THE Fat Boy has been with us since 1990: 20 years after the first model Harley has now released a variant, the Fat Boy Lo. And low it is – it has the lowest seat height of any current model Harley – as well as long, but certainly not lean.

The other big news is the price: at $27,990 (plus on road costs) the Fat Boy Lo is more than $1500 cheaper than the still available standard Fat Boy. And it has a stealth look; satin chrome, gloss or satin black for the main colour and minimalist styling – the perfect representation of a factory custom. It looks heaps better than the first Fat Boys, although the lineage can be easily recognised. More importantly though is that Harley-Davidson has been able to keep the styling while massively improving the machine as a motorcycle – sure, like any cruiser cornering clearance is very limited, but the Fat Boy Lo handles and goes better than any Softail before it.

Cycle Torque's Nigel Paterson was so impressed with the bike from the launch of Harley's 2010 range (see the November 2010 issue, available online at www.cycletorque.com.au) that he organised this bike to be Cycle Torque's first cruiser project machine.

Running gear

Harley’s venerable Twin Cam 1584cc V-twin engine is the focal mechanical piece of this puzzle. This is a very modern powerplant, but unlike so many others it's not been designed for peak power, extreme revs or smooth operation: it's designed and built to make the riding experience unique, enjoyable and timeless.
Pretty much an all new design only a few years ago, the modern technology includes sequential port fuel injection, a counterbalancer so only the vibes Harley wants you to feel make it through ensuring it’s a modern power unit. It has a dry sump lubrication set up, and a relatively low compression ratio of 9.2:1. It’s reliable, has loads of torque and just loves to lope along all day. In terms of fulfilling its design brief, it’s spot on.

A six speed gearbox hooks up the belt final drive which will keep on keeping on for years. In many ways you could almost compare it to a shaft drive. It needs minimal maintenance and is designed to last much longer than a chain.
The chassis is a highly agricultural affair, at least it is from an aesthetic point of view. It consists of a mild steel tubular frame, joined with a rectangular section backbone, with both tying up with stamped cast and forged sections to make up the entire chassis. Even though the swingarm makes the bike look like a hardtail, it actually comes from the Softail family, with the rear shocks mounted horizontally under the bike.41mm conventional telescopic forks sit out front, partially hidden by the massive shroud which sits behind the headlight.
Twin four-piston calipers and 292mm discs do stopping duties at the bow, while a similarly sized single disc sits aft with a twin-piston caliper. The Fat Boy’s distinctive alloy wheels are used, 17-inch both ends, 3.5 inches up front and a six inch rear.

An interesting couple of measurements is the seat height of only 669mm and the weight which is 331 kilograms ready to roll. So it’s low to the ground (mainly with the help of the lowered suspension), it’s heavy, and with very conservative rake and trail figures, it’s also a slow steerer.
Compared to the Fat Boy, the Lo is 9mm shorter, has a 10mm lower seat (which is also narrower), has 5mm less ground clearance, has 5mm shorter wheelbase. It weighs the same: 313kg dry.

Cruise time

Even though the centre of gravity is low on the Lo, it still feels like the heavy bike it is. At very low speeds the feeling remains, disappearing mostly as you reach around 30km/h.
From a pure ergonomics point of view, the seat pushed me slightly forward than I really wanted to be, but overall the seat/’bar/running board combination feels good. Shorter riders (I’m six foot) will feel more comfortable.

While the suspension is around 25mm lower than the standard Fat Boy set up, and the seat is lower and narrower, I never felt as though I was dragging my behind on the road. Lowering the Fat Boy is a master stroke from Harley-Davidson. It will allow much shorter riders to enjoy a bike they may have previously steered clear of because of reach issues.
At low revs (don’t exactly know what they were, there’s no tacho) the FLSTFB feels strong enough to hold a bull out to wee, and when you crack open the throttle it gives a mighty surge forward, despite having less than 2000 kilometres on the clock.

Shifting through the gears is easy enough, with so few kilometres on this baby you need to be positive with your shifts but this is expected. It might feel a little agricultural but gearboxes tend to be like this when they need to cope with big cylinders. One thing to keep in mind is that sixth gear is very much an overdrive. It’s only when you are doing over 100 km/h that it should be engaged, under that and you feel the engine struggling to cope. Labouring an engine in this way is not good for it, but many riders think you can slot it in to top nice and early because the engine has got the torque to pull it. It does, but it won’t like you for it.
Up to 100km/h the windblast from the open cockpit doesn’t intrude, it’s only when you go north of that you might feel like a windsock. It’s OK for short blasts but tiresome when done constantly. Harley-Davidson make terrific screens which mount simply and quickly. I reckon you might see one on the Cycle Torque long termer in the not too distant future.

Because the bike is lower than the standard Fat Boy you’ll tend to run out of ground clearance earlier. I touched the footboards down first (I prefer the footboards to forward controls, both in look and comfort) and even though I didn’t hammer further into the tarmac I know from experience you can start to grind away the stand and other sections of the metalwork. We knew this would be the case when we looked at getting a ‘Lo’, and this is fine, you just ride to suit the bike you are on. But there’s no doubting the fact the Fat Boy will tip much further over than the ground clearance allows. If you like hearing grinding noises you can push the boards into the ground, they pivot up, but it will only go so far. Just going through intersections will easily have the footboards touching so expect it to happen regularly.
Harley quotes the lean angle available as 25.6/25.2 degrees, a little under two degrees less than the Fat Boy, which is significant when carving through corners, but… this bike isn't designed for carving through corners.

Big cruisers like the Fat Boy usually brake much better than you would expect. I think the weight distribution helps here. The brakes as they sit individually, are OK. Up front the four-piston caliper on a single disc gives less feel and bite than I expected, and the rear brake is better than expected. Combined they make an impressive team, pushing the bike’s tyres into the road to pull up quick smart. Generally I used the rear brake for tootling around, only really chiming in the front when I needed to wash off some serious speed.

Cruising along is this bike’s forte, and on most roads, even bad ones, the suspension copes well enough. It’s when you start exploring the outer regions of engine performance that you’ll push the suspension beyond its limits. Once again you expect this to a large degree because the shortened forks and shocks have less travel. If you get a rush of blood on a bumpy road the bike will start to graunch its undercarriage with gay abandon.
Cruising along, taking in the sights and not breaking any speed records, the Fat Boy Lo is a delight to ride. It’s fun, comfy enough and has plenty of poke to do the job.

Verdict

I really liked the Fat Boy Lo: I reckon I'll love it by the time Cycle Torque has fitted some parts from the H-D accessory cattledog and modified a few other things. The awful pillion pegs have to go and for touring we're looking at better seats, a screen, heated grips, luggage, accessory electrical power and an intercom. In stock trim it’s a fun machine for relaxed riding and boulevard cruising. You can see why machines like this have attained a huge following in recent years.