Harley-Davidson 1870 Softail Street Bob FXBB 2024 — Specifications

What separates an honest custom from a bobber that grabs you by the gut? Probably what Harley-Davidson put in the tank of its 2024 Street Bob FXBB. Not a particularly large tank either — 13.2 liters, barely enough to remind you that this motorcycle makes zero concessions to convenience. It would rather drag you into a brutal one-on-one with its Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin displacing 1868 cc, set at 45 degrees as Milwaukee tradition has demanded for over a century.

The big change is the move to the 114 cubic inch engine. And you feel the result in your bones. 94 horsepower at 5020 rpm is decent without being earth-shattering, but the real selling point sits lower in the rev range. 154.9 Nm of torque at just 3250 rpm — that's the signature of this machine. At that speed, the twin shoves hard, with a thick smoothness more reminiscent of a locomotive diesel than a motorcycle engine. The 10.5:1 compression ratio and long 114 mm stroke against a 102 mm bore confirm this noble tractor vocation. Against an Indian Chief Dark Horse or a Triumph Bonneville Bobber, the Street Bob plays a different tune. Less refined than the Brit, less flashy than the Indian, it bets everything on unapologetic mechanical brutality.

The Softail chassis has silenced the Dyna-frame nostalgics, and the handling has genuinely improved for it. The mono-shock hidden beneath the seat offers a semblance of comfort with its 86 mm of travel, while the 49 mm inverted fork soaks up 130 mm up front. That's not much, but enough for the road program this bike proposes. At 297 kg wet and with a seat perched just 680 mm off the ground, the Street Bob plants its feet firmly and reassures shorter riders. The braking — a 300 mm front disc clamped by a four-piston caliper and a 292 mm rear — gets the job done without any particular brilliance. On that front, a Yamaha Bolt or a Honda Rebel 1100 do better for less money.

The styling, on the other hand, is beyond debate. Spoked wheels, fork gaiters, raised Shotgun exhaust pipes, dark paint down to every last corner. The Street Bob cultivates a stripped-down aesthetic where every superfluous element has been thrown overboard. The gauge, reduced to its simplest expression, hides under the handlebar as if ashamed to exist. Information is secondary. What matters is the stance — arms spread wide on the broad handlebar, gaze cast over the round headlight. Harley even added a passenger pillion, a gesture of openness that almost clashes with the machine's solitary temperament.

At €17,650, the Street Bob targets a well-defined audience. Not the beginner looking for an accessible first custom, nor the touring rider who devours miles. It aims at the motorcyclist who wants an authentic bobber, raw and unpolished, with a big twin pulsing between the legs and a six-speed belt drive that delivers the power without excessive maintenance. A motorcycle of conviction, not compromise. And that is precisely what gives it strength in a segment where too many competitors try to please everyone.