Harley Davidson Evolution Engine Years

Harleys first engine created using Computer-Aided Design.

Harley davidson evolution engine years. Look for a four-digit production code in the last four digits of the VIN. It played a vital role in reviving Harleys success when the company faced a huge crisis in 1984. When Harley-Davidson wanted to replace the Shovelhead engine it had been using in its big V-twin motorcycles since 1966 its answer was the Evolution an engine with a new design that solved many of the Shovelheads problems.

But even before then by the late eighties only four to five years after the release of the Evolution bikes Harley-Davidson sales were beating all of the Japanese motorcycle brands combined for bikes over 800cc. Harleys from the old days were not so different from one another and the models were often just referred to by their power plant. 1250 units were produced and used as the basis for the racing engines of the KK series and as a forerunner of the Sportster engines.

Harley engines that were made before or in the 1960s have the model year of the engine as the first two numbers of the engine number which acts as a VIN. The larger Evolution engine however was replaced by the Twin Cam 88 engine in 1999. Add to this Harley needed a win to reverse financial and reliability issues.

Look on left side of the engine case for the engine number. It can be found in Harley-Davidsons 883 1100 and 1200 XLH Sportster models. Throughout the years Harley-Davidson paired a carburetor with every engine the company produced ranging from the older knucklehead panhead and shovelhead engines to the newer Evolution and Twin Cam engines.

From what I can see the number does not appear to have been removed or restamped ANY IDEAS. It became a practice among motorcycle aficionados. I have an EVOLUTION engine stock cases that appear original and unmolested.

Evolution Engine numbers. Most old Harleys ended up getting chopped by veterans that came back from World War 2. Basically the evolution engine which is commonly known as Evo is a V-twin engine which is manufactured by Harley Davidson Company for its popular bikes.