Let me start by saying I am completely new to Harley Davidson and to motorcycle technology so excuse my wording or questions as they already be common sense for many here.

I have the opportunity to get a 1340 evolution engine from one of my friends who has had it sitting in storage for quite a while now and I am considering building it up for reliable riding. My question is about transmissions. What are my factory transmission options? I can't seem to find much info on which ones come on which models. Also, which ones are the most reliable? I won't be taking the bike over 70 mph much and plan to stick to all backroads in my area.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Matt

 

The first Evo engined bikes (84-85 Softail) came with 4 speed transmissions, but after that they all came with 5 speed units.

Don`t buy a transmission until you have a frame, because the cases are different depending on what year and type frame you have.

 

Building a motorcyle from an engine "someone had sitting in the garage for a while" is risky and very expensive unless you have lots and lots of experience.
My 2 cents worth would be to look for a reasonably priced softail, if you are so inclined, in good condition and go from there. Any homebuilt bike is hard to insure and expensive to build. Most people just end up with a pile of ebay purchases. I have purchase a few of these started projects and have helped out ( at a cost) people that have started to build and did not have the know how to finish it. When someone on a TV show builds a bike it only shows the assembly not the knowledge and the equipment used to get to that point. Unless you have the know how and a shop full of the proper equipment, don't do it.

 

Find a rolling Harley frame so you have numbers and that will help dictate which trans you use.

 

Matt, walk away and look for a bike that is complete and a runner! Or be prepared for a potentially lengthy and expensive hobby.....