Of the five families of motor-cycles that Harley-Davidson produces, there are now 30 derivative models. This year saw the introduction of a couple of new Softails into the ranks, the Rocker and Rocker C. The new Dyna Fat Bob was also added into the company’s big V-twin line up, joining five other siblings in the already well-established Dyna family.

While the whole Dyna line-up is somewhat of an underdog in the big scheme of ‘all things Harley-Davidson’, the Dyna family itself is underrated. Considered by many to be the company’s middleweight series of bikes, they are sandwiched between the heavyweight FL touring line-up and the venerable lightweight XL Sportster family. Appropriately so, I might add, since the original model began in the early seventies by combining a smaller front-end similar to the XL’s to the FL model frame, thereby creating the FX family. The first model, and still common today, was the Super Glide, designed by Willie G. It was considered the first factory custom motorcycle. In 1991, the FX family was re-badged as the Dyna line-up and in 2006, the Dyna underwent a complete frame redesign which provided better handling.

Although 2008 introduces the Fat Bob to the modern masses, the name itself has been around since the late seventies, originally given because of the style of the ‘fat’ double gas tanks with centre console and a ‘bobbed’ rear fender. The new Fat Bob takes on a whole new look and exudes attitude with its very distinguishable oversized fat front tire, the double headlight and the Tommy Gun wrap-around exhaust system. The large, easy to read speedometer and ignition switch take a page from tradition and are planted in the 19.3-litre gas tank’s centre console. Enough nostalgia. This bike is very modern in every aspect and the whole combination is an eyeful that screams custom and attitude, straight from the factory.

My demo bike was a real eye catcher and a plethora of high contrast provided by the satin smooth matte black denim finish, black drive-line components, contrasting with chrome from front to back and highlighted with a few gloss black components. The contrast of the front end made some of the Fat Bob’s most endearing features stand out. The fat tire is mounted on a slotted polished wheel stuffed between black fork lowers with polished triple clamps and black risers. Moving up the meaty 49mm fork is a dual four-inch headlamp planted smack dab in the middle of a pair of polished aluminum triple trees. To my knowledge, this headlight arrangement is a first for Harley-Davidson and as with all firsts, takes some getting used to. Like the front tire, the handlebar is fatter than normal allowing the wiring to run internally, helping to keep your riding line of sight tidy. The V-shaped stainless drag-style handlebar is topped off with gloss black switchgear, master cylinder and mirrors. A contrasting style that’s continued throughout the motorcycle.

The most aggressive component of the Fat Bob is the larger than life front wheel and tire; in fact it is this single combination that takes most of the attention from bystanders. On one hand it looks so out of place, as if it has a rear tire on the front. But yet, it looks so right on this bike, squeezed between the beefy fork lowers. Directly above the wide front tire is the minimalist front fender. Looking like a rear tire isn’t much of an exaggeration considering the front and back slotted disc cast aluminum rims are both 16-inch, although the rear wheel is five-inches wider and wears a 180/70-16 blackwall Dunlop while the 3.5-inch wide front rim wears a 130/90-16. The chunky aggressive tread design on both the front and rear tires was specifically designed for the Fat Bob and stands out as prominently as the size of the front tire itself.

Pushing the wide handlebar in corners offers instant response to the big rubber and the 29-degree rake makes this bike quite responsive. Never mind tar snakes or imperfections in the road, the chubby ‘steam roller’ tire hardly even knows they’re there.

My borrowed bike had forward controls but interestingly, there are two options for foot controls on the Fat Bob. You are able to order from the factory either forward controls or mid-mount controls. I haven’t had the opportunity to ride the mid-mount controls, but I found the forward controls a little awkward to use at first. Both the shifter and the rear brake pedal felt like they were inset too far and I had to bend my ankle or knee toward the center of the bike in order to reach them properly. I also thought that the forward controls were a little too far forward for my 32-inch inseam and felt like I was stretching to reach them, at least initially, but I soon got used to the stretch after an hours riding. In saying that, pulling the foot pegs back an inch or two would make a big difference in the reach and comfort department. That reach to the footpegs certainly doesn’t correspond to the low seat height of only 663 mm (26.1 in.) making it friendly to almost everyone to plant both feet securely on the pavement. Overall the bike’s comfort level was very acceptable and the wide deep seat pocket provided good support for the long haul. I can’t say the same for the passenger since what’s left of the seat at the back for the pillion doesn’t look too comfy. This bike looks great as a solo rider bike, but there may be times when your better half might want to go for a spin with you.

Other than the aforementioned long reach to the footpegs, I have no real complaint other than the kickstand on the Fat Bob is hard to reach. The end of it resides under and behind the primary cover making it hard for your heel to reach it and push it out into place. A pretty minor complaint since once you know where it is and how to twist your foot to make contact, it’s easy to get accustomed to.

The powertrain is pretty standard fare for all of Harley-Davidson’s big twin line-up. A characteristic of Harley-Davidson engines is that they are known for their low-down torque and the air-cooled Twin Cam 96 engine in the Fat Bob doesn’t disappoint by producing an impressive 92 ft-lbs of torque at 3000 rpm. Engine breathing begins at the Fat Bob’s newly designed air breather and flows through to the two valve heads while Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection accomplishes the fuel delivery. The engine exhales through the brand new Tommy Gun exhaust, so named because of the slotted heat shield. The new 2-1-2 exhaust pipes wrap around the timing cover before heading back to the slash-cut dual mufflers. While the new Tommy Gun exhaust is pretty quiet at idle, a twist of the wrist and this exhaust produces a real nice snarl to it on acceleration in all gears. While the bike doesn’t have a tach, I would hazard a guess this pleasant exhaust note falls in the 2500-3500 rpm range. Tach or not, you’ll know it when you hear it.

The vibration isolated engine is standard on the whole Dyna line and while the flexible rubber mounting does a fine job of keeping the engine’s vibration away most of the time, there is a fair bit of vibration transferred through the handlebar at times during deceleration while engine braking. With the exception of that vibration, I hardly felt any in the bars or the footpegs and the mirrors stayed smooth enough to see behind at any speed.

Power is sent to the rear wheel by belt but not before it passes through the 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission. Shifting is typical Harley-Davidson, a little on the heavy side but positive and sure; finding neutral is always easy. The sixth gear is a nice touch although a little high on a regular road with a speed limit of 80 kph, I think fifth is the better gear to stay in. The engine rpm seems too low to be healthy in sixth gear at lower speeds. But on a major highway where the speed is 100 kph plus, the extra gear really shines by lowering the engine rpm and should, in turn, save a few dollars over the long run in fuel. The engine accelerates quickly as expected but is in need of a downshift when passing a car when in sixth gear. In between shifting you’ll notice the clutch action is surprisingly easy to pull and the friction point is predictable.

The Fat Bob in full running order weighs in at 319 kg (703 lb) but stopping the bike requires only a moderate squeeze on the front brake lever for the dual 4-piston calipers to clamp the pair of 300 mm full-floating rotors, pretty impressive hardware up front. The brakes do provide good solid feedback, thanks in part to the black stainless steel braided brake lines, and slowed the bike to a quick stop smoothly and confidently. Assisting the front brakes, the rear binder uses a 2-piston caliper and a 292 mm rotor for its stopping power, again using moderate pressure on the foot pedal.

The front suspension uses dual-rate springs inside the large diameter non-adjustable forks that offer a very compliant 127 mm (5 in) of travel. The Harley-Davidson dubbed ‘Full Metal Jacket’ rear coil-over shocks are fully enclosed in a chromed metal sheathing. The rear shocks are pre-load adjustable and easy to adjust by simply turning the lower portion of the ‘Full Metal Jacket’. The covered rear shocks look as substantial as the front tire and certainly add to the look of the rear end. They provide 79 mm (3.1 in) of movement to the rear end and performed as expected; never bottoming out on any of the roads I travelled.

The response I received from riders and the general public alike was that many weren’t sure about the double headlight but loved the big front tire, and most liked the Tommy Gun wrap-around exhaust. The outstanding finish of the Black Denim paint also grabbed as many comments as the front tire did, and rightly so.

The Fat Bob is one sharp bike that offers a presence and recognition on the road not many others can match. It performed just as well cruising around town as it does on the open highway.
See more of the Fat Bob at www.harley-davidson.com