2007 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
2007 Harley-Davidson FAT BOY
96-cubic-inch waistline
DON CANET
IN AN AGE OF REALITY-TV CHOPPERS AND OVERSTYLED BOUTIQUE-BUILT customs, a production cruiser possessing real-world refinements, proven reliability and an uncanny ability to flow down the road with comfort and is a welcomed reprieve. Style and image may be the cruiser's credo, but let's not forget the relaxed and blissful state of mind kick-backed bikes were originally intended to bring about.
Whether tooling the boulevard or hitting the open highway, the 2007 Harley Davidson Softail Fat Boy defines what the refined cruising experience should entail. A host of styling updates and a major powertrain overhaul has resulted in one of the finest and most well-sorted cruisers we've ever ridden.
CYCLE WORLD TEST
The Fat Boy’s aesthetic makeover for ’07 starts at ground level with a much wider 200/55-series rear radial spread across a 6-inch wide, 17-inch rim. Likewise, a lower-profile 140/75R17 Dunlop at the front lends the bike a more current look and improved handling compared with the 16-inch biasply balloons of its predecessor. Gunning for a distinct new look, Harley stylists riddled the Fat Boy’s familiar solid-disc aluminum wheels with 50-caliber-sized holes. A new graphics package on the front fender, fuel tank and wider, more shortly chopped FL-style rear fender is offered among 11 solid and three two-tone custom color options.
A fatter, 1 `/4-inch-diameter internally wired handlebar (necked down to the usual 1-inch at the bar ends) held in large bare-knuckle risers lends a clean, beefy look. Maintaining the traditional tank-mounted speedometer! indicator-light cluster means the view from the saddle is unobstructed by gauges and dials. What you see is a large chromed headlight shell that reflects a panoramic view of the sky and roadside, with the rider's head commanding center stage. Riding beneath scattered clouds or roadside greenery reflects the cool emotion and essence of the cruise.
Cosmetic updates have gift-wrapped the real prize: a healthy boost in engine performance. As with all 2007 Big Twin models, the Fat Boy’s displacement has been increased from 1450 to 1584cc by way of a Vs-inch-longer stroke. The 96-cubic-inch Twin Cam engine features the same counterbalancing system as its 88-inch predecessor, doing such an effective job quelling engine vibration that all Softails utilize solid engine mounts. Increased piston speed-a by-product of lengthening the stroke-has called for the use of lighter pistons and connecting rods to keep reciprocating weight in check. This has also resulted in an even smoother-running engine than last year’s TC88B.
A new auto-adjust primary-chain tensioner eliminates the routine maintenance formerly required, while hydraulic tensioners and nylon contact pads have improved cam-
drive durability. The starter motor is now mounted directly to the inner primary case, eliminating the previous design’s jackshaft assembly. Primary-case sealing has also been improved thanks to additional fasteners and use of an edgebonded gasket.
Keeping pace with ever-tightening exhaust-emissions regulations, Harley-Davidson has made a wholesale move to fuel-injection and no longer offers carbureted versions of any models. A slight bump in compression ratio and revised intake-cam timing have played a role in achieving torque output and emissions goals while allowing use of freer-flowing, better-sounding non-catalyst mufflers.
As part of another across-the-board update, the Fat Boy now packs a box of “Dyna-mite,” featuring the six-speed Cruise Drive transmission and reducedeffort clutch that debuted on the 2006 Dyna models. It’s in this area that the rider feels the greatest tangible improvement over the relatively laborious clutch and shift action of past Harleys.
The term “easy rider” has never been more fitting. No choke control or slow cranking cold starts needed; a thumb of the starter button promptly lights the fire in the first crank revolution, with the engine soon settling into a steady idle. A two-finger pull on the clutch lever and light toe of the short-throw shifter snicks her into gear. Holy Hog! Who’d have ever thunk it? A light-effort Harley.
Mapping of the electronic sequential-port fuel-injection is as good as it gets. We never encountered a hint of hesitation or stumble with our testbike. Pulling away from stops is met with a very fluid clutch engagement and a wealth of torque that comes in early and spreads across the entire rev range. Strapped onto the Cycle World dyno, the engine produced only 3.5 more peak horsepower over that of last year’s 88-incher, but it pounded out 12 more footpounds of peak torque with even greater gains found down around 2500 rpm. Top gear roll-on performance is comparable despite the six-speed’s taller overall gearing. The closer-ratio spacing of the new box has certainly improved the bike’s acceleration potential by allowing the engine to remain near its torque peak after shifts. Our best quartermile pass of 13.83 seconds at 98 mph netted a .3-second and 5-mph improvement over the TC88B-powered Softail Deluxe we tested last year.
Perhaps of greater value, however, are the smoother gearchanges that a narrower gear spread promotes. Achieving seamless upshifts on a Big Twin Harley has never been easier, and neither have we ridden any bike that’s more forgiving of unpolished shifting technique. Our best (worst?) efforts at simulating a sloppy-shiftin’ Joe still netted a smooth rate of acceleration up through the gears, something any passenger will appreciate.
The only hitch we experienced in the new giddy-up was an elusive neutral that had us rocking the heel-toe shifter at stops, but even this has shown improvement as miles accumulate. While the heel lever proved useful when fishing for neutral (as well as the ride to Starbucks wearing patent leather shoes), it limits the amount of boot room on the left floorboard. No problem, as the rearward-facing lever can easily be removed. Which it was at the earliest opportunity.
With that mod, the riding position feels very natural, combining moderately forward foot-control placement with a comfortable reach to the bar. It’s sort of a cruiser/standard diningroom-chair posture that doesn’t wear on your tailbone.
While the spacious leather saddle offers all-day comfort, your tolerance for bucking the wind on a nonfaired motorcycle will determine how distant your travels are on a Fat Boy. The Cruise Drive gearbox has reduced top-gear engine revs about 500 rpm compared to last year’s machine for a more relaxed beat and improved fuel economy at freeway speed. Vibration levels are unbelievably low, evidenced by the visual proof of a crystal-clear rear view in the mirrors. Yet there’s still plenty of Harley-Davidson soul stirring about beneath you.
Pretty remarkable considering the engine is rigid-mounted in the frame, which in turn has played no small role in the Fat Boy’s superb stability and solid handling. While the handlebar risers are rubber-mounted, the firm density of the dampers delivers good feedback from the road and doesn’t hinder steering response. Handling competence is exceptional for a bike in this weight class-it’s a shame the party has to end early with limited cornering clearance, but that’s to be expected of any low-slung boulevard beauty. At least
the floorboards pivot upward when decked hard, a signal to back things off.
It’s safe to say that the Fat Boy is an object of desire prone to attracting the attention of undesirables. Our test unit came equipped with the optional factory-installed keyless security system ($325). The smart alarm detects the proximity of the bike’s key fob to auto-arm when you walk more than a dozen feet from the bike and disarms when you return. Of course, the ignition switch and steering head can also be locked for additional security, using the barrel-type key.
For many, the Fat Boy will be the starting point upon which to build a bike personalized to their own taste with help from the aftermarket or Harley’s own extensive line of parts and accessories. Inspiration and ideas can be farmed from Harley’s own CVO models (see sidebar, page 74) which showcase many tasty bits that can be applied to a base Fat Boy.
Our advice? Do yourself and Harley the justice of riding this refined and satisfying motorcycle for a while before you start fixin’ what ain’t broke. E
H-D SOFTAIL FAT BOY
$17,420
Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Inc
www.Harley-Davidson.com
EDITORS' NOTES
IN TODAY’S CRUISER MARKET A 96-CUBICinch Big Twin just doesn’t seem all that big, at least not when parked alongside any of the metric monsters that weighin around the two-liter mark. Packing on more cubic muscle has given America’s best-selling cruiser a welcome boost in torque, but hasn’t come at the cost of civility.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more refined cruiser ride than the 2007 Fat Boy, a bike I’ve begun referring to as the Sultan of Smooth. It starts without fuss, “carburâtes” cleanly, leaks nary a drop of lubricant, settles easily into its sixth-gear lope and generally behaves as though it should be named Choir Boy.
Perhaps the current bike has lost some of the “character” that traditional Harley folk have come to expect. No need to worry so long as the aftermarket offers a multitude of ways to either expand upon or mess up what Harley-Davidson has worked so hard to make better. Whichever way you go, the foundation looks sturdy. -Don Canet, Road Test Editor
FUNNY HOW SEEMINGLY TINY CHANGES can transform an entire motorcycle. Like the Fat Boy. Last one I rode was okay enough, but it didn’t really come across as very refined. The clutch was stiff, the ride was harsh, the handling was on the clumsy side and the simple act of shifting produced noises in the transmission that sounded like some madman was down there with an axe, lopping teeth off the gears. But even though the ’07 looks, sounds and smells very much like its predecessors, it feels way more sophisticated and much more pleasurable to ride.
I can operate the clutch with a single finger (no, not that one!), shifting is smoother, quieter and easier, and the use of radial tires and lighter wheels has improved both the ride and the handling. Toss in a torquier motor and a six-speed box, and you now have the skinny on the new Fat Boy. -Paul Dean, Senior Editor
WHEN IT COMES TO CRUISING AMERICANstyle, the Fat Boy is the gold standard. I don’t have exact figures (70,000 would be a good guess) but it undoubtedly outsells the combined total of all bigbore Japanese cruisers in the U.S.-and it’s just one of eight Softail models! Forget “Fat,” it should be called the “800-Pound Gorilla Boy.” The new 200mm rear tire and fuller fender give the bike a meatier, more-modern look without the detriment to handling that the in-vogue 250 and 300mm beach balls impart. Last time I checked, motorcycles were meant to be ridden, not looked at. Our Project 100 Twin-Cammer with its positively anorexic 150mm Metzeier out back will run circles around the lot of ’em. I was expecting a little more horsepower out of the TC96-while torque is up nicely, it makes no more hp than a good-running 88-incher. Even so, with all its other improvements, the ’07 Fat Boy has to be top contender for Cruiser of the Year. It’s certainly got numbers on its side. -David Edwards, Editor-in-Chief
