difference
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 789
From: Heart of Dixie
RE: difference
ORIGINAL: jdusty21
I still say the Ironhead is noisier LOL
I still say the Ironhead is noisier LOL
After riding Japanese bikes for most of my early motorcycling experience, the XLX worried me with all the funny noises. I've had it 17 years now, and it's still running good, and still making noises!
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 71
Likes: 0
From:
RE: difference
I got some friends that asked "whats wrong with your bike (sitting at idle) And I can still see there mouths drop when that "little Ol Ironhead" jumped up an left em with there 74's an 80's. Not so much now that I went up on sprocket size so I could ride with them at top end lol Dusty
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
From: North West Arkansas
RE: difference
Noisy yes, when I bought this one I thought there was something wrong with it, I rode it over to a older gentlemans house here that used to own a Harley shop in Oklahoma, he knows his Harleys, he said "sounds good to me" I thought you gotta be kidding me but he was right.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 751
Likes: 6
From: 500 miles south from Artic Circle
RE: difference
ORIGINAL: CTP
Noisy yes, when I bought this one I thought there was something wrong with it, I rode it over to a older gentlemans house here that used to own a Harley shop in Oklahoma, he knows his Harleys, he said "sounds good to me" I thought you gotta be kidding me but he was right.
Noisy yes, when I bought this one I thought there was something wrong with it, I rode it over to a older gentlemans house here that used to own a Harley shop in Oklahoma, he knows his Harleys, he said "sounds good to me" I thought you gotta be kidding me but he was right.
you sure hear and feel when it's running 
if it's going to silent there is something wrong or you are deaf 
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 328
Likes: 2
RE: difference
Some people I know call an ironhead sportster a 'shovelhead sportster'. I guess its because of the similarity of the appearance of the rocker boxes. Ironhead rocker boxes do look somewhat like shovelhead rocker boxes.
The true shovelhead is the seventy four or eighty cubic inch big twin engine prior to the Evo. It had aluminum heads.
The true shovelhead is the seventy four or eighty cubic inch big twin engine prior to the Evo. It had aluminum heads.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 207
Likes: 1
RE: difference
I'll feed da fire. sportsters where aluminum headed before they where iron headed, and they where flat headed before they where overheaded..............but they where "K" modeled before they where sportstereded...ededdd...eded.[sm=bangbang.gif]
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,035
Likes: 17
From: Houston Texas
RE: difference
If I read your post correctly, I have to disagree. Sportsters have never been equipped with any head other than an iron one. i am not talking about EVO Sportsters here, just the bikes before 1986.
The flathead K models had alloy heads but those machines were not Sportsters. The K model (1952-1956) may have been the Sporty's father, but they are different machines. The first "modern" Sportster type to have alloy heads were the XR750 race bikes. But again, they are not Sportsters either.........pg
The flathead K models had alloy heads but those machines were not Sportsters. The K model (1952-1956) may have been the Sporty's father, but they are different machines. The first "modern" Sportster type to have alloy heads were the XR750 race bikes. But again, they are not Sportsters either.........pg
