2022 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob Review

You have to ask yourself: how does the Motor Company come up with these whacky names for the motorcycles?

Well, ‘Fat’ has been a Harley moniker for the best part of a half-century referring alternatively to the width of the bike’s tank or the big rear tyre. And ‘Bob’ we should know it refers to the abbreviated fancywork like a trimmed tail and minimal or missing front guard.

‘Fat Boy’ (FLSTF, FLFB) is the other famous ‘fatty’, elevated to iconic status by Arnie in Terminator 2, while ‘Street Bob’ (FXBB) is a leaner (skinny?) Bob aimed more at the range’s entry-level pricepoint.

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The first Fat Bob (FXEF) appeared in 1979 as a derivative of the venerable Super Glide with either 74ci or 80ci ‘shovelhead’ engines. It then went through several more variations, re-emerging in 2008 in the Dyna chassis (FXDF) with 103ci Twin-Cam and the traditional fat tank updated and a new stripped-down look featuring twin round headlights and 16-inch slotted cast aluminium wheels.

When Dyna was retired to make way for the all-new Softail chassis in 2017, Fat Bob (FXFB) was reborn in chunkier, meatier guise with the likewise all-new Milwaukee-Eight (M8) 107ci engine as standard. It was variously described by an excited media as “the muscle car of motorcycles” and “spirited, agile, and muscular” while H-D themselves billed it as “aggressive, unapologetic styling, with mind-blowing performance and handling, premium finishes, and the massive torque of the Milwaukee-Eight engine.”

They go on to say “it was created for the street rider with a sense of muscle and performance.”

And as if that barrage of superlatives wasn’t enough, the greedy Fat Bob (FXFBS) is now standard with the mighty 114ci and billed as “a street-eater with an appetite for power.” Harley’s product planning chief even called the Fat Bob the firm’s “zombie apocalypse escape vehicle”. Add any of H-D’s Screamin’ Eagle intake or engine upgrades and you have a demonic despot of biblical proportions.

Since the arrival of the FXFB, I’ve tested this awesome machine several times including a neck-snapping Stage II-enhanced custom machine from Harley-Heaven’s magic cave. And now I’ve gone in again with the up-spec’ed 114ci FXFBS in showroom trim.

While I wouldn’t call Fat Bob’s newest incarnation a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, the “muscular” styling seems more in keeping with the rest of the upper-mid Softail range, especially now that Low Rider S (FXLRS) comes in monstrous 117ci and the once-modest Street Bob is also 114ci (FXBBS) equipped. It’s out on the road when you’ll find it steps outside the pack.

The word that comes to mind is ‘effortless’. There is just so much torque, 155Nm to be precise, that pulling out of corners or executing a quick and safe overtake is child’s play. On the 0-100kmh scale, high 4sec times are realistic straight out of the box.

Any big Harley is never going to match the howling sports bikes through the twisty bits, but is that what it’s all about?

The term “power cruiser” has come to the fore in recent years and Fat Bob is a perfect example of this genre of burly bikes. Grunt to burn, ominous exhaust note and a presence that is unmistakable.

With its naked attire, the Fat Bob is more likely encountered in the (sub)urban setting, prowling shopping strips and coffee hangouts, than out on the highway. That said, our run up the Old Pacific Highway was surprisingly comfortable, even when faced with the weather-beaten state of some of the roads. The ride can be tuned to taste with the quick preload adjustment and the FXFB(S) has the convenient, wrench-free external knob that can be turned any time you like.

When Fat Bob went from Dyna to Softail, gone were the twin round headlamps, replaced by a minimal rectangular LED headlight that worked okay on the unlit backroads north of Windsor. Information is delivered by a single multifunction dial on the fuel tank with the big numbers on RPM and speed displayed in a liquid-crystal style read-out below. Not my preferred position for reading critical data like speed on a double-demerits weekend.

Gone too are the distinctive twin rear shockers that denote the late Dyna chassis, replaced by the single, externally-adjustable shocker hidden discreetly beneath the seat as part of the Softail chassis redesign. This reworking, Harley claims, stiffens the chassis and reduces weight by up to 20 per cent. Rather than repeat, you can read the full details of the 2018 Softail relaunch.

To sum up, while dragstrip-inspired Breakout in 114ci (FXBRS) seems to have struck a chord with the hearts of Aussie bikers and continues to top sales charts, the Fat Bob has found a place for those more inclined to riding than posing, delivering a foreboding presence with performance to match.

ENGINE
Type: Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-twin
Capacity: 114cu in (1868cc)
Bore x stroke: 102mm x 114.3mm
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Fuel system: Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 95hp (71kW) at 4750rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 160Nm at 3500rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: 6-speed
Final drive: Belt
Clutch: Wet multiplate

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Mild steel, tubular frame
Front suspension: 43mm inverted single-cartridge fork, 130mm travel
Rear suspension: Softail coil-over monoshock, adjustable for preload, 112mm travel
Front brakes: Twin 300mm discs with four-piston calipers, ABS equipped
Rear brakes: Single 292mm disc with twin-piston caliper, ABS equipped
Tyres: Dunlop H-D series, front – 150/80-16,71H,BW, rear – 180/70B16,77H,BW

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 28 degrees
Trail: 132mm
Claimed wet weight: 306kg
Seat height: 710mm
Wheelbase: 1615mm
Fuel capacity: 13.2 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: from $31,750 ride away
Colours: Vivid Black, Gunship Grey (add $355), White Pearl (add $355)
Bike supplied by: Harley-Davidson Australia
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres
Service interval: 1600km, then every 8000km thereafter