Custom – Contact with the 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail range – Page 3 – Review of the Fat Boy “114” 2018

Posted on by admin

Contact with the 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail range

Custom - Contact with the Harley-Davidson Softail 2018 lineup - Page 3 - Fat Boy & quot; 114 & quot; review 2018

Site briefly tested four of the eight new Softail models in the 2018 Harley-Davidson lineup: Fat Bob, Fat Boy, Street Bob and Low Rider. This short contact reveals some real improvements on these bikes now powered by the new eight-valve twin, the Milwaukee-Eight. In the saddle !

Page 3 – Test of the Fat Boy “114” 2018

Ah, the Fat Boy, that intimidating motorcycle ridden in 1991 by Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator 2: The Last Judgment” … With its large solid 18-inch wheels with disproportionate width (160 mm at the front and 240 mm at the back), this “fat boy” has not aged a bit !

  • MNC test : Fat Boy Special 2009: a quiet fat boy 

“It’s the biggest front tire ever designed by Michelin”, smiles Florence Marchand, press manager of the Bibendum when she sees us hallucinating in front of the width of the original Scorcher of the Fat Boy 2018. To say that some motorcycles of average displacement display the same dimension … at the back !

Custom - Contact with the 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail range - Page 3 - Fat Boy review & quot; 114 & quot; 2018

“A steamroller posture”, adds Harley-Davidson, insisting on the “satin chrome” of its novelty including that covering the full cowling of its telescopic fork and the LED headlight. And indeed, nothing seems to be able to stop it: the Fat Boy 2018 is long (2370 mm), heavy (317 kg, down 13 kg) and as if riveted to the ground by its hunting angle of 30 ° and its “XXL” tires.

When stationary, it’s barely enough if you don’t expect to see it balancing on its own! The result is a tilt in two stages, typical of oversized motorcycles in terms of pneumatics: the American resists at first, then folds heavily once the shoulder of the Michelin is reached. Under braking, this Fat Boy – not at all! – tends to get up for the same reasons. We have known more intuitive and reassuring …

Schwarzy’s steamroller !

Speaking of braking, beware of keeping the margin: if the rear brake is out of criticism, the single front disc – bitten by an elegant 4-piston caliper – is barely with such a heavy mass. The generous torque of the Twin 114 is not too much during the revivals, not surprisingly less energetic than on the .

Custom - Contact with the 2018 Harley-Davidson Softail range - Page 3 - Fat Boy review & quot; 114 & quot; 2018

The angles are also to be gauged carefully, otherwise the steps will scrape from one end of a curve to the other. The opportunity to regret the absence of a dual branch selector, while the “relax” position feet forward lends itself perfectly. We console ourselves with a hyper accessible saddle (675 mm!), Whose correct comfort partly erases the rather dry absorption of the suspensions.

Not to mention its ultimate look and exceptional finish, as well as its impressive format with its car tires (+ 20 mm at the front and + 40 mm at the rear compared to the previous model). Something to convince “Schwarzy”, 70 years old, to pile up in yet another Terminator on the handlebars of this motorcycle available from € 21,960 in “107” and € 23,960 in “114” ?!

Fat Boy 2018 datasheet

Engine

  • 45 ° V-twin, tumbled, air-oil cooled. 4-valves per cylinder
  • 86 hp at 5020 rpm and 145 Nm at 3500 rpm in Milwaukee-Eight version “107” (1745cc)
  • 94 hp at 5020 rpm and 155 Nm at 3000 rpm in Milwaukee-Eight version “114” (1868cc)
  • Final belt drive

Cycle part 

  • Double steel cradle
  • Non-adjustable telescopic fork, single-shock preload adjustable
  • 115 mm ground clearance
  • 1665 mm wheelbase
  • 30 ° caster angle
  • 675 mm seat height
  • 18.9 liter tank
  • 160/80/18 and 240/40/18 tires
  • 317 kg fully loaded

Price 

  • € 21,960 in black and € 22,260 in color with Milwaukee-Eight 107
  • € 23,960 in black and € 24,260 in color with Milwaukee-Eight 114

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *