Classic Black and Red Fat Boy is Subtle and Sweet

Most newer Fat Boys are blacked out and understated. This one was made to shine — but it still has that classic Fat Boy look.

The 30th anniversary of the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy this year has us seriously thinking about adding one to our fleet. We’re always looking for them when we do our usual aimless online bike browsing.

The more we see, the more we realize what we like — and what we don’t — when it comes to custom upgrades. We found this early model — a 1993 — on Hemmings.

The Fat Boy has a pretty well-defined presence already. The disc wheels and chunky fork are unmistakable as being anything else but a Fat Boy. It’s a totally unique look compared to any other Softail model.

With that said, there is still plenty of room for personalization. This tastefully-modified 1993 Fat Boy has quite a few custom touches that we like.

The stock paint job is gloss black with red and gold emblems and pinstriping. The previous owner of this bike added a custom seat with red piping that complements the pinstriping perfectly. The red spark plug wires are also a perfect accent.

Most Fat Boys we see these days are seemingly designed to lurk in the shadows, blacked out with minimal chrome. That’s not the case with this Fat Boy.

Born to be Bright

The bike is positively dripping with chrome, with every inch polished to a mirror shine. Even the iconic disc wheels and front forks are gleaming bright. Just the wheels must have take taken hours to polish. We certainly appreciate the effort.

To tie in with the gold detailing, this Fat Boy makes full use of the “Live to Ride, Ride to Live” accessory catalog. That look and style may not be for everyone, but it works perfectly here.

All in all, this is a very different way of customizing a Fat Boy than what we’re used to seeing. This style may have been popular back in the early 1990s, when this bike was still new.

These days, it really stands out in a sea of denim-painted, blacked-out Fat Boys. We think it’s high time for this more extroverted style to make a comeback.

Photos: Hemmings

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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