Buying a used Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114

Fat Boy: it’s one of those model names that you’ll never forget, backed up by instantly recognisable looks.

Harley’s Fat Boy series has long been a top-seller for the maker and in its current form has gone for a ‘more is better’ approach with the premium 114 (1820cc) powerplant, and big rubber to emphasise the distinctive styling.

Back in 1990, the cheeky name of Harley-Davidson’s new model range was the source of considerable controversy – something the Motor Company was able to cheerfully sidestep.

At the time the simple, clean and weighty looks, complete with disc wheels and its 1340cc Evolution powerplant were compelling and somehow evoked a two-wheeled hotrod.

It gained huge street cred thanks to appearances in two of the Terminator movies, starting with Terminator 2: Judgement Day. In that flick, it was the favoured bridge-jumping mount of the sinister cyborg assassin-cum-bodyguard played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel back in 2015, former H-D Vice-President for Business Development, Clyde Fessler said, “The Fat Boy has a mystique about it that was created by Arnold in the Terminator. Whenever anyone asks me about that model, I always say, ‘Thank God for Arnold’.”

The series has remained part of the H-D line-up through all the engine series since the Evolution, including twin-cam and now Milwaukee Eight.

The current platform was released in 2018, initially with the 107 (1746cc) and 114 powerplants as options – denoted as FLFB and FLFBS respectively. Harley dropped the 107 option from 2020.

While the adoption of the Milwaukee Eight engine platform was a major step forward for the series, so too was the release of a new Softail chassis. This incorporated a new rear swingarm with redesigned suspension – a Showa single shock absorber in a conventional placement angled under the seat, rather than the old-style twin shocks laid flat under the lower frame.

Up front, the design benefitted from a new Showa fork, namely the ‘dual bending valve’ (SBDV) series which was intended to emulate the behavior of a cartridge fork and improve overall response.

As for the frame itself, it had come in for a redesign with three head angles for various Softail-based models: 28, 30 and 34 degrees. Fat Boys ran with the middle option. There was a weight-saving of nearly six kilos while claiming to be 65 per cent stiffer.

Visually, the big news was the adoption of eye-catching 18-inch Lakester cast aluminium disc wheels running generous rubber sizes: 160/60 on the front and a whopping 240/40 on the rear. They helped to emphasise the muscular look of the machine.

In 2020 H-D released the dramatic-looking 30th anniversary Fat Boy, finished in a combination of satin and gloss black and running numbered ID plates on the fuel tank console for the 2500 production run. The term ‘instant collectible’ springs to mind.

Updates in 2020 for the standard Fat Boy were minor and included the adoption of a digital fuel gauge incorporated into the dash, replacing the previous tank-cap unit.

Last year (2023) saw the welcome reintroduction of cruise control for the series – a feature that had been dropped in 2020.

Basic performance numbers for the 114 are 69kW (93hp) at 5020rpm and 155Nm peak torque at just 3000rpm. It’s that latter figure which is crucial and influences much of the riding character of the Fat Boy.

While the horsepower may seem a little light-on for a machine weighing something like 317kg on the road, the delivery of the urge is definitely in the stump-puller category. That is, you can ease away from the lights with few revs on board and still accelerate at an attention-grabbing rate. In the real world, it’s quick away from the lights.

A pretty slick six-speed transmission means you can surf that mid-range regardless of the conditions and the bike will respond instantly to the right wrist. It’s quite addictive and a lot of fun.

Suspension is whole different world to the Softail series of old, and owners of the Evolution machines will be amazed at the difference – it’s a magic carpet ride by comparison.

Despite only running a single front disc, braking is reasonably strong and responsive, while you have the ABS safety net.

While the big tyres provide lots of grip, the bike tends to resist rolling in to a turn, so you need to be assertive to get it to tip in. There is also a tendency to bump or camber-steer from the fat rear hoop. Once you get your head around it, those issues tend to fade away.

Milwaukee Eights have largely been trouble-free, however there was a service bulletin for 2017-19 models, and 2018-19 in the case of Softail engines. This involved an oil pump upgrade, as the motors had a tendency to wet sump under extended hard use.

We consulted with one of our tame tuners, namely Carl Batey of Café Racer in NSW. He says there is potential locked away in the Eight series, as they’re in relatively mild tune out of the factory. For example, the fly-by-wire set-up only allows 54 per cent throttle in first, second and third gear, and 60 per cent in fourth. While the ECU is heavily encrypted, it can be accessed.

Batey says raising the compression a little, adding a not-too-wild cam plus a slip-on exhaust can easily get over 75kW (100hp) at the back wheel happening, with monster torque chiming in as low as 2000rpm. “There can be good power straight off idle – like a V8 on two wheels,” he added, clearly approving of the general design of the powerplant.

As for general care and feeding, services are required at 1600, 4000 and 8000km. From there you have 8000km intervals for engine oil and filter changes. Major services are due every 16,000km, which includes changing the primary drive and transmission fluids. Overall, servicing should not be a major cost burden and potentially a cheaper than for many other brands.

Back in 2018, you could have picked up a 114 for $30,995. Now, for a 2024 model, you’re looking at prices starting at $37,995 – they have always been at the premium end of the market.

Despite the hefty pricing, they have clearly sold well – a quick bikesales search revealed 155 examples on the market.

Prices start at around $25,000, climbing to well over $50,000 for heavily modified examples. Evaluating the value of the latter should be done carefully and on a case-by-case basis.

High twenties will get you a crisp stock or near-stock example with under 10,000km on the odo.

• Do your usual diligence with these bikes. That includes checking for any evidence of servicing. Plus, check the general condition, including the state of those fairly expensive tyres.
• By far the biggest challenge is to evaluate what mods are on the bike and if they are any good. These things perform pretty well in stock form, and chasing something near to showroom spec is the safest option.
• Many, perhaps most, will be running aftermarket exhausts. Most of them won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of making it through a legit roadworthy, so make sure you get the stock pipes as part of the deal.
• As an overall buy, you get a seriously stylish cruiser with compelling performance. There’s plenty to love about that…

For
• Iconic styling
• Good performance
• Legendary name

Against
• Expensive
• Heavy
• Dodgy mods

ENGINE
Type: Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 114
Capacity: 1868cc
Bore x stroke: 102mm x 114.3mm
Compression ratio: 10:01
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: Not given
Claimed maximum torque: 155Nm at 3000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed, including overdrive
Final drive: belt
Clutch: Wet

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Front suspension: 49mm Dual Bending Valve telescopic fork, 117mm travel
Rear suspension: Shock with adjustable preload
Front brakes: Single disc with four-piston caliper
Rear brake: Single disc with twin-piston floating caliper
Tyres: Front 160/60-18, rear 240/40 18

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 30 degrees
Claimed wet weight: 317kg
Seat height: 675mm
Wheelbase: 1665mm
Fuel capacity: 18.9 litres

OTHER STUFF
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres