What's not to like about this new cool offering from Harley-Davidson? It looks tough and drips with street cred. It has more of a presence than photographs of it depict. In the flesh it looks fatter, tougher and even more aggressive.
It is so clean and so bold that it looks almost as though it rolled out of the shop of a custom bike builder rather than through the Harley-Davidson styling department. In fact it is totally lacking any of the quirky styling cues that the factory sometimes likes to add, but which leaves many hardcore bikers somewhat unimpressed.
Possessing something of the look of a European street fighter, with tyre styling reminiscent of the look made popular by Russell Mitchell of Exile Cycles, the wide fat forks with blacked-out lowers add an extra custom touch that take it further away from the milder Dynas of earlier model years.
So, it has great looks, but what is it like to ride? Well there's no better time or place to test a bike than in the crisp morning air of the Black Hills around Sturgis and while much of the biker community slept off their hangovers I thumbed the starter of the beast and the ninety-six cubes sprang into life with a steady cadence, thanks to the EFI now standard across the entire Harley range.
Snickering into first I fed the clutch out and rolled forward, giving a gentle twist of the wrist and the bike launched forward smoothly and pretty damn quickly. Winding up through the gears I couldn't help but be impressed by the power and smoothness of the drive train as I roared up an on ramp and onto the deserted freeway.
Up through the gears the bike pulled strong and responded to throttle and brake input impeccably. The fat tyres with their unique aggressive tread added to the smoothness of the suspension and provided an extremely comfortable ride. Swinging onto a side rode I enjoyed the nimbleness of the bike and found it a pleasure to push through the canyon corners at an impressive pace.
With the big 96-cube engine, combined with the 6-speed gearbox, Harley-Davidson has hugely increased its appeal in the market place. And with the smooth styling exercise of the Fat Bob look like having another sales success in showrooms worldwide.
I found a lot to like about this bike from both a visual and a riding standpoint and foresee it being a big hit for the Motor Factory. I figure it will even appeal to hardcore bikers, whose spines are feeling the result of long years on rigids. Maybe it's time they made the switch to enjoying power and comfort combined, but still looking damn cool. The factory has even catered to a hardcore aesthetic with the Fat Bob available in Black Denim livery. Now that's what I'm talking about!
