History of the Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engine
The Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engines are recognized for their power and performance. The Evolution engine, commonly known as the Evo, was a revolutionary V-Twin engine that played a crucial role in Harley-Davidson's revival.
The motorcycle giant Harley Davidson is known for producing both classy as well as performance-based motorcycles. The Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engines are known for their power and performance. The Evolution engine which is part of the Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engines is a V-Twin engine, about 45-degree and air-cooled. This engine, which is commonly known as Evo, was manufactured for the Harley-Davidson motorcycles starting in 1984. The Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engines came as a replacement for the Shovelhead engines until the year 2000.
The displacement used to be 1340 cc for the company bikes, especially the Big V-Twin bikes. This continued until the last Evo was used in the factory-produced FXR4. In 1999, the Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engines were replaced by the Twin Cam 88, used in the Dyna and Touring models. By 2000, the Twin Cam 88 was incorporated into the Softail models. By the start of 1986, the Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engines were available in the Sportster models, and continued until 1988 with a displacement of 1100cc. These engines were later made available in 1200cc and 883cc variants, replacing the Ironhead Sportster engine.
Among the Harley Davidson Sportster Crate Engines, the Evolution engine was a big hit and was considered by many as the engine that literally saved the Harley brand from bankruptcy. The official name for the engine was seen by many as the company’s attempt to reform their brand image, following the management buyout from American Machine and Foundry in 1981. The heads and cylinders of these engines are made from aluminum, which reduces weight when compared to cast iron designs.
The blocky rocker boxes, aluminum cylinders, and heads were considered key features of the Evolution engine. The Big Twin and Sportster models were significantly different in their configurations. The Sportster model retained unit construction, which had been used since its inception with side-valve engines. The Evolution engine, introduced in 1986, marked a major upgrade, paving the way for a unique valve train configuration. Unlike many major engine types, the Sportster Evolution engine uses only one cam per engine overhead valve, resulting in four individual gear-driven camshafts with single lobes.
Due to this configuration, the cam lobes are located one after another, while the pushrods are paired and aligned parallel to the cylinder axis. The Evolution Big Twin engine was used in the company for a fifteen-year period across Softail, FXR, and Dyna models. By 2000, only limited models continued to use the Evolution engines.
