When we think of muscle cars, typically we think of the Dodge Challenger, the Chevrolet Camaro, and the Ford Mustang. American-made cruisers don't just look powerful, they've got a meaty engine to back it up. The same can be said for Harley-Davidson's iconic, power-packed cruiser, the mighty Fat Boy. Making its debut in 1990, the Fat Boy has been a staple in Harley-Davidson's lineup for over thirty years. While it has gone through some noticeable design and performance changes in its lifetime, it has, for the most part, remained timeless. Regardless of whether people have actually ridden one before, the Fat Boy has remained a fan favorite for generations.

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1 The Fat Boy's Origin

Designed by Louie Netz and Willie G. Davidson, the first Fat Boy spent the first two years of its life as a prototype going under constant redesigns and tests. Before it made its way to the factory floor, Willie G. insisted that it be as perfect as possible. Before they gave it the green light, Willie rode it down to Daytona in 1988 and again in 1989 before it was officially revealed in 1990. The original 1990 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy came in silver with a powder-coated frame, yellow highlights, and its signature winged badge. The next revision Fat Boy arrived in 1994 where a seamless exhaust was installed to give the bike a leaner and cleaner appearance. By 1996, engineers reworked the bike's switchgear and master cylinder. Three years later, the engine received an upgrade when it came with a 1450cc Twin Cam engine straight from the factory. By 2006, the Fat Boy was upgraded to a 1584cc Twin-Cam engine and its first six-speed manual transmission. In 2010, Harley-Davidson released the Fat Boy Lo, which arrived with an even lower seat height that measured 24.3 inches. It wasn't until 2018 when Harley-Davidson made significant changes to the Fat Boy, adding Showa suspension and saying "goodbye" to the Twin-Cam engine, and "hello" to the power-packed Milwaukee-Eight 107cu (1740cc) engine. Then in 2020, emerged the most recent iteration of the Fat Boy with the all-new Milwaukee-Eight 114cu (1870cc) engine.

2 The Mystery Behind The Name

According to Harley-Davidson, the obvious reason why the Fat Boy is called "Fat Boy" is purely due to it being more stocky than other members of the Softail family. But there is another rumor that has been circulated around the origin of bike's name, and that it is allegedly derived from a historic moment from World War 2. It is believed that the bike received the name "Fat Boy" because it is a combination of the names of the two atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, "Fat Man" and "Little Boy." But there are a few other parts of the bike that may or may not be referring to that same moment in the war. The winged badge is rumored to serve as a nod to the two planes that dropped the bombs over Japan. The first Fat Boy's silver paint job is also somewhat similar to the color of the Enola Gay and Bockscar. The solid, drum-like wheels are believed to resemble the same wheels of many WW2 planes. Lastly, the two yellow rings seen on the top of the cylinders are thought to be in reference to the two atomic bombs. While all of this is mostly conjecture and hearsay, it has remained unconfirmed by Harley-Davidson.

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3 It's The Ultimate Cruiser

Bigger is better. We all know that. The design behind the Fat Boy is like a checklist of items every motorcycle needs to take its rider on a relaxing cruise through town and on the highway. Large enough to be ridden by even the biggest dudes, yet light enough to handle with ease. This is the kind of bike you take out on a warm Friday afternoon in the summer and leave the work week behind. Anyone that has ridden a Fat Boy can recall a memory of cruising down a straightaway at a steady speed without a care in the world.

4 Built For Comfort

The Fat Boy's ergonomic design is what makes it one of Harley-Davidson's more comfortable Softails for the last 30+ years. With a seat height of 26.6 inches, this bike is low enough to swing your leg over, regardless of how tall you are. This is a big relief for anyone transitioning from sports bikes with seat heights over 30 inches because the last thing you want to do is to get a running start into a gymnast dismount just to mount your bike. The floorboards are another big sign that this bike has your comfort in mind as you have the luxury of resting your entire foot instead of putting all of your weight onto a little peg. Forward controls are also a great feature to relax your leg muscles. Because what is more uncomfortable that having mid-controls and your legs start tightening up? The stock handlebars are also at the right width and height to be nearly universal for riders of all sizes without putting any strain on the shoulders. But for the bigger guys, a set of 14-inch ape hangers can really score you some style points!

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5 Yes, It Can Handle The Wind

A common critique the Fat Boy gets is that its solid drum wheels do not fare well against crosswinds. It is rumored that because the wheels don't allow any air to pass through, it can almost act like a sail, allowing a gust of wind to potentially knock the bike over. The debate rages on and on, and what is the final verdict? The wind does not affect solid wheels any differently from spoked wheels. The Fat Boy's wheels have been proven to not make the bike any more susceptible to crosswinds than any other bike out there. But how? It's all science. What happens is when the wheels of your motorcycles spin, it creates an invisible barrier of air surrounding it. This is the case for both solid and spoked wheels. So, if you are out riding 45 mph, and you feel a little wind coming at you from the side, your wheels will be rotating at such a high speed that that air will deflect off the wheel's air barrier. So, at long last, we can finally put this rumor to rest.

6 It's Powered By The Milwaukee-Eight Engine

The Fat Boy wouldn't be considered a "muscle bike" were it not for the engine housed in its softball frame. As previously mentioned earlier, the Fat Boy has gone through an impressive amount of motors in its lifetime. But as of now, the current version of the bike is powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine. Equivalent to 1,870 cc's and packing enough torque to take off from the starting line with a jolt, the Milwaukee-Eight 114 produces approximately 100 horsepower that is both strong and manageable. Sure, you can gun it at high speeds on the straightaway if you wanted to, but a chillaxing cruise around town is always in the cards.

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7 It Comes With A Learning Curve

While one of the Fat Boy's signature features is its fat steam-roller tires, which do come with a cost. Because the tires are so large and wide, they also have more road coverage. That means that for first-time, Fat Boy owners (especially beginner riders), will notice that the bike will take turns a little wider than that of a motorcycle with skinnier tires like a Sportster, On the straightaway, the Fat Boy shines bright. But in tight corners, that's where your riding skills are put to the test. Of course, after much practice, learning and understanding how the bike handles turns becomes much easier.

8 It's A Pop-Culture Icon

If you were to rank motorcycles in popular films, the Fat Boy in the iconic truck chase scene from Terminator 2 would certainly be at the top. This scene had everything: high-speed chases, explosions, destruction, and a robot biker from the future. Including the Fat Boy in this film definitely helped skyrocket the bike in popularity and in machismo. In fact, the same Fat Boy used in the Terminator 2 film went to auction where it sold for $480,000 in 2018.

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9 It Is A Very Desirable CVO

What Harley-Davidson prides itself on its CVOs (Custom Vehicle Option) is that they are very rare, and that they come fully loaded and upgraded straight from the factory. The unlikelihood that no two CVO owners with the exact same motorcycle will ever encounter each other is a delight not many riders can say they have felt before. Best of all, no two models a year apart are ever the same. These days, the CVOs are reserved for members of the touring class like the CVO Road Glide or the CVO Ultra Limited. But, for 2005 and 2006, the CVO Fat Boy was a sight to behold. With a full Screamin' Eagle package and eye-catching paint job, this bike is impossible to ignore.

10 It's Not For Everyone

One of the best things about riding a motorcycle is that it is an expression of freedom, independence, and taking the path less traveled. Approximately eight-percent of Americans ride motorcycles, and of that tiny population, it is spread out among cruisers, sport bikes, adventure bikes, dual-sport, and so on. Personal taste is subjective. Normally at giant bike rallies like Daytona Bike Week and Sturgis, there is an overwhelmingly large population of touring bikes. However, when a Fat Boy is in attendance, it stands out from the crowd, and there is a lot of pride in being the black sheep.