1984 Harley-Davidson Sportster 1000 XLX Motorcycle

With its origins dating back to 1957, the Sportster is Harley-Davidson's longest running model family, evolving from dirt track racers into a series of popular road-going bikes. All Sportster derivatives came with a V-twin engine mounted rigidly in the frame (until 2003), giving very direct handling. The X-series Sportsters, which remained in production until 1985, used both 900cc and (from 1972) 1000cc overhead-valve engine with cast iron heads, hence the nickname "Ironheads". By the mid-1980s, the 45-degree V-twin was developing 50 hp at 6,000 rpm, with a compression ratio of 8.8:1. The standard Sportster model was the XLH, while the XLX was a stripped-out version with black trim first introduced in 1983, mildly revised for 1984 with a single-disc front brake set-up that made stopping a lot more controllable. Although dated by the 1980s, the old school Sportster best represented the Harley-Davidson spirit, a simple, raw machine that communicated every facet of the riding experience directly to the rider.