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Fat boy goes grey
(Guy 'Guido' Allen, May 2025)
Harley-Davidson has
released a new Fat Boy, designed as a tribute to the
original from 1990.
Called the Grey Ghost
(after the handle given the first model by its
owners), it's based on the current Softail 117
platform. The motor company plans to build 1990 of
them, with a number of upgrades including a finish
that gives an all-over chrome look.
Basic specs for the
1923cc V-twin engine include a power claim of 104hp
(78kW) at 4800rpm and torque at 170Nm at 3000rpm.
Final drive is by belt, via a wet multi-plate clutch
and six-speed transmission. Weight is pegged at around
315kg.
The first model was
based on the 80 cubic inch Softail, which left
something to be desired in the handling department.
Nevertheless the original is now a collectible, though
finding a clean example will be a challenge.
The series really took off with its appearance in the 1991 Terminator 2 movie. As we noted in a story for bikesales:
“Back
in 1990,
the cheeky name of Harley-Davidson’s new model range was
the source of
considerable controversy – something the Motor Company
was able to cheerfully
sidestep.
“At the
time
the simple, clean and weighty looks, complete with disc
wheels and its 1340cc
Evolution powerplant were compelling and somehow evoked
a two-wheeled hotrod.
“It
gained huge
street cred thanks to appearances in two of the Terminator movies,
starting
with Terminator 2: Judgement Day. In
that flick, it
was the favoured bridge-jumping mount of the sinister
cyborg
assassin-cum-bodyguard played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“In an
interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel back
in 2015,
former H-D Vice-President for Business Development,
Clyde Fessler said, ‘The
Fat Boy has a mystique about it that was created by
Arnold in the Terminator.
Whenever anyone asks me about that model, I always say,
Thank God for Arnold’.”
Back in 1990, the Fat Boy retailed for Au$15,400
(US$9900, GB£7500) plus on-road costs. The
premium-edition new chap is priced at Au$41,750
(US$26,800, GB£20,200) on the road.
See our bikesales story on
buying a used Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114
Plus, see our
overview on 40 years of Harley-Davidson Softail
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