Traded in my ol 2009 Fat Boy after 16 good years.
I probably shouldn’t have even looked at the new models, but I did look and the amount of torque and horsepower coming from the gen2 Milwaukee-Eight 117″ motors even dead stock made my well modified Twin-Cam 103″ look like a granny bike 🙂
Well, whats the harm in just taking a little test ride? Just for fun.
I’ll tell you what the harm is…
Welcome to the 2025 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy (Whiskey Fire/Vivid Black) with a Milwaukee-Eight 117 cu. in. Custom (Gen 2) motor
Of course once I had it I couldn’t just leave it stock. I couldnt help thinking that the klunky-looking OEM exhaust and air cleaner would look WAY better in the back of my truck heading to the dump.
Since I’m already heading to the dump with the exhaust system and air cleaner I might as well bring along the OEM cam shaft, cam bearing, oil pump, cam plate, lifters, push rods, tappet cuffs, mirrors, handlebars and grips, compensator ramp, clutch parts, brake pedal, shifter peg and linkage, spark plug wires, factory seat, and then throw the factory warranty on top like a tarp
Saves on gas…
After all that I pulled off the goofy OEM tank badge and replaced it with a proper “Fat Boy” logo badge. The cherry on top.
So heres a before/after combo pic. The top image is the bike sitting at the dealership, and the bottom is after I modded the heck out of it. Same bike, I swear. I cant help thinking the stock bike looked (and sounded) like some kinda klunky goof-sled.
SOOOO much potential though. A great canvas, on which I painted a masterpiece :).
At the bottom of this page is a listing of everything I put into the bike. The performance mods would be considered “Stage 2”
BAM!!!
Upgrades were all performed 100% by me personally, in my garage with my own tools, a service manual, and a lot of tutorial videos.
Is it rocket science? Nope. Still, I’m pleased with my handiwork
Here are all the mods, and below that is the before/after photo
For the curious, here is a link to some of the work as I did it: Performance mods, stage 1 & 2, plus a few extras
Zippers Performance Red Shift RS528 Cam shaft
Torrington-Koyo inner cam bearing
S&S oil pump
S&S cam plate
S&S lifters/tappets
S&S cam chain tensioner
S&S Tappet cuffs
Fuel Moto adjustable pushrods
AIM SDR Variable Pressure Clutch
S&S Billet Compensator Ramp
Cobra “El Diablo” 2-into-1 full exhaust system
Arlen Ness “Slot Track” Inverted high flow air cleaner
Screamin Eagle red spark plug wires (because red wires are faster)
DynoJet Power Vision 4 EFI Tuner
Aesthetic/comfort mods:
Khrome Werks 10″ Fat Bobber Ape Hanger handlebars (1.25″ dia)
Ciro Chicane grips
Saddlemen Renegade LS Solo seat
New “Fat Boy” emblem gas tank badge
Willie G Skull collection:
- Teardrop mirrors
- Derby Cover
- Gas Cap
- Shifter Linkage
- Shifter Peg
- Brake Pedal