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Stout Successor
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Harley-Davidson Fat Bob
Mike Schulte
02/01/2008
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Photography by Kevin Wing
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The
illustrious Dyna family of Harley-Davison has been in the business of fusing Big
Twin muscle with lean custom styling since the introduction of the Sturgis model
in 1991. The platform actually hearkens back another 20 years to the seminal
1971 Super Glide, which grafted the Sportster’s gangly front end to an Electra
Glide frame, forming the FX chassis.
 With that kind of rawboned ancestral input, the factory-custom
clan has typically produced lithe, sinewy offspring. One glance at the burly new
FXDF Fat Bob and it is evident that someone’s been in the kitchen with Dyna—and
it ain’t Jenny Craig. (Click image to enlarge)
Like Charles Barkley swaggering onto a golf course, the Fat Bob
rolls into Harley’s 2008 lineup as the charming brute that carries his abundant
chunk with confidence. The stocky front end is grounded by a bulging 130mm
Dunlop, cut with an aggressive tread pattern and wrapped around a 16-inch
slotted hot rod aluminum disc wheel. A runty sport fender lends the pudgy bun a
properly bobbed demeanor. Girthsome 49mm forks, with blacked-out lowers, frame
the wide-eyed dual headlights that H-D hopes will distinguish the bike on the
road—provided the road in question is devoid of Speed Triples and the like.
Topping off the Fat Bob’s imposing frontage are hefty, internally wired drag
bars which swoop back slightly in a V-bend from the blacked out risers.
The paunch continues with the distended 5-gallon Fat Bob tank,
which features a new Bar and Shield medallion and a chrome and leather
console-tank strap combination. A 2-1-2 staggered shorty Tommy Gun exhaust coils
around the black-powdercoated and polished Twin-Cam 96 engine. The slotted
exhaust shield recalls the cooling vents of the classic gangster gat and allows
the rear cylinder pipe’s hues to evolve as the bike matures.
The Fat Bob’s stout hindquarters are as aggressively styled as
the rest of the bike. A 180mm rear tire balances the big front rubber with its
belligerent tread and 16-inch disc beneath a hefty bobtail fender. The familiar
exposed Dyna coil rear shocks are enclosed in a gleaming chrome full metal
jacket casing.
 RIDING STYLE
Helmet: Shoei RJ-Platinum R
Eyewear: Harley-Davidson Profile
Jacket: Tour Master Coaster
Gloves: Shift Primer
Pants: Shift Torque Street Jeans
Boots: Wesco Boots. (Click image to enlarge)
Despite its slow metabolism, the Fat Bob shares some family
tradition with its svelte-by-comparison siblings. All bikes in the platform roll
on the Dyna chassis, which was redesigned in 2006 for increased stiffness and
improved handling. The familiar under-seat battery box also survives. New
touches for 2008 include a redesigned airbox cover and black stainless steel
braided brake lines.
Legs of all shapes and sizes are easily tossed over the roomy
and plush two-up saddle. At 26 inches, it places you a wallet-width farther from
the pavement than that of the Dyna Low Rider. Reaching the drag bars requires
almost full extension for those of moderate arm length. Coupled with forward
controls, this results in a riding position that is either laid back clamshell
or stiff-limbed jackknife, depending on the rider’s dimensions. Taller pilots
will certainly find the configuration relaxed and comfortable. Mid-mount pegs
are available as a factory option and provide a much more orthodox, upright
posture.
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