Whatever your seating preference, firing up the rubber mounted
Twin-Cam 96 serves up a deliciously orotund steak-and-potato growl. Making 92 ft
lbs of torque at a modest 3,000 rpm, the Harley powerplant offers substantial
low-end pull, investing the 700-pounder with an agility that belies its heft.
Sure, Bob may be a bit on the portly side, but if you pegged him for a
graceless, lumbering ox, you would be mistaken.
Thwacking into first and pulling away from the curb on a Fat
Bob fitted with mid-mount pegs yields some pleasant feedback through the boot
soles that smoothes out as you run through the fluid 6-speed Cruise Drive
gearbox. Clutch effort is light and smooth. Straight-line acceleration reveals
plenty of EFI-assisted punch through the mid-range, while the porcine Dunlops
collude with the suspension to iron out wrinkles in the road.
 That same abundance of rubber, along with the 29-degree rake,
might predict a hampered dexterity through the twisties, but once the bike
starts to lean, cornering becomes surprisingly brisk for a heavyweight cruiser.
The mid-mount peg setup enhances the bike’s burly athleticism and makes for a
comfortable long-range perch. While the Bob can weave when called upon, the most
fun to be had comes from pointing the bike straight down the highway and opening
up the throttle. That is when 96 rumbling cubes, a face full of windblast and a
belching exhaust amount to a sum greater than its burly parts. It is the
familiar Harley formula, only now with more calories. (Click image to enlarge)
As the namesake canteen nears empty, the instrument panel’s LED
insert displays a reverse countdown feature that rings the Fat Bob’s dinner bell
a mile before the bike becomes a roadside attraction. If your taste runs more
toward elective stoppage, 4-piston calipers pinch the dual 300mm front discs,
while a familiar single 292mm disc, two-piston arrangement halts the rear wheel
with decent feel at the lever. Certainly, the brakes are more than adequate to
arrest the big Dyna, and the hefty front rotors add to the bike’s rugged mien.
However, it would have been nice to see the Brembos that now adorn the Touring
and VRSC models trickle down to the Dyna line.
The Motor Company’s tough new dual-headlight bruiser comes in a
wardrobe of seven colors, but like all true hooligans, the Fat Bob musters a bit
more pugnacious swagger in its matte Black Denim gear.
Harley-Davidson has chosen to commemorate its 105th anniversary
by reinvigorating the company’s mojo in the factory-custom marketplace. To that
end, Milwaukee’s class of 2008 has also produced the lean and flashy Rocker, a
convincing take on chopper-inspired mayhem. When the bell rings at the end of
the day, the skinny Rocker may well end up with the girl, but beware—the school
bully is a fat kid with glasses named Bob.
www.harley-davidson.com
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