The Shovelhead era belongs to an important period in Harley-Davidson’s development. The Shovelhead engine received its name from the shape of its rocker-box covers, which were commonly compared with the appearance of a shovel. The engine became one of the recognizable Harley-Davidson powerplants of its generation.
The Shovelhead was introduced during a period when Harley-Davidson was producing large-displacement motorcycles for a broad market. Over time, the engine became associated with a distinctive period of Harley-Davidson engineering. Today, surviving Shovelhead motorcycles are of interest to collectors and enthusiasts because they represent a particular stage in the evolution of the company’s motorcycles.
The Significance of the Police Shovelheads
The motorcycles purchased by Max Middelbosch were not simply ordinary used motorcycles. Their previous ownership and service history gave them additional historical significance. They had been police-owned machines, meaning that they had formed part of an organized fleet and had been operated as working vehicles.
The early 1990s acquisition involved a large batch of these motorcycles. According to the account of the collection, Middelbosch purchased the machines and arranged for them to be imported to the Netherlands. The size of the acquisition was significant. Rather than acquiring one motorcycle at a time, he obtained a substantial group of machines with a shared background.
