2018 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Fat Tires, Serious Torque
The Fat Bob takes the Softail platform and points it at the street rather than the parade route. A 1745 cc air/oil-cooled 45° V-twin puts heavy low-end torque under your right hand, with 85 hp stacked above it, fed through a 6-speed box and a belt. The chassis is the interesting part: an upside-down fork, dual 300 mm front discs, and fat 16-inch rubber at both ends inside a 63.6 in wheelbase. ABS is optional, so check before you buy. It reads cruiser at a glance and something harder-edged on the second look.
At 675 lb wet with a 28.0 in seat, the mass sits low enough that it stops feeling like a handful inside the first mile. It holds a line at highway speed better than the styling promises, and the build quality is the kind you register through your fingers, not just in photos. It should age cleanly, because there is very little on it to date: no screens to go dim, no electronic suspension to fail. It fits riders who want presence and sound first and still expect the bike to work on a good Sunday road. The caveat is range. A 3.6 gal tank plans your day for you.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 85 hp (63 kW) |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 1745 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air/oil-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 150/80-16 |
| Rear tire | 180/70-16 |
| Wheelbase | 63.6 in (1615 mm) |
| Seat height | 28.0 in (710 mm) |
| Wet weight | 675 lb (306 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.6 gal (13.6 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Lighting
Safety
This part comes from listening: years of paddock conversations, club-night talk, and the mail and messages riders send me directly. With the Fat Bob the chatter lands in one place. Owners keep circling back to how it behaves once the road starts turning, and their reservations sit on that same subject.
The thing riders say most is that it does not steer like something this heavy. They call it nimble on a twisty road and quick to change direction, which is not what most of them expected. Brakes come up alongside that, strong and predictable whenever they ask for them. The styling keeps earning comment too, the headlight and the fat tires giving it a presence riders say stands apart in the cruiser crowd.
The complaint that repeats is cornering clearance. Riders find the peg feelers touching down earlier than they expect from the sportiest bike in this family, and they bring it up unprompted. Tires are the other constant. Owners describe the rubber it leaves the dealer on as short of grip in the wet and the cold, and better tires are one of the first things they go buy.
Early Milwaukee-Eight 107 sumping issue
Some early 2018 Softail models with the Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine experienced oil sumping due to a flaw in the oil pump design, causing oil to bypass and not return to the tank. Harley-Davidson released a revised oil pump assembly, and the issue was corrected in later 2018 production. Affected bikes may need the updated pump installed.
Speedometer condensation
Moisture can accumulate inside the speedometer housing, causing fogging that obscures the display. This has been reported by several owners, especially in humid climates.
Fuel level sensor misreading
Some owners experience inaccurate fuel gauge readings, with the gauge showing less than a full tank even after filling up. An ECM recalibration update from Harley-Davidson can address the issue.
Where this Harley-Davidson Softail Fat Bob FXFB pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Softail Fat Bob FXFB is actually built for.
This one lands right for you. The sound, the stance, and a parts catalog deep enough to make it yours before the next rally. Plan your fuel stops on the long hauls and it delivers.
Made for Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
It suits slow miles and two-lane roads, and the low seat makes every stop easy. Just know it reads muscle rather than heritage, so buy it for that harder look, not despite it.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
For your kind of riding this is the wrong tool. No cruise control, no factory luggage, and a 3.6 gal tank has you stopping long before you are actually tired.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2008–2011
All Attitude, All Custom
Compare to the previous model →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 Fat Bob FXFB. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2019–2020
Big Torque, Meaner Stance
Competitor · 2014
The Bobber Built To Customize
Roughly $6,500 cheaper used than this bike at 8 yr
Competitor · 2019–2020
Factory Custom, Built Right
Competitor · 2015–2024
Legendary Name, Real Legs
Roughly $3,700 cheaper used than this bike at 8 yr
Same Platform · 2018–2020
Factory Custom, Zero Apologies
~$600 pricier used than this bike at 8 yr