HARLEY-DAVIDSON
CELEBRATES 30 FAT YEARS
I
t’s hard to believe, but 2020 marks 30 years of
Harley-Davidson’s Fat Boy. Sure, it’s not the best
name in the Harley stable by a long shot, but when
it comes to iconic modern Harley-Davidsons few come
close to the silhouette of the Fat Boy.
Introduced in 1989 as a 1990 model, the original
Fat Boy was designed by legendary Harley-Davidson
stylists Willie G. Davidson and Louie Netz and
combined a fresh, contemporary look with classic
Harley-Davidson styling cues.
To achieve a “milled from billet” look the motorcycle
was finished in monochromatic Fine Silver Metallic
with a matching powder coated frame, and rolled
on aluminium disc wheels – the rear exposed by the
Softail chassis – that would become the defining
characteristic of the Fat Boy model. The look was
beefy for the time, from the fat front tyre covered with
a trimmed fender to the wide handlebar and a seven-
inch headlamp in a massive chrome housing perched
on a polished FL-style nacelle. Davidson designed the
winged tank logo, which has been an enduring feature
of the Fat Boy model.
According to an account by Willie G. Davidson from
his book “100 Years of Harley-Davidson”, the idea
behind the Fat Boy name came down to needing
something that would be both popular on the street
and memorable.
“You’re probably wondering how we came up with
a name like “Fat Boy,” and I’ve heard a lot of tales
about this, nearly all of which are untrue. Here’s the
real story: it’s tough to come up with names that
will be popular on the street. We always have to ask
ourselves, “What’s the street going to name this?”
and work from there. We were looking for something
unusual and maybe even a little irreverent, because
there’s something sort of cool about poking fun at
your products from time-to-time. To me, and to a lot
of other insiders who’d seen it, the bike had a massive
“fat” look. So, the folks in marketing came up with the
name “Fat Boy” – and the street picked it up.”
For 2020 Harley-Davidson celebrates an icon with the
introduction of the Fat Boy 30th Anniversary Limited
Edition, priced from $38,495.
Cloaked in dark finishes with bronze highlights
KIWI RIDER 97