Harley Sounds Through The Years

[Captain America]

Found a cool video with Harley engine sounds through the years...

https://youtu.be/4eV7NFF0SwU

...found a nice one for Bull Barrel too...

https://youtu.be/OvXqtCtGZjw

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I liked the Evo: sounded like it belonged on a beach down in the Caribbean playing with a steel band! My first ride on a Harley was on a Panhead, summer of 1960 or 1961. I was about 10. It sounded exactly like the one in the video.

Rick C

 

[Mega Twin]

I'm an old fart,and think that the shovel was the last one that sounded like a Harley

 

[Fox Mike]

That link was sent to my Harley riding son-in-law. One of my platoon sergeants, a long time ago, had a shovel-head. He talked about it more than his wife.Thanks for posting.

 

[vito]

I didn't hear the special sound of a Harley dripping oil!

 

[wwb]

What I find ironic is that if you go way back to the beginning, Harley advertised their bike as "The Silent Grey Fellow". They were proud of how quiet it was when compared to the other motor vehicles of the day. Now, it seems the majority of H-D riders are proud of making more noise.

 

[protoolman]

Harley is now making silent electric bicycles and motorcycles. Although they were in bad shape before the Civic crisis. Wonder if they will survive?

 

[wwb]

....... Although they were in bad shape before the Civic crisis. Wonder if they will survive?

Harley has screwed up several times over the years. Do a search for "Harley Davidson Nova". They could have had a state-of-the-art bike back in the 80s. Then, there was the Buell fiasco.... H-D insisted that the Buell be sold ONLY through H-D dealers, when the Buell market was mostly people who never walked into a Harley dealer.

Then there's the age of their core customer... those guys are giving up riding or outright dying, and the younger riders aren't buying $25,000 cruisers. They've sold a lot of trikes in the last few years, though.... does that tell them anything? Are they even listening?

They also have no offering for beginning riders.... something in the 300cc/400 lb neighborhood. Their "Street" bikes are too big and too heavy for a beginning rider, so they'll start on a different brand..... and probably stay with it when they upgrade.

Anything they do now is probably too little and too late. I think H-D management was just too complacent - and even arrogant - and caused their own problems.

edited to add a link to the Nova (one of many articles):
https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2016/09/19/harley-davidsons-project-nova-look-might/

 

[bobski]

they need to bring back the hd singles in 200cc.

 

[bobski]

anyone remember the old cubs?

 

[Rook]

I grew up with a family of Harley riders and loved the sound.

This is me on a 1957 Harley K Model. I broke my arm in a crash on Easter Sunday in 1958.

This is me on a 2004 Heritage Softail in 2004.

This is mom and dad on dad's 1957 Panhead riding in the snow in the Smoky Mountains in 1958.

This is my mom on dad's '48 Pan.

This is dad's '47 Knucklehead.

This is dad on his '48 Pan.

My dad took this picture of some of his friends he rode with back in the 50s when they were up in the Smoky Mountains one day.

This is my oldest son's 2018 CVO Screaming Eagle Road Glide.

That's my son on one of the choppers he built.

This is a picture of his chopper after someone pulled out in front of him. Luckily he only got a road rash out of this. He was lucky he got thrown over the car instead of smashed into the side of it. And of course the driver had no insurance.

 

[kramden]

Unfortunately H-D is going the the way of motorsports. It's so connected to the Baby Boomers and older folks. The younger generations have little to no interest. That plus the costs of both is bad over the top. H-D electric bike so far is a bust.

 

[Cholo]

Cool pics, Rook!

This thread derailed fast.

My oldest bike is a Shovelhead and it's the sweetest sounding motorcycle I've ever owned. I think most can admit that the older Harley's sound better than the newer ones.

 

[powder smoke]

Rook I had a similar crash on my Daytona 500 Triumph, guy cut me off slammed into the side of him.
Luckly I flew over the pick up landed in a ball and stood right up, not a scratch on me. The bike was totaled! ps

 

[gunzo]

Evos can sound a lot better with some parts that wouldn't have been EPA compliant for a Mfr. to use.

But the Shovels did sound pretty good. Even better when taken to the next level, with an 88" S&S hot set up kit & 2" pipes.
My last Shovel, sorry for blurry pic.

 

[Bull Barrel]

They don't make any noise from a trailer.

 

[Rook]

Rook I had a similar crash on my Daytona 500 Triumph, guy cut me off slammed into the side of him.
Luckly I flew over the pick up landed in a ball and stood right up, not a scratch on me. The bike was totaled! ps

Glad to hear you weren't hurt. A lot of times it don't turn out so well when car meets motorcycle.

I was riding along one evening just before dark back in 1966 when I was 16 years old and it had just started to rain. I was just doing about 35 mph due to the rain and suddenly a guy in a '55 Chevy decided he would turn into the grocery store right as I got to him. He hit my motorcycle with the drivers side front of the bumper and fender. All I had time to do was raise my left leg up before the car hit it. It knocked me up into the air and I came down to a stop sliding on the pavement on my rear end across the store parking lot. I didn't have any broken bones but I had plenty of stitches. Got about 10 stitches on the right side of my face and several in my rear end and knee. The most painful thing was the doctor pulling gravel out of my rear with a big pair of tweezers and then spraying the wound with some kind of disinfect that burned like hell. It tore the rear end out of my jeans sliding across the pavement and some loose gravel.

That emergency room doctor did a terrible job on the cut on my face and it left an ugly scar across my cheek bone back to my ear.

Funny thing about that scar is a lot of girls that I met over the years liked it. Weird women. Even my wife liked it she said it made you look mean when I first met you. If I had know it was going to have that effect I'd have found a way to cut the otherside too.

 

[Bayouhunter]

Rook your wreck and the one I had in August 1974 was very similar. A road that was wet after rain shower I also was doing about 35mph, when old fellow turned into a small drive in burger joint in front of me. I was about two car lengths behind a car.

I was 14 at the time driving legally on a Honda SL 100 there was nowhere to go in that short distance, I tried a braking slide but had to jump at the last moment. I did a road bounce and flip ending up on my knees behind that blue Ford Maverick. Wind knocked out of me and could catch not my breath for what seemed an eternity. Two truck drivers got to me first and laid me out on my back. I couldn’t stand and hold my weight or walk for 3 days and my body functions locked up for two days. I spent three days in the hospital and had to use a cane to walk with for about a week.

That Honda jammed up under the Maverick behind the rear tire and a couple of guys had to lift backend of the car up to pull it out. 5 weeks later I was riding it to school after a few repairs.

Never did buy a Harley in 2006 I started renting Harley’s for a weekend trying to make up my mind on which model to buy. The last one I rented was a Road King the fit was perfect for me and my wife. We left that morning and caught the ferry on Dauphin Island crossing over to Fort Morgan. We road into Pensacola that day and was trying to decide whether to continue onto Destin or back to Mobile via I-10. We decided I-10 which was a mistake coming into Mobile on the causeway in the evening with everyone trying to get home was not my best decision. I had a 18 wheeler behind me and another I front when an older F150 overtook the semi and moved into where we were on the bridge. I moved over as far as I could without getting to the bridge railing a foot or less if the nut in the truck had not at the last minute swerved back out away from us I wouldn’t be typing this now. It was close. We made it home that evening and never really spoke much about our close call. The next morning i returned the bike after a long farewell ride. The next week I bought a boat to fish Mobile bay and the Mississippi Sound.
Nothing has changed in my lifetime where drivers are concerned they just don’t see motorcycles until it’s too late.

 

[Rook]

Bayouhunter, glad to hear you lived to tell about it. That's some scary stuff. I could write a book on close calls over the years on a motorcycle. It's to dangerous to be on the road with a tank these days.

It's not that people are trying to hit you on purpose it's just they don't have their mind set for looking for something smaller than cars.

You probably made a good choice buying a boat instead of the Harley. But that puts you amongst a whole other set of dangerous people. Some of the craziest people on the planet are in boats, especially on holiday weekends.

Good luck to you.

 

[wwb]

Low-sided at about 40 mph a few years ago..... 2-lane road, some oncoming guy wants to turn right and when he slows down, the idiot behind him pulls into the left lane to go around. Coming straight at me. Where's a cop when you need one? In this case, right behind me, and he nailed that guys behind to the wall.

The guy's insurance company was more than happy to fix my bike and buy me new Tourmaster pants, jacket, and gloves, as well as a new helmet. Lots cheaper than a trip to the ER.

 

[RGRacing]

Revolution engine - Where was it -

 

[Captain America]

Revolution engine - Where was it -

Ironhead Sportster should have been there too, they have their own sound...