The 2018 Fat Bob boasts better-than-the-cruiser-average lean angle, but non-existant peg feelers leave little room for error once you start scraping. Photo by Kevin Wing.
Stubby rear fender, deep-dish seat, steep (for a cruiser) inverted fork, chunky tires, upswept exhaust and that sci-fi cyclops headlight giving you the classic Clint Eastwood squint (?go ahead punk, make my day?)?the Fat Bob is a mash-up of dark biker attitude, futuristic muscle and stoplight-to-stoplight performance, which is why we couldn?t wait to get our hands on one for a review.
Outfitted with the Milwaukee-Eight 114 that delivered more than 107 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheel when we last tested it (December 2017), the Fat Bob has a muscle bike?s get-up-and-go and fairly generous lean angles considering its forward controls (the better to show off the admittedly pretty?I mean handsome?exhaust). Read our bobber comparison test here.
The Milwaukee-Eight 114 on our test bike belts out plenty of grin-inducing torque. Photo by Kevin Wing.
We took it on a weekend trip to the Mojave Desert, featuring some of the best twisty roads in the area and even a little dirt, mere weeks after returning the Heritage Classic that so impressed us, so we were prepared to be wowed. Maybe the Fat Bob?s bark is louder than its bite?or maybe the Heritage is just that good?but we were left a little unfulfilled.
The futuristic LCD headlight stands out when riding in a group. Photo by Kevin Wing.
Sure, the Bob?s inverted fork...