ahhhhh... AMF.... The ownership that gave birth to the only Harley with a soul...
It's true. Just listen to 2 or more Shovelhead riding together and you'll hear the wonderful sound they make. That thrum, that almost engine in sync, but not quite, lovely mechanical sound that iron motors make... Milwaukee iron.
They were given a soul because most are "one off". One off? Yep, the art of making mis-matched lower end cases mate, hand fitting cylinders, and knowing how to make a mish-mash of ill fitting parts into a motorcycle, a sense of their past coupled with the being part of the past and present (think Pan-Shovel) is what gave them a soul.
Stories about a HD bike "marking it territory" when parked, ......TQ
You must not have owned one, TQ. Because they don't mark their territory, they mark their spot. Owning a Shovelhead means more maintenance per riding hour. And maintaining them requires more "feel" then the beer-can motors (evo and twin-cam). My shovelhead gets more looks then either of my Evos.
They can also be a "bear". The same feel when maintaining them can turn into blind rage when the techniques you have been using for years suddenly no longer work. And just has suddenly, work again.
I honestly believe that since they have souls, they have moods also. It must be true because there are times when Shaker runs harder and faster then any of my Evos. But there are other times when a short run is nothing but a hard time. Not in a mechcanical problem sense, but more of a "I'm not in the mode to be running around town" sense. Or just the opposite. She would rather be in the city running stoplight to stoplight then cruising the country side.
Line up a Shovelhead, and EVO and a Twin Cam up side be side and it's the Shovelhead the speaks the loudest. Not the exhaust sound, but the history, style, attitude and sense of just who it is.
It's a Harley with a soul. It's an AMF Shovelhead.