Harley-Davidson FLSTF Softail Fat Boy 2013 — Specifications

Imagine a motorcycle that weighs as much as an American refrigerator full of beer, but attracts attention like a Hollywood starlet. The 2013 Harley-Davidson Softail Fat Boy, that's exactly what it is: a monument on two wheels, a block of style and metal that devours asphalt with an uninhibited nonchalance. Since the 90s, it has embodied the myth of the rebel custom, and its transition to the large Twin Cam 103 engine in 2012 only affirmed its nickname. With its 1690 cm³, it delivers 81 horsepower, but it is above all its torque of 131 Nm, available from 3250 rpm, that speaks to the rider: a massive, visceral surge that sticks your back to the seat without asking permission. Compared to it, many Japanese or European customs seem almost timid, too polished. The Fat Boy, on the other hand, doesn't apologize.

Its appearance is a statement in itself. The full wheels, the 200 mm wide rear tire, the imposing headlight, all shout presence. It is a motorcycle that takes its ease, physically and symbolically. Even cinema has sanctified it under the rear of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2. But beneath this bodybuilder's physique lie notable evolutions. The Softail frame, with its hidden shock absorbers, maintains the illusion of a rigid and pure line, typical of Harley-Davidsons of yesteryear. Yet, handling has noticeably firmed up since the 2000s. The rear dampers better manage small bumps, and the brakes, with a 292 mm front disc and a four-piston caliper, offer a bite finally worthy of the 330 kg all fueled up.

On the saddle, the position is imperial: low seat at 69 cm, footpegs forward, and a wide handlebar that gives a feeling of absolute control at low speed. The beast is surprisingly docile in the city, turns without forcing, and the new integrated wiring adds to the cleanliness of the whole. But don't be fooled, this is not a motorcycle for tight turns. As soon as you dare to lean, the wide footpegs scrape the asphalt with a sound that chills the blood. The huge rear tire stabilizes the machine in a straight line but weighs down transfers. It is a pure custom, made for long, straight roads or urban cruising, not for the track or mountain passes.

Who is it for? For the globetrotter who seeks presence and sensation more than pure performance, for the chrome aesthete who wants a 1950s rolling artwork revisited, for the rider who embraces a motorcycle as a cultural object. For 20,890 euros, you are not just buying a means of transport, but a fragment of motorized mythology. It drinks its 19-liter tank without counting, devours the kilometer with a characteristic vibration now calmed by the balance shaft, and transforms you into a mobile attraction. The Fat Boy is not perfect: it is heavy, not very agile, and its speedometer stops at 160 km/h. But like a good bourbon, it's not finesse that counts, it's character. And it overflows with that.