Full fat level
The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy turns 25
Confident look and easy handling since 1990
In the fourth generation with 58 kW (79 hp) Twin Cam 103B
“I want your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.” A T-800 doesn't hesitate when it comes to saving its wards and the world. “Terminator 2” with Arnold Schwarzenegger will make history and the world will learn: Cool cyborgs love Harleys . Not just any one, but the Fat Boy . Its story begins in 1990, a year before its furious film debut: The design team around Willie G. Davidson the Fat Boy based on the Softail platform to be wide, flat and huge. Solid light alloy disc wheels rotate at the front and rear.
The front end is dominated by a massive FL fork with a huge headlight. Propulsion is provided by the 1340 cubic centimeter Evolution engine , which drives a toothed belt and exhales via two silencers arranged diagonally one above the other. The petrol and oil tanks, fenders and frame shine in a subtle “Fine Silver Metallic”. Seven yellow decorative stripes provide well-measured accents.
From the very beginning, the charismatic machine took the hearts of bikers by storm, and within just a few years it became the archetype of a completely new type of motorcycle: the cruiser. No wonder, after all, her name says it all. Everything about this bike is a size larger, everything exudes power and authority. And even though the Fat Boy is as lush as it is solid, it remains surprisingly handy and active. There will be so little change in her look and personality that the team in the 2015 action spectacle “Terminator Genisys” will once again rely on a fat boy.
The technology of the machine, on the other hand, changes massively over time. In 2000, the second generation of the Fat Boy debuted, with a new 1449 cc Twin Cam 88B, new frame and new braking system. In 2007, Harley's "big boy" comes up with an even more modern, 1584 cc V-twin: the Twin Cam 96B with active intake and exhaust system and Cruise Drive six-speed transmission. Since 2010, the Fat Boy Special with its dark bad boy look has been supplementing the Harley portfolio, and since 2011 the two fat guys have had ABS brakes as standard. A year later, the Twin Cam 103B made its debut in the Fat Boy models: its 1690 cubic centimeter displacement generated 58 kW (79 hp) and 132 Nm. As in 1990, the current chassis also scores points with its classic rigid frame look. What looks like an unsprung rear wheel suspension is actually a cleverly designed swing arm with concealed spring struts.
The nimble and cultivated driving behavior of the Fat Boy , and its charisma is in no way inferior even after 25 years: Losing weight? No thanks! If you swing yourself into the deep seat of this character bike, put your boots on the running boards and operate the starter on the extra-wide steering antlers, the Fat Boy takes you into another world, expanding your consciousness: relaxed, decelerated, casual and free. Aren't we all a little Arnie?
Text & images copyright Harley-Davidson Germany GmbH
