Motorcycle specifications Harley-Davidson1920 Softail Fat Boy Gray Ghost FLSTFI 2025 Metal Gray Solid

The Fat Boy may not have invented the custom bike, but it did give it new credentials, almost to the point of becoming an emblem of the category. A product deeply rooted in the image of America: big tires, big engine, big mouth and big charisma. This model, which was only to remain in the range for a short time, is still around 35 years after its birth. So Harley decided to celebrate with a special Gray Ghost series.

Shining brightly

A flash in the night! This steel phantom shines, sparkles and parades like a jet-setting megalomaniac. This Harley is guaranteed to dislocate the cervical vertebrae of every gaze. The finish pushes its level to the point where its shimmer transposes the spirit of light. Thanks to the PVD process applied to the mudguards and fuel tank, the mirror effect is striking. It's as if the machine had drowned in chrome... or perhaps a T-1000 in liquid metal has changed its programming to become this Gray Ghost and better trap Schwarzy' (the Fat Boy is, remember, the motorcycle in a key scene in Terminator 2).

To better blend in with its identity, the bike covers its frame in "Bright Silver" gray, receives a host of chrome parts and then multiplies nods to the original model - the air filter is round, the saddle is adorned with laces, the rocker covers feature yellow trim, the brand logo has the same profile as back then, and the center console discreetly displays a "35th Anniversary" inscription. Then, less modestly, announces the progressive number in this limited edition of 1,990; like the model's year of birth. A leather strap concludes the attention to detail on the tank.

The most attentive will have spotted the small "Icons" badge behind the saddle. This is the crest for the Milwaukee models in this specialized collection, where Harley expresses its past and brings it to life through commemorative models. There was theElectra Glide Revival in 2021, the Low Rider El Diablo the following year, then theElectra Glide Highway King, and last year brought a Hydra Glide Revival. The Fat Boy Gray Ghost writes the 5th volume of this novel.

The 1990 Fat Boy model

So much technology since the beginning

Close the page and press the starter button. The huge Milwaukee-Eight engine comes to life. Like the standard Fat Boy, it grunts its 117 cubic Inches! That's 1923 cm3 of mechanical depth. Big, fat breath, chewing up its power and expelling it into a huge 240 mm gumdrop. Except that it has lost a tiny bit of watts: 101 hp on the Ghost versus 103 on the normal model. A little less torque, 165 Nm versus 168, but this maximum is available 250 rpm lower, at 2750 rpm. When you think that the first Fat Boy of the dynasty produced just 67 hp and 97 Nm from the twin 1340 Evolution....

Which arrived unfinished, carbureted and controlled solely by the right hand. Today, the M8 117 block can be calibrated in 3 variants, depending on the model it's installed in: "High Output", "Classic", or "Custom". It's the latter that drives the Fat Boy, with its emphasis on acceleration. On top of this, Harley installs three riding modes (Sport / Road / Rain), traction control, ABS cornering and residual torque management. Riders can also take advantage of tire pressure monitoring, a USB-C port, all-LED lighting and cruise control.

For its 35th birthday, the Fat Boy enters Harley-Davidson's revival-prestige selection, the Icons, with a spectacular dress of light and silver. A finish that costs an extra 3,500 euros. A detail for her, the pinnacle of a story for others.

M.B - manufacturer's photos