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2008–2011 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Factory Bobber Done Right
Harley built the Cross Bones as a factory bobber, and it commits all the way. Leading-link springer front end, mini ape-hangers, a hand-stitched sprung solo saddle, gloss black on nearly every surface. Underneath sits the 1584 cc air-cooled 45° V-twin, counterbalanced in the Softail chassis, making 75 hp and 93 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm through a six-speed box and belt final drive. In a class where stance decides everything, this is one of the purest shapes Harley has ever sold with a warranty on it. The bike is styling-led, and it never pretends otherwise.
On the road it delivers what the shape promises: low, long, and happiest rolling along on a small handful of throttle. It suits riders who ride to arrive somewhere and be seen there, not to log miles against a clock, and it ages well because there is almost nothing on it to go out of date. The honest part is short. 737 lb is real weight when you push it around a gravel lot, there is no ABS, and neither the fork nor the shock offers any adjustment. Accept that and it stays one of the most satisfying things in the showroom.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 75 hp (56 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 93 lb-ft (126 Nm) @ 3,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1584 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Leading-link |
| Front brake | 292 mm |
| Front tire | 130/90-16 |
| Rear tire | 200/55R17 78V |
| Seat height | 26.6 in (676 mm) |
| Wet weight | 737 lb (334 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (18.9 L) |
Start it and the twin shakes the whole bike once before settling into a lazy, uneven idle you feel in your palms and through the saddle. Ride away and the sprung solo seat does something no bolted-down cruiser seat does: it moves with you, breathing over expansion joints and tar snakes instead of fighting them. The mini ape-hangers put your hands high and wide, wrists relaxed, elbows out, and with 26.6 in of seat height both boots find the ground without any thought. At town speeds the springer front end floats a little, which suits the mood exactly. Vibration is always there and always audible, never numbing. Past 60 mph the wind gets a full grip on your chest, and you find yourself sitting up, easing off, and letting the road come to you.
This part belongs to the owners. It comes out of years of pit lane talk, club evenings, and the notes riders send me directly. On the Cross Bones those accounts line up neatly: contentment at an unhurried pace, frustration as soon as the pace or the distance climbs.
Comfort leads by a wide margin. Owners keep describing unhurried back-road runs that leave them fresher than the hardware suggests, and they credit the feet-forward position as much as anything under them. The engine earns nearly as much goodwill: short-shift it, sit in the tall gear, and the pull down low does the rest. A few simply like that the bobber shape reads as the real article.
Wind tops the list. With nothing up front to break it, holding highway pace becomes work, and a windshield often gets bolted on despite what it does to the silhouette. Clearance follows: the floorboard feelers announce the limit long before anything else does, so hard cornering just isn't part of how these bikes get ridden. Several find the stock exhaust too muted to do the twin justice, and swapping mufflers tends to be the first job. A smaller number mention keeping a wrench on side panel and exhaust fasteners.
Recall 09V211000: acorn stud at the brake reaction link can fall out
NHTSA campaign 09V211000 (H-D recall 0139), reported 10/06/2009: Harley-Davidson recalled 11,005 FLSTSB, FXSTSSE2 and FXSTSSE3 MY2008 and 2009 motorcycles. The acorn stud at the brake reaction link may fall out during use, so the front brake and fender assembly would no longer be adequately retained, which could lead to a crash. Dealers replaced the acorn stud with a new stud and retaining clip; the recall began June 2009.
Loud and clunky gear engagement
Shifts—especially into first gear—produce a pronounced mechanical clunk; considered normal for the transmission but can be off‑putting.
Loose fasteners and trim pieces
Side panel screws and exhaust mounting bolts have a tendency to work loose; check and re‑tighten regularly.
Where this Harley-Davidson Softail Cross Bones FLSTSB 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
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Softail Cross Bones FLSTSB is actually built for.
This is the bike people walk over to look at when you park it. The stance, the sound, and the parts catalog are all there, and slow boulevard laps are exactly what it was built for.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
Two-lane roads at an unhurried rhythm are its element. Plan short days, expect wind on any open stretch, and the Cross Bones turns a weekend loop into an event.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
Be straight with yourself here. No wind protection, no luggage, and a solo saddle mean this is the wrong tool for big western days with a passenger and a week of gear.
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 Softail Cross Bones FLSTSB. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
