Harley-Davidson 1870 Softail Fat Bob FXFBS 2022 — Specifications

Who would dare claim that Harley-Davidson doesn't know how to reinvent itself? The 2022 Fat Bob FXFBS is living proof of the opposite. This machine threw everything overboard to be reborn on the Softail platform, ditching its former Dyna chassis and dual side-mounted shocks in favor of a steel double-cradle frame that's deceptively rigid and considerably sharper. The mono-shock hidden beneath the seat, adjustable via a knob accessible behind the right calf, replaces the old setup with an immediate gain in stiffness. The result: fifteen kilos shed from the scales. At 306 kg wet, the Fat Bob remains a heavyweight — nobody's going to argue otherwise. But compared to its predecessor, the diet has paid off.

From the front, this Harley looks like no other. The compact, aggressive LED headlight cluster is more reminiscent of a Japanese concept bike than a Milwaukee cruiser. The 43 mm inverted fork, with 130 mm of travel, firmly holds a 150 mm front tire mounted on a 16-inch rim. The close-cropped fender, the twin 300 mm discs clamped by four-piston calipers — everything contributes to giving the front end a physical presence rarely seen in the lineup. This is a far cry from the easygoing Fat Bob of the early years. Here, the overall design plays the intimidation card, with a narrowed 13.6-liter tank, a scooped seat, a prominently displayed exhaust, and a rear fender cut in half. The silhouette is compact, squat, ready to pounce.

Beneath that muscular bodywork beats the Milwaukee Eight 114, a 45-degree V-twin displacing 1,868 cc. The numbers speak for themselves: 93 horsepower at 5,020 rpm and, more importantly, 154.9 Nm of torque from just 3,500 rpm. This isn't a sportbike engine — it's a draft horse. The thrust is immediate, full, carrying that unmistakable signature of a long-stroke American V-twin (102 x 114.3 mm). Four valves per cylinder and a 10.5:1 compression ratio bring a welcome dose of modernity without erasing the fundamentally earth-shaking character of this powerplant. Against a Triumph Bonneville Bobber or an Indian Scout Bobber, the Fat Bob plays in a higher displacement league. It's not looking for refinement or compromise. It sells raw torque and a mechanical presence that few competitors can match at this level of visceral intensity.

The belt drive and six-speed gearbox do the job without fuss. The seat height of 710 mm lets average-sized riders plant both feet flat on the ground — no small matter given the machine's weight. On the other hand, the tank limited to 13.6 liters forces frequent stops, especially if the right wrist gets generous. Top speed caps out at 175 km/h, which clearly defines the playing field: back roads, spirited rides, urban cruising where its looks do the rest of the talking. Don't expect to drone along the highway at 130 for hours on end — that's not what it was built for.

At €20,590, the Fat Bob FXFBS sits at the top of the range for a production custom. That's the price of a machine that bets everything on character and visual impact, at the expense of range and versatility. The typical rider is an experienced motorcyclist who wants a bike with serious personality without going full custom in the Breakout mold. For those who crave raw mechanical sensations wrapped in a design that punches you in the retinas, the big Bob remains a proposition that's hard to ignore in today's landscape.