Online: WideglidingNZ, softfat

Any Fat Bob riders out there??

  • swoody
    swoody
    16 years ago

    G'day people,

                              It's been a while since I was on here last but thats because I've gone Jappa for a while. I took Busa I've been riding for a nice slide down the road the other day & she is in pretty bad shape (not unlike my ribs) so it looks like I'm going to be looking for another bike real soon & that bike I was thinking may as well be a fat bob. After buying last years Fat Boy & selling her again for a good price I've decided that a soft tail is not for me after all as she scrapes on every bloody thing & after riding a few  I've become a bit of a dyna fan. Now the question is after all that other crap, Do you own or have you ridden the Fat Bob over any distance & if so is there any short comings that I should know about? Does the bloody things get blown all over the joint when sitting behind someone on a windy day for instance just like the Fat boy?? Can you go around a corner without leaving half your running boards & pipes behind etc etc?? Don't get me wrong I know they're not sports bikes nor do I want them to be but I'm just after opinions on them.

  • FTBOB
    FTBOB
    16 years ago
    Swoody, Had my fatbob now coming upto a year - 10,000+km, Including a few 1000+km weekends. Going from a Jappa, I rode all the Harleys on three seperate ride days, the last I had five shots at the fatbob. Its the closest thing re handling to a jappa, but also a really comfy cruiser I can't scrape the Front mounted pegs and scraped the original exhaust once. (THe new one sits higher)
  • Surly
    Surly
    16 years ago

    PIB,

    How do the Fatbob brakes compare to the Glides?

    cheers
    Surly

  • swoody
    swoody
    16 years ago
    Thanks for the feedback boys, looks like not only do I like the look but I may just like the handling as well. I went the FATBOY last year as It was my original first choise & the wait on the FATBOB was huge. I had the need to sit my arse on a bike then & there. Still waited 6 weeks for pipes as it was. The wind thing was more about the rims catching it & moving the bike around more so than others then having it in my face. I'll have a sniff around now to see what's out there & see if I can't get my arse on one as soon as my ribs recover lol.
  • Finny
    Finny
    16 years ago

    Sorry to hear about your fall m8.....

    But i must say it's about bloody time you came back to the HOGS

    My opinion would be a fat boy with forward controls

    Just kidding , All the best with the ribs

  • ronster
    ronster
    16 years ago

    Welcome back Swoody, you know fatties rule mate

    ronster

  • Bli Bli Bandit
    Bli Bli Bandit
    16 years ago

    I have had my Fat Bob since December 2007 and done 17,000k's on it, love the thing, scraping the pegs happens  but you need to be well and truly into it and you can scrape the exhaust any time you want but your mates on Softails will never see it as they are too far back when it happens, there are marks on my bottom muffler that go from the end at least 12 inches towards the front, having said all of that the thing handles great. you can aviod  the greater majority of scraping just by being smooth.

    Have had the usual built in factory faults, front master cylinder leaked fluid, poor fitment of rear guard cause the guard to rub, front forks powder coating started to lift on the rear of them, all of these things have been done under warranty. Also had all the bolts break off that hold the plate onto the gearbox that supports the mufflers, this may have a little to do with sticking them into the tar but thought I would mention it anyway.

    Tyres got changed at 16,500 k's and absolutly transformed the bike, the O.E tractor tyres that it come with were noisy, harsh and you could feel every tread segment when they were cold, front tyre would have lasted another 10,000 k's but it had to go. Put Avon Cobra on the rear and a Avon Venom on the front becaue you can't get a Cobra to fit the front yet. A different bike now, even better again.

    Have done the usual mods, pipes, filter, SERT and a set of SE 257 cams and a dyno tune, smooth as silk and goes good enough for me .

    The vibration thing is a bit of a beat up and once you have done the mod to the front engine mounting point and it fixes 99% of the problem, the bit that is left is just standard Harley.

    In general I would buy another one in a heart beat.

  • Soapbox2627
    Soapbox2627
    16 years ago
    a set of crack pipes are the go, I am very happy with mine,
  • Bli Bli Bandit
    Bli Bli Bandit
    16 years ago
    85.38 hp and 93.02 torque
  • PKSHED
    PKSHED
    16 years ago

    Bought mine in Brissy last year, rode home, love it . Goes where you point it and the twins stop pretty well for a HD. Got the Ultra home from Melbourne this week I'm in love again, but, you can  have a wife and mistriss to can't ya

  • UNCLE
    UNCLE
    16 years ago

    PK you are dead right, but my wife wont let me have two mistresses. so I had to buy a screen for the Fat Bob for long distance rides. Looks a bit Gran Dad but serves the purpose it was designed for. Luckily it comes off quicker than mums undies on fathers day.

    Swoody, Go the Fat Bob mate, apart from high speed(140plus) windage I cant fault mine. The foot pegs scrape constantly because you corner a lot faster and easier that any other harley , comfort  is surprising considering how firm the seat is. I recently did 2500ks in a week end and had no sore back or ass problems at all.

  • TC
    TC
    16 years ago
    swoody
    Happy with my fat bob it has about 8000k at this stage. I have done the great ocean rd with a couple of mates we ended up doing 1800k and no problems.Could have just kept going so comfortable could not wish for more.
    Cheers Tony