Five Reasons Why The Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 114 Is Awesome (And, Five Why It Isn’t!)

The Harley-Davidson Fat Bob (not to be confused with the Fat Boy) is what H-D calls a sports cruiser and, while it might be more on the cruiser side of that name, it is still one of the more dynamic models in the H-D line-up while still retaining classic Harley Davidson lines and attitude.

Awesome: The Engine

The Milwaukee Eight engine in 114 cubic inch guise fitted into the Fat Bob 114 is possibly the best engine Harley Davidson has ever produced: uncanny smoothness (helped by the rubber mounting of the engine in the Fat Bob) and lots of power and torque. You are looking at figures of 86 horsepower and 119 pound-feet of torque pulling along 674 pounds of bulk: not light but the engine can handle it.

Torque is always the important figure and the Fat Bob 114 has a mountain of it from as low as 2,000 rpm and it just never lets up, with stunning mid-range torque keeping things on the boil nicely. Six gears in the ‘box and belt final drive: the best Harley drivetrain yet?

Most importantly, it sounds as a Harley Davidson should sound, the stock exhaust system not strangling to sound too much, as is fitting for a sportier bike. But it’s also not too loud to make longer-distance rides painful.

Awesome: The Chassis

Quite simply, no heavy cruiser has any right to be this much fun when the going gets twisty. Looking at the 150/18 tire on the 16-inch front wheel (not to mention the 180/70 tire on the 16-inch heart wheel) might make you think that the Fat Bob will steer like a super tanker in a storm but, somehow, it manages to be nimble in the corners, even if it will never steer as quickly as a sports bike.

One of the reasons for this is the relatively short wheelbase (63.6 inches), while the 28° rake is shallower than many cruisers and contributes to the quickness of the steering.

Awesome: The Suspension and Brakes

Further emphasizing the sporty nature of the Fat Bob is the suspension: 43mm inverted forks at the front, offering 5.1-inches of travel, and a rear monoshock with pre-load adjustment and 4.4 inches of travel offer far more control and dynamic handling than any other Harley. The handling could be said to be precise and confidence-inspiring, which is not something we’ve always been able to say about Harleys.

Squeeze the front brake lever on the Fat Bob 114 and something strange happens: the bike stops! Hauling down 670+ pounds of weight calls for some powerful brakes and the Fat Bob has them in the form of twin discs clamped by four-piston calipers at the front and a single rear disc.

The initial bite of the front brakes is excellent and, after that, they are progressive and full of feel, quite unlike the wooden brakes on other models in the range. ABS is fitted to both the front and rear wheels.

Just as with the engine, this is the most impressive braking power of any Harley cruiser for a long time.

Awesome: Lean Angle Returns!

Harleys can’t corner without scraping footboards or pegs before you’re barely past vertical, right? Wrong!

Harley has given the Fat Bob 31-degree of lean to the right and 32-degree of lean to the left: maybe not superbike angles of lean but still brilliant for a Harley and another factor that makes the Fat Bob such fun to hurl into the twisty bits.

In a way, Harley had to give the most cornering clearance possible because the Fat Bob is so agile and turns so well. The Fat Bob is the most fun you can have on a Harley.

Awesome: Good Looks and Excellent Build Quality

Harley Davidson has been through the mill when it comes to the build quality: the bad old days of the AMF Harley Davidsons might be long gone but the reputation remains, even if it is unfounded now. The Fat Bob 114 is beautifully put together and finished, in line with the whole of the H-D range.

Of more importance to many customers are the looks of the Fat Bob. It is at once recognizably a Harley but, at the same time, has a taut, lean appearance that only serves to emphasize its sporty nature. It’s a great combination of classic Harley styling married to some modern styling touches. The lack of chrome helps and the bronze finish to the exhaust headers, feeding into twin stacked mufflers with matte aluminum finish wouldn’t look out of place on an Indian FTR1200 or KTM 1290 Super Duke!

Not-So-Awesome: Comfort

As good as the Fat Bob is, you’ll need to delve into the parts catalog to address the issue of the stock seat, which just isn’t comfortable enough and, with the large step, means the rider can’t move around as much as he or she might like. The stretch to the bars, coupled with the foot-forward riding position, is just too extreme and puts a lot of weight on the base of your spine. A better seat would address all these problems.

Not-So-Awesome: You Don’t Get Much For Your Money

The fat Bob 114 is pretty sparsely equipped. Yes, there is ABS but that’s about it: no alternative engine maps, no traction control, no quick-shifter, slipper clutch, heated grips, adjustable span levers, etc. And forget any kind of lean-sensitive ABS or TC. Harley Davidson has always been slow to adopt new technology or rider aids and it shows. Yes, simple can be good but, with this much torque, traction control at the very least would be appreciated.

Not-So-Awesome: Minimal Instrumentation

OK, so maybe not a deal-breaker, but, while we’re talking about equipment, Harley really needs to up its game when it comes to instrumentation. A four-inch round analog tachometer might be traditional but it doesn’t match the style and purpose of the rest of the bike.

A tiny LCD panel set into the tacho dial shows speed but it’s too small to read easily at a glance and, while the digital display can show odometer, trip, and fuel range, you have to scroll through to see each figure. It’s just a bit too budget and penny-pinching.

Not-So-Awesome: The Fat Bob’s Brother is the Fat Boy

While the Fat Bob’s party piece is its dynamic behavior on the road, its style is a little anonymous, especially next to its close relative, the Fat Boy. People buy Harleys to make an overt statement and aren’t generally interested in subtlety or hidden depths. The Fat Bob has been around longer than the Fat Boy but it is the Fat Boy that everyone remembers, even to the extent that if you say you own a Fat Bob, people assume you mean the Fat Boy.

Oh, and Arnie rode a Fat Boy in Terminator 2, further cementing its place in motorcycling folklore: ‘nuff said!

Not-So-Awesome: The Price

Grey Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 114 — Harley-Davidson

All Harley-Davidsons are expensive: that’s just what they are, and still, they sell in their thousands. But the segment in which the Fat Bob is playing- a sporty cruiser - has a lot of very good bikes from Europe as well as America and the Fat Bob’s price of $18,300 is too high to attract a younger customer, not to mention the lack of features that are standard on rival bikes. The Fat Bob will be expensive to maintain and, should you want to personalize it, the catalog prices are on the high side

Of course, ‘too high’ is subjective and the dynamics of the fat Bob will sell it to a lot of customers who buy with their hearts and not their heads.