ICON REIMAGINED
The new Harley Davidson Fat Bob is a revelation
It would be, in my mind, downright unfair to consider the 2018 Fat Bob an ‘evolution’. As someone who’s genuinely been fond of H-D’s Softail line-up, or even just as part of the community that loves, and has relationships with motorcycles, it would be disingenuous to let the new Fat Bob, brilliant as it is, to cast a long shadow over its predecessor.
This motorcycle’s older brother was a mean-looking mass of metal with tremendous heft, that grunted and snorted like an ill-tempered bull. Yes there were significant vibes passed on to the rider, and yes, it felt a bit, certainly when compared to the new Fat Bob—crude. It was a simpler machine, and more visceral, but, like that hulk of a friend you’re relieved to have by your side in a street brawl, the last Fat Bob was immensely lovable for what it was—flaws and all. An emotional motorcycle.
To use an analogy that all fans of the Francis Ford Coppola epic, The
Godfather, will grasp immediately (and that would probably be eight out of ten men in the world), if the 2018 Fat Bob was Sonny Corleone, then the one in 2018 is very much Michael. As badass, but just so slick that it doesn’t need to announce its intentions to get the job done. And much like Corleone Jr. it gets its way with flair, and without getting hot under the collar.
This new Softail is so quick on the draw, and light on its feet, that it would put the much smaller H-D Roadster to shame even on tight corners. It’s precise in its intentions, tight with its lines into the curves, quick as a terrier on its first morning walk in the park, and, believe it or not, so sensitive to your tush, that after a few hours in its saddle, even hardcore H-D purists grudgingly warm up to its persuasion.
The new Milwaukee-Eight 107 heart in the new line-up that includes the Heritage Classic, Fat Boy, Low Rider, Street Bob and Deluxe is refined but manages to retain some of the snarl and bark of the outgoing 103B.
You could always sit back and do the low rev cruise down the boulevard on the new Fat Bob, but when you throw it around on the esses is when this motorcycle really comes into its own. If the old Fat Bob announced its presence at standstill, then this one really comes alive on the road. It does your bidding with much more urgency and with much less stubbornness than its predecessor. In that sense it’s a bit easier to love and live with. Now there are always going to be motorcyclists who feel, much like some artists, that a life without angst loses its sheen. You can still be macho on the 2018 Fat Bob, and effortlessly so. But if its machismo you want, then look for its older brother.