It's the most expensive in the test (especially since few Harley buyers ever pay less than retail, most pay lots more), it's the most primitive to ride, and it shakes like an overloaded laundromat dryer, but there's still something about a Harley that nobody else can clone, no matter how close they come. And since cruisers are style more than substance, the Fat Boy couldn't possibly place any lower than second in this comparo. It has more style in one tank badge than most manufacturers print in their whole brochure. That name on the tank means more to many people than any feature (or lack of them) that the Harley possesses. To be sure, the rigid mount 1340cc engine transmits a higher level of vibration to the rider than any of the other cruisers in this class, and the hand and foot controls lack the silky-smooth operation of the others. To some people, that's a plus. If God had created motorcycles for sissies, they say, he would have given them four wheels and windshield wipers. More importantly, to our bunch of overweight weenies anyway, is the power level, which is on the low side. There may well be a stump-pulling, 80 inch V-twin under those svelte silver tanks, but modern pollution patrols and emissions tests have emasculated it. You can get serious power out of a Harley big twin: It takes about $1000 to get another 15-20 horsepower out of it. Handling, however, is good. The rigid mount motor and disc wheels contribute to the absolutely solid feel of this machine, and compared to some of the knuckle-draggers in this test, ground clearance is ample. It takes a fairly serious effort into a corner before draggage occurs. The single front disc lacks the authority of some of the other machines, unsurprisingly, given the Harley's second-highest weight of the test (only the Royal Star is heavier), but give it a good hard yank, and you'll stop in plenty of time for breakfast. More important than performance to many riders is the seat height. Here, the Fat Boy is unbeatable. The sub-26 inch seat height means even your grandmother could swing a leg over with ease. You'll have to use Harley's padlock style steering lock, secured with an ace key, to keep her from stealing away on the Fat Boy, since the ignition key is a simple, tank mounted switch. Or should we say tanks, because there are two. Two gas tanks means twin gas tank filler caps. Both have to be removed to fill the tanks (unless you want to wait an awful long time for the gas to drain through via the petcock hose), but each cap is threaded differently, so they cannot be misplaced. Things are different on a Harley.

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When you see a bike like this one, you understand this is what a motorcycle ought to be. Big and solid and massive. With full metal fenders. Fork tubes like tree trunks. A chrome headlight the size of a boulder. And a beefy V-Twin to send it down the road, commanding attention with every thump. That’s what you get with the Fat Boy®. And that’s probably why they’ve been a mainstay on American roads from the first day they set giant wheels to asphalt. Understandably, there is much to like here. Solid disc wheels. Wide 150mm rear tire. Floorboards large enough for Big Foot-sized boots. And a hearty, counterbalanced Twin Cam 88B™ motor beating in its chest. Choose from traditional carb or refined EFI. Either way, you’re living large

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