Is the sound of the Shovelhead engine due to it being low compression? I know the Shovelhead's sound is some people's favorite. I read Shovelhead compression was as low as 7.4:1 at one point.

 

naw it's the cast iron cylinders and hemispheric pistons so that make it thump.

 

Mine sounded even better when I went 10-1 comp.

 

Heavy flywheels and cylinder head design. To me the EVO sounds better, basically the same bottom end but makes more power so the sound is more impressive (to me anyway).

 

It’s mainly the 35 pound crankshaft that enables the ability for a low rpm idle.

 

Had a new '85 evo. Never idled anything like a shovel, and lawd knows I wanted it to,
but it ran circles around my friend's stock shovels.

Everything is a trade off.

 

Don't forget the dual fire ignition. Single fire sounds modern.

 

Heavier flywheels, cast iron cylinders, domed pistons & combustion chamber. All made for the galloping lope thump the rest have been chasing ever since.

 

All wrong - the iron head sporty with 3 7/16 bore and a 4 5/8 stroke at 13.5 to 1 is the ***** for sound <n street engine same combo we had 10. To 1 kick start only the bike was a 1957 sporty picture was 70s street racer

 

If you put a kick stand on it you wouldn't need to lean it against the car like that.