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2019–2020 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Big Torque, Meaner Stance
The Fat Bob is the Softail that stopped apologizing for wanting to be ridden hard. Everything sits on those fat 16-inch balloon tires, 150/80 up front and 180/70 out back, wrapped around an inverted fork and a silhouette stripped down to muscle and intent. The 1746 cc Milwaukee-Eight V-twin makes 85 hp and 107 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm, and the tubular steel frame uses that engine as a stressed member. The result is a big twin with real cornering poise, which is not the sentence you expect to write about a 672 lb cruiser.
At 28.0 inches the seat puts you flat-footed at every light, and the low center of gravity does a lot of quiet work once the bike is rolling. It holds a line at highway speed without wandering, and belt final drive plus air/oil cooling keeps the ownership math simple over the years. ABS is standard, and so are the LED headlight, keyless ignition, and a USB port. What you don't get is cruise control, traction control, or ride modes. Buy this one for the stance and the thump, not for a menu of electronics.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 85 hp (63 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 107 lb-ft (145 Nm) @ 3,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1746 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 |
| Seat height | 28.0 in (710 mm) |
| Wet weight | 672 lb (305 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.6 gal (13.6 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Lighting
Safety
None of what follows is my own riding. It is what years of listening add up to: conversations in rally parking lots, owners who track me down after a demo day, club evenings, and the messages that arrive from people living with the bike. For the Fat Bob the chatter lines up unusually well. Engine and chassis collect the praise, and the grumbles gather around low speed and small hardware.
The V-twin starts nearly every exchange. Riders describe a heavy pull sitting there just off idle with a deep, clean rumble under it, and they agree the character shows up without leaving their hands buzzing. Back roads come next. Owners who push it report that the front end keeps them informed and that it leans far enough to hold the pace they set. The brakes earn the same even approval: bite when they ask for it, and enough feel to meter the stop. A similar number bring up the styling, which they read as modern rather than nostalgic. A smaller group says the riding position and the seat let them stay out all day without paying for it afterward.
Weight tops the list, and it shows up in parking lots and stop-and-go crawls, where owners say they have to work for it and that the mass can unsettle a rider still getting used to the bike. Finish sits level with it. Fogged gauges, a fuel filler lock that quits, a rattling gas cap: these come up often enough that owners read them as corner-cutting they did not expect at this price. After that the accounts thin out. Faster riders say the stock peg position leaves them without leverage and fit mid controls instead. Gear changes land with a loud, heavy clunk, predictable but not subtle. The front suspension takes no adjustment, which owners connect to a stiff response over rough pavement. The factory tires draw complaints wet and dry.
Gas cap rattle
The stock fuel cap can develop an irritating rattle; the common fix is replacing it with a flush-mount aftermarket cap.
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
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Softail Fat Bob FXFB is actually built for.
You'll fit right in at Sturgis or Daytona, and the sound and stance carry the weight they need to. The difference is the road between rallies, where this one actually enjoys a bend.
Made for Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
The low seat and easy torque suit small-town pace and two-lane highways well. Plan your stops around 3.6 gallons and it works, though the look is muscle rather than classic.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It's stable at speed and the belt drive keeps maintenance easy, but there's no cruise control, no luggage, and a small tank. For genuine big-mile days you're fighting the bike.
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 · 2018
Fat Tires, Serious Torque
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.
