2009–2010 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Factory Custom, Full Swagger
Harley built the CVO Fat Bob in small numbers, and you can see where the money went. The Screamin' Eagle-tuned 1803 cc air-cooled 45-degree V-twin puts out 113 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm through a six-speed box and a belt, with 85 hp sitting further up the range where it matters far less. What separates this one from the rest of the Fat Bob line is the finish work: exclusive paint, machined surfaces, chrome laid on thick, and a 2-1-2 Tommy Gun exhaust that gives the bike its signature bark. A factory hot rod, built as a statement rather than a volume model.
On the road it behaves the way the shape promises. Drive arrives just off idle, the 64.2-inch wheelbase keeps everything planted at highway speed, and the fat 130-section front tire is friendlier through a bend than its look suggests. This is a bike for a rider who wants presence and mechanical theater, not spec-sheet bragging rights. The caveats are honest ones: 719 lb wet, a 106 mph ceiling, no ABS and no traction control, and a fork with no adjustment at all (only the rear shock takes preload). Paint and chrome this exclusive also want a dry garage and regular attention to still look right in ten years.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 85 hp (63 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 113 lb-ft (153 Nm) @ 3,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1803 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 130/90B16 |
| Rear tire | 180/70B16 |
| Wheelbase | 64.2 in (1631 mm) |
| Seat height | 27.9 in (709 mm) |
| Wet weight | 719 lb (326 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (18.9 L) |
| Top speed | 106 mph (170 km/h) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Hit the starter and the Tommy Gun pipes drop into a slow, heavy idle you feel through the tank before you register it as sound. At a stop the twin shakes the mirrors; once you're rolling it settles into a steady pulse through the pegs and the seat that stays this side of tiring. The seat sits low at 27.9 inches, so both boots plant flat with room to spare, and the bars set your hands wide and slightly ahead, shoulders open, back upright. It feels enormous at walking pace and then shrinks the moment you're past 30 mph. At a steady road pace it sits still in its lane with wind on your chest and the exhaust loping along underneath. Ride it at its own cadence and it repays you.
None of this comes from my own test ride. It's what riders have told me over the years: talk in paddocks and parking lots, club nights, and the messages owners send straight to my inbox. On this bike the conversations line up unusually well. The praise clusters tightly around the motor and the presence, and the criticism keeps coming back to one part of the chassis.
The big twin dominates the conversation. Riders describe strong, smooth low-end torque that makes town work easy and highway miles relaxed. Handling comes up almost as often, usually with some surprise attached: it turns in willingly and feels lighter than the numbers suggest. The looks do the rest, with owners reporting that the paint, chrome and twin-headlight front end draw attention at every stop. Riders who cover long days add that the seat and riding position hold up.
The rear suspension is the recurring one. Owners say travel runs short and it can bottom hard over rough pavement or when pushed. Beyond that, a few mention the price gap over the standard bike, and some report that CVO-specific parts are harder to track down.
No widely-reported issues on record.
Where this Harley-Davidson CVO Fat Bob FXDFSE pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the CVO Fat Bob FXDFSE is actually built for.
This one is squarely yours. A limited CVO draws a crowd at every rally stop, and the sound, paint and finish back up the badge instead of trading on it.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
The rhythm suits you: relaxed, loping, small towns at moderate speed. Just know this is heavy chrome-and-muscle Americana, and the five-gallon tank keeps your legs between stops short.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It stays steady and comfortable at highway pace, but there's no cruise control, no luggage and no weather protection. Loaded up for a long park loop, you'll want more bike than this.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Harley-Davidson CVO Fat Bob FXDFSE. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
