New H-D Sportster Forty Eight Observations

[ChipBeck_imp]

Your last Sportster was a 1980 Shovelhead?

John,

Motorheads are sticklers for details. When I bought my 1980 Sportster I had never heard the term "Ironhead" used to describe a Sportster engine. They were all just Sportsters. Perhaps it had been used but I never heard it. The early flatheads were refered to as such and big twins were Knuckle, Pan, Shovel, and Block heads. It wasn't until the aluminum Evolution Sportsters were built in the 1980's (Blockheads or ???) that I ever heard a slang term used to describe a Sportster engine and Arizona Harley Davidson dealer/racer and Datona winner Buddy Stubbs called the old iron motors shovel heads. But whatever, they are all unofficial slang terms like GT40. So Ironhead or Shovelhead, I was referring to a pre Evolution iron motor Sportster. I guess I'm not up to speed on old Harley terms. Cheers.

Chip