as in street bob, fat bob, etc

 

Short for bobber

 

When the guys came home from WWII they got some of the military bikes like real cheap and when they personalized them they cut off some of the excess fenders and what not, this is known as bobbing (bob).

 

Senior nailed it. (What the street "bob" or fat "bob" has to do with those bikes is beyond me though!)

 

I thought Senior's idea had to do with cutting the bottom (front) part of those old rear fenders off & rotating the fender forward to bring the swooped back end up to make a 'bob' tailed fender.

I've heard tell that the Street Bob & Fat Bob names evolved from the idea of the old style gas tanks.

 

My first Hog was a FLH. It's rear fender was hinged so as to get the rear wheel out of the swingarm. Riders then, just removed the hinged portion of the fender. Instant bobbed rear fender.

 

Fat Bob, Lo-Boy, SuperGlide, Wide Glide, Fat Boy, Rubber Mount Super Glide,
Soft Tail, Softtail Springer, Sspringer Standard, Night Train, IronHead, Speed Dresser, Rubber Mount Dresser, V-Rod, .......... What does Harley do?!? Do they send a group of guys to San Francisco G*A*Y Bars to come up with names for their bikes?

 

all these years I thought it stood for Robert...i feel really dumb

 

'Hey nice bike. What is it? It's a 2010 Street Robert" LMGDAO.

 

Definitions of bob on the Web:

• British shilling: a former monetary unit in Great Britain
• a hair style for women and children; a short haircut all around
• move up and down repeatedly; "her rucksack bobbed gently on her back"
• bobsled: a long racing sled (for 2 or more people) with a steering mechanism
• bobsled: ride a bobsled; "The boys bobbed down the hill screaming with pleasure"
• a hanging weight, especially a metal ball on a string
• dock: remove or shorten the tail of an animal
• a small float usually made of cork; attached to a fishing line
• curtsy: make a curtsy; usually done only by girls and women; as a sign of respect; "She curtsied when she shook the Queen's hand"
• cut hair in the style of a bob; "Bernice bobs her hair these days!"
• a short abrupt inclination (as of the head); "he gave me a short bob of acknowledgement"