946-?
K						1952–1956
Ironhead						1957–1985
Evolution									1985–
Water-cooled engines
Revolution											2002–