HARLEY-DAVIDSON FAT BOB FXFB (2018 - on) Review

Overall rating

A bike that certainly turns heads, the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob is a machine that you will either love or hate and is best thought of as Harley’s take on a naked bike. And a very big one at that!

Designed to appeal to European riders who view a bike’s ability to go around corners with equal importance to straight line cruising, the Fat Bob is the sportiest model in the firm’s petrol-powered range and yet still has more than a hint of the cruiser about it with its 16-inch wheels shod in fat balloon tyres.

• Related: Best cruiser motorbikes
• Related: Best base bikes for custom projects

Long, low and imposing, the latest Fat Bob arrived in 2018 and sits in the Softail family, which was thoroughly updated that year through a new chassis (the Softail and Dyna families were combined) and the new Milwaukee-Eight motor (in two capacities, 107 and 114) to coincide with Harley’s 115^th Anniversary.

Not one of Harley’s biggest selling models, the Fat Bob’s Marmite styling sees it generally owned by enthusiasts and while its fairly hefty weight and extensive use of metal parts for the running gear hints at a high level of build quality, owners are a little underwhelmed on this front and it seems as if a few corners have been cut, which is a shame on a bike that is certainly at the premium end of the price scale.

As with all things Harley, there is a huge network out there if you need to get any extra info and the best thing to do is go to your local Harley dealership and chat to members of HOG, the Harley Owners Group. If you are uncertain about the bike itself, Harley are very proactive when it comes to test rides (they can be booked via the firm’s website) so as long as you have a full licence, you should be able to borrow one.

And if a quick blast isn’t enough, many dealerships allow you to hire a bike for an extended period of time (a weekend or even a week) and often if you buy the bike (if it is new) they will take the cost of hire into account and reduce the price a bit or even wave the hire costs.

Ride quality & brakes

The Softail family contains everything from the Breakout to the Heritage and as such Harley have made a 'platform' tubular steel double cradle chassis that can be altered with minimal effort through different head angles or a choice of swingarms to suit the intended bike’s role in life. All-new for 2018, the Softail range has a 'hardtail' look of a solid back end but actually contains a monoshock under the seat area (previous generations had twin shocks under the transmission).

As well as being a claimed 65% stiffer than before, the new chassis also uses the engine as a stressed member and the swingarm is stiffer. Why is this important? Because it allows the Fat Bob to actually handle fairly well. Unlike most Harley models, the sporty nature of the Bob sees it come with Showa inverted forks with dual bending valve technology, but sadly no adjustment which is a shame as they are a little crude in their damping.

Far from a lightweight bike, the Bob’s 296kg weight and fat 16-inch wheels is initially a bit daunting as it does give the bike a strange feeling and a slight reluctance to turn into bends, however once you get used to muscling it about you can actually build up a bit of pace and although limited by ground clearance, bends are certainly not something to be feared.

This is a bike that is happy on a twisty road and is far more than just a straight-line cruiser. Owners report the OE Harley-branded Dunlop tyres are fairly poor in their performance in the wet and dry, so updating them for European-spec alternatives is right at the top of the to-do list, but the brakes have ABS as standard and are a twin-disc four-piston per caliper set-up, which is enough to haul-up the heavy Bob.

Engine

When it was launched the Fat Bob was sold in two formats - 107 and 114 – which refer to the Milwaukee-Eight engine’s size in inches (1745cc or 1868cc if you don’t speak imperial) however nowadays only the bigger 114 is available.

All-new in 2017, the Milwaukee-Eight motor is different to the one used in the touring models where it debuted as its rigid-mounting instead of rubber and sees the Softail models run two, not one, balancer shafts to keep the vibrations down.

A fabulous motor that sounds and feels exactly like a Harley should, the Milwaukee-Eight marked a huge step forward over the old Twin Cam motor and as well as better reliability, it is more powerful and has a (marginally) slicker gearbox. We say marginally because there is still a hefty clunk when you select a cog.

On the go the four-valve air-cooled motor (hence its name, as it has a total of eight valves) is a real beauty with bags of torque delivering lots of instant punch. Although Harley dislike claiming power figures, it makes 86bhp with 107ft.lb of torque in 107 guise and 94bhp and 114ft.lb in 114, so there isn’t too much of a difference if you opt for the lower capacity model. The one thing it is missing, however, is any form of traction control and given all that grunt and the poor OE tyres, on a wet road you do need to exercise a degree of caution over white lines or on slippery surfaces.

Reliability & build quality

A lot of Harley owners tend to cherish their bikes and if they are cleaned regularly, not ridden much in the wet and generally cared for the build quality seems acceptable. However should you get a bit behind or let things slip the Fat Bob starts to look very second hand very quickly, which is a real shame on a bike that costs so much.

MCN owners' reviews report that the paint finish is very poor indeed with paint rubbing off on areas where your knees touch and also the engine shedding its finish. Not only that, corrosion on exposed metal components seems rife if the bike hasn’t been treated to a lot of anti-corrosion spray. One owner has even has the clocks misting up and the fuel cap’s lock fail. When you talk to Harley dealers they say a big problem is owners cleaning their bikes and then putting them away wet, which allows the water to pool and corrosion sets in, however a slightly low level of build quality is also certainly to blame.

In terms of the motor the Milwaukee-Eight is very solid and not that expensive to get serviced with annual costs of roughly £300. Always give the belt and sprockets a good check when buying any used Harley as if a stone gets in there it can damage the belt and swapping one is a big bill as it requires removing the swingarm due to the fact there is obviously no soft link in a belt!

Value vs rivals

Buying a Fat Bob is not a cheap proposition and a new 114 will set you back in the region of £17,000, however they do tend to hold their value fairly well with year old examples costing around £15,000. The 107 option costs roughly £13,500 as it is less desirable however not that many were sold as most owners opted for the 114 motor.

As with all Harley models, the price tag is very much dependent on condition, mileage and extras and as the Bob is such a new model, nearly every one is sold through the dealer network rather than private sales, which boost the price tag. Official Harley extras also up the price however unlike some Harley models, very few Fat Bobs get accessorised that heavily aside from the usual exhausts and air filter. Insurance isn’t too bad and with roughly 40mpg fairly easily achieved, the Bob isn’t that thirsty on the petrol either.

The problem with the Bob is when you look at it in terms of its value – is it really worth paying £17,000 for an air-cooled bike that lacks most modern electronic assists? That’s a decision only a serious buyer can make and when you consider a Ducati Monster 1200 S is £15,095, an Indian FTR R Carbon £15,595 or even a Ducati XDiavel £16,995 it seems very steep for what it is once you ignore the name on the tank.

Equipment

There is no denying the Bob is lacking in terms of its equipment. There is no traction control, only basic ABS, no power modes, no quickshifter, no connectivity, little adjustment in its suspension, the list goes on and on.

Then again, this is an air-cooled Harley and they do tend to be quite basic in terms of their spec. Owners can up the ante through the H-D parts and accessories catalogue, but most simply opt for a set of loud pipes and a free-flowing air filter, which to be fair makes a huge difference to the bike’s sound levels and also releases a welcome bit of extra mid-range.

When it comes to tyres, most known brands make a hoop for the Bob and you have the choice of the likes of the Michelin Scorcher, Metzeler Cruisetec, Avon Cobra Chrome or even a non-Harley branded Dunlop D427, which are the OE fitment but better in terms of grip when made in Europe.