I am planning to buy my wife a 2013 Fat Boy Lo. She will be moving up from a '08 Nightster. One of the reasons she is going to move up to a new bike is ride quality.

To be honest the Nightster rides like a rigid. It is a very harsh rough ride. Since the Fat Boy Lo has a shorter suspension than the standard Fat Boy I am concerned that it might ride harshly as well.

If you ride a Fat Boy Lo with factory suspension I would like to hear what you have to say about the ride quality. If you upgraded the factory suspension what did you do and what were the results?

Thanks for your help!

 

I have a 2012 Fat Boy Lo with factory suspension and it's a very smooth ride. I frequently ride 200+ miles at a time with a stock seat and I don't have any problems. I did send my stock seat in to MCC for extra foam but honestly I can't tell all that much difference. With over 6000mi on it I have no complaints. I'm getting ready for a trip from Texas to Georgia in June and I'm really looking forward to the ride.

She's gonna love it!

 

I ride a FB lo 13 and the suspension is very comfortable even with the stock seat. I recently changed the seat to a Brawler solo seat and have not rode it yet due to the weather. it seems like i will have to place some foam on it. back the suspension, no complaints and i should know, i live in pothole city.

 

Two words.
Balanced. Engine.

 

I just upgraded from a Nightster to a '12 Fat Boy Lo late last year, and let me tell you, it was great from the get go. Compared to the Sporty it felt like I was riding a recliner. So far I haven't had any problems with the suspension, the only thing I'd change is the seat. It's not bad, I'm just short and it's a bit wide and a thinner one would help me flat foot it better. If I hit an unexpected pot hole or dip, it doesn't jar my back like the Nightster did. One other thing I've considered is adding Vibrinators since my hands got slightly numb from the handlebar vibrations after a several hour trip. But other than that, it's a great ride and very smooth.

 

My god man.. Its light years more comfy then a sporty! Trust me you will be satisfied! I love my Fatboy Lo!

 

rode for 2 years on the stock suspension (2010 model), was just fine.. put some Progressive 422's in and some RaceTech GoldValve Emulators up front and it's even better.. but the stock suspension was very nice, too.

 

I still ride on the stock suspension. Even with it lowered 1.5" It is still comfortable. I will agree that the stock seat is o okay but it could be improved. I had mine reshaped and repadded by Mean City Cycles.

 

Hate to post an unrelated question, but how did that work out for you? Are they able to thin out the front part, while also making it more comfortable? I like the look of the stock seat and wouldn't mind if I could make it more comfortable.

 

Hum, well I don't know that I'd use the term "ride quality" when it comes to describing my FatBoy Lo. Make no mistake, I LOVE the freakin' bike. Even after I bought my Street Glide I made sure there was room in the garage for the FatBoy. But, one pass down a cobblestone paver street will tell you all you need to know about ride.