1986 EVOLUTION ENGINE

Thoroughly Modern Mille

The early 1980s were a great time for Harley-Davidson. First, CEO Vaughn Beals led the buyback of the manufacturer from sports conglomerate AMF, taking the Motor Company public and charting its course to independence that continues today. And second, the critical Evolution engine, introduced for 1984 on the Big Twins, made its Sportster debut in 1986. Overnight, the chief complaints that many riders had of “Shovelhead” Sportsters — that they were leaky, unsophisticated and unreliable — changed for the better. The new Sportster 1100, and its smaller sibling, the 883 Sportster, was quite literally a breath of fresh air. And the basic design continues today.

2009 XR1200 Racetrack-Ready Rocket

In physics, force is defined as mass times acceleration. Harley-Davidson combined the huge mass of the XR racing nameplate with the hardhitting Evolution 1203cc Sportster engine to create the XR1200 street bike from 2009-10 — and later upgraded the suspension to create the XR1200X from 2011-12. The term “naked bike” hadn’t been around long at that point, so the biggest-ever XR was regarded as just a standard motorcycle. But what a standard it was. Quick revving, light on its feet — or rather, wheels — and reasonably agile, it was a formidable street bike and, with appropriate modifications, a capable road racer, too. It gained prominence in the exciting 2010-14 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series.