From coveted Knuckleheads to iconic Pans and Shovels, the history of Harley-Davidson has, and will always, be a tale of storied engines. All lore aside, it’s the middle-age Evolution engine that’s credited with saving the brand, and while the Evo’s time has come and gone, there’s no denying that it continues to be a staple of the custom scene, especially in the Sportster platform.
The Evolution built on the best bits of the outgoing, unit-construction Ironhead, and addressed performance and reliability concerns associated with the heavy cast-iron cylinders and heads. The 45-degree, air-cooled V-twin displaced 833, 1,100, and 1,200 cc across 30-plus years in production, and as a testament to the design, running examples of the Evo Sporter can be found everywhere these days for dirt cheap.…