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Sounds you've been bitten by the bug! There's some magic that just makes a Harley feel right, even without the biggest numbers...it's just what I want to feel every time I ride...10mph or 100mph and everything in between. Enjoy it!!
Magic is right, man. I swear whatever Im doing on this bike, sitting in traffic or cruising on a highway, I just feel good. I never had this much fun on a bike, it almost feels illegal.
Magic is right, man. I swear whatever Im doing on this bike, sitting in traffic or cruising on a highway, I just feel good. I never had this much fun on a bike, it almost feels illegal.
Picked up the 114 in grey on Saturday. My first Harley, first cruiser as well. Ive been riding sport bikes for about 8 years and I was planning on keeping my gsxr in case I wanted to do some aggressive riding. I thought my new fat bob might not be able to fill that need for an adrenaline fueled ride so Id keep the gsxr. I was WRONG. This fat bob has big ole ***** and I havent even really opened her up yet as Im breaking it in. This has more than enough power to keep me satisfied and the handling is exceptional. It took me about 10 minutes of somewhat nervous riding before I realized this bike can do whatever I want it to do. It was incredibly easy making the transition, Im really surprised. Riding this thing is so intuitive and I thought I wouldnt be crazy about the forward controls but I love them. Anyway after 5 hours of riding on that first day and my body still feeling great despite the amount of miles and how aggressive I was being with it I realized that anytime I feel like going for a ride Im gonna wanna jump on this Fat Bob. Im selling the gsxr and embracing the Fat Bob life. I feel reborn.
So today, i did my first mod on the bike....woohoo!
It's only a very teeny mod though. I changed the mirrors.
I have hated the stock mirrors as they mainly show me my shoulders no matter how much I adjusted them. I wanted something a bit longer and none of the HD mirrors really justified their cost to me over here. They want $250 USD for a set of Buckshot mirrors here and I'm not paying that. HD mirrors will have to wait for my next US business trip.
So I got some cheap ones online. They are Metric mirrors with an M10 thread, but came with adaptors for HD that they screw into. So here's some pics....
They are a bit more modern looking than the stock ones
And adjustable so you can pivot the stems to be more upright or more to the side.
Only problem is that they don't screw all the way into the HD mirror adaptors - so I am going to need to shorten the threaded part a little with hacksaw. You can't really see this issue unless you are up close, but I am pretty **** about things like that!
Anyway, I am kind of OK with the look. It's not my ideal finished state, but these will do until I find something better. The most important thing of course is that I can now see properly behind me! Which makes for more stress free motorcycling.
And while I'm at it, a couple of pics of the bike itself. Just because. I will probably get around to taking the reflectors off this week, and hopefully my new grips will turn up next week....
I do need to get some black hand levers to finish up the blacked out front end. But again - it looks like HD want $250 for 2018 softail compatible levers here in the UK....
Also - one kind forum member here is shipping me a take-off HD side mount plate holder, so that will go on to replace the ugly Diavel one that the EU bikes ship with!
I did look at those, but I would prefer something a little beefier looking than the skinny stems on the stockers.
I had the HD LED turn signal mirrors on my Dyna and they were really good. But I don't want to do the wiring on this bike and the mirrors were technically illegal here in the UK as they had yellow running lights...
I might pick up some of the Buckshot ones next time I am in the US.
I did look at those, but I would prefer something a little beefier looking than the skinny stems on the stockers.
I had the HD LED turn signal mirrors on my Dyna and they were really good. But I don't want to do the wiring on this bike and the mirrors were technically illegal here in the UK as they had yellow running lights...
I might pick up some of the Buckshot ones next time I am in the US.
No worries Adam, yours certainly look more modern/up to date which imo goes with the styling of your bike. It looks like a blast to ride.
Those mirrors fit the bike well I think, even if the adapter doesn't...yet. Looking good.
I do kind of like them, but I'm not 100% sold. I'll adjust the mounting studs to remove the gap and then see where we go from there.
They are nice in that you can move them up and down to get to your preferred position between height and width. And they do give a really nice unobstructed rear view.
They do kind of have that Zombie Apocalypse look that the Fat Bob is designed for though....
Right now, I am browsing Thunderbike and Kellerman turn signals. I absolutely hate HD's bullet/teardrop stock turn signals. Might go for some of the tiny Thunderbike LED "stripe" turn signals for the front to clean it up a bit. And maybe some small Kellerman LED run/brake/turn signals for the rear.
But if I do go for teeny tiny LEDs I think I'd also like an LED run/brake strip light under the rear fender. LEDs are super bright, but I do like to be seen and don't think you can put too many lumens into your bike lights.
I may have said it before, but the LED headlight on this bike is absolutely amazing. I am almost surprised it doesn't actually shoot laser beams at oncoming traffic. I tried cheap Chinese LED headlights on my Dyna but wasn't impressed. This is literally night and day.
Very, very good light indeed - I used to dislike riding at night due to poor headlights, but now I am actively seeking opportunities to go out at night. "Another bottle of wine, dear? Sure - i'll just shoot over to the store on the bike !"
No worries Adam, yours certainly look more modern/up to date which imo goes with the styling of your bike. It looks like a blast to ride.
:-) It's excellent to ride! For some reason, it reminds me of a Honda 250 4 stroke dirt bike a friend of mine had back in the mid '80s. I don't remember the designation of the bike, but it just feels and sounds a bit similar. But on steroids....That bike pulled your arms out compared to the 125's and 175's the rest of us had at the time.
The new Fat Bob is awesome if you can get over the styling. It's certainly a "Marmite" bike in that you'll either love it or hate it. It handles well, pulls well and probably has another 40%+ power left to come out with well considered modifications.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
