Harley-Davidson Fat Boy (2025) Review: H-D’s Icon Tested

Few bikes are as instantly recognisable as the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. With its brutally styled Lakester wheels, long, low and wide aesthetic, and acres of chrome on display, the Fat Boy is, was, and always will be, one of Harley’s iconic models.

And until 2025, I’d never ridden one, although I have always wanted to live out my "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle" fantasy. And while I might not be as visually imposing as a butt-naked Arnold Schwarzenegger as I swagger into a bar, the Fat Boy most definitely is. Its last big update came in 2020, as H-D celebrated the model's 30th anniversary. Little has changed since then, and the model's now features the firm’s latest-spec Milwaukee Eight, boasting 1,923cc (117ci), 101bhp and 123lb ft.

Clambering on the bike for the first time, my view is immediately dominated by the miles of chrome work. The glistening top-clamp carries a set of wide and low-set handlebars, and like all the other Harley cruisers in the range, for such a hefty (315kg), it’s surprisingly easy to paddle around. Thumbing the starter awakens that familiar, woolly feeling V-twin, and while Euro5+ does its best to stifle any exhaust note, there’s still a comforting burble emitted from the twin, stacked exhausts.

The Milwaukee Eight got an update recently to make it less of a big deal to engage first gear. Changes in the gearbox are supposed to take some of the thwack out of hooking the first cog. And while the mechanical shock is reduced, you still get the impression that some big pieces of metal are coming together beneath you. 

I’ve been riding Triumph’s Tiger Sport 800 for most of this year, and pulling into traffic for the first time on the Fat Boy is an interesting act. It’s obviously big, heavy, long, and with tyres that make cornering around town a bit of a chore. It’s clear that where the Fat Boy will be most at home is on the open road, nowhere near the urban sprawl. Before I get there, though, I need to navigate rush hour, which is highlighting the Fat Boy’s clutch. Like pretty much every other Milwaukee Eight-powered bike, the clutch lever is on the heavy side, and constant stop-start riding will start to take its toll. The gearbox, though, is great, and despite a fairly long throw to the lever, it’s always precise and finding neutral is a doddle.

Once out of the city, the big Fat Boy starts to make more sense. It’s obviously never going to be a bike you turn to for your weekly adrenaline fix, but there is a certain arcane pleasure to be had from hustling it through a set of twisties. Cornering on it is all about forward planning, and you can’t just go barrelling into a corner hoping it’ll stick. It won’t, you’ll understeer wide and ruin all the chrome. Instead, you’re better off taking the slow in, fast(ish) out approach. Brake hard and early, trickle through the corner using as much lean angle as the running boards will allow, and ride the seemingly never-ending low-end torque until you find the next gear. It’s not pretty, but it is effective. And as I found on the Shark Aeron helmet launch, it’s more than capable of keeping up with nakeds, sports tourers and adventure bikes, if you respect its limits.

While it’s fun to ride in this way, you will get a thorough workout, as the 160-section front and 240-section rear make this the most physically demanding bike in the range. It basically always wants to go in a straight line, and if you’re out for a spirited ride on it, you will have to countersteer hard to get the thing to turn and drag it into the corner with your bodyweight.

Really though, talking about cornering performance and handling with the Fat Boy is pointless, because what most people will do on one is cruise, and on that front, it gets a 10 out of 10. The riding position is extremely relaxed and comfortable, and even when on full lock, my arms aren’t quite over-stretched - this was an issue on the Harley-Davidson Breakout I reviewed a couple of years ago. I have a little game I like to play on these kinds of bikes, which is to see how slowly I can go in the highest gear possible. You can get up into top gear at around 35mph comfortably, and at those speeds the engine feels like it’s barely breaking sweat, just above tickover.

Electronics

The latest generation Milwaukee Eight engine brings with it riding modes, with Rain, Road and Sport modes appearing on the model, along with a handy cruise control system. Rain is the most distinct, with an uber soft throttle map and extremely cautious traction control that will trigger in the dry in a straight line. Road and Sport feel much closer together, with Sport offering the snappiest throttle and lowest traction control intervention. Should you want to (and personally, I do), you can flick the traction control off altogether. And then, should it rain, and you find a quiet roundabout, you can drift and drift and drift until you run out of petrol, or talent. It shouldn’t be so much fun to slither around in the rain on a bike like this, but it’s hilarious, and surprisingly controllable. There’s no snap of oversteer when the rear tyre lets go either, just a smooth and measured slide that you can control surprisingly accurately with the throttle and the wide bars. 

Verdict

At £22,795, entry into the Fat Boy club doesn’t come cheap, but then again, Harley isn’t in the business of building cheap and cheerful bikes. Well, not yet, at least. What you are getting for your money is one of the most eye-catching bikes on the market, and a model that is probably the one that springs to mind when people see the Bar and Shield logo.

It’s surprisingly entertaining to ride, cruises beautifully, and is comfortable enough for long days in the saddle. It’s also got bags of attitude and gains attention everywhere. If you are the shy and retiring type, this might not be the bike for you.

Just like the rise of artificial intelligence in the film Terminator 2, my time with the Fat Boy has come to an end. And I’m going to really miss having this big chrome beast in my garage. It might be a bit cumbersome around town and take some serious muscle to ride fast, but it delivers big smiles every time I ride it. And that is really what bikes like this are about.

Hasta la vista, Fat Boy.

2025 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy spec