This year it is exactly 35 years ago that the Fat Boy saw the light of day, the bike that thanks to the film Terminator 2 with Arnold Schwarzenegger received a cult status. That had to be celebrated, they found in Milwaukee, and so Harley-Davidson has put a limited Fat Boy Gray Ghost on the market, the fifth model in the Icons Motorcycle Collection.
“A homage to this superstar in motorcycle design, with a shiny new reflection finish that gives the entire motorcycle the appearance of a chrome finish”, according to Harley-Davidson the new Fat Boy Gray Ghost in a nutshell. The engine is the fifth model in the Icons Motorcycle Collection, including a fresh interpretation of an iconic Harley every year in a limited edition.
The models from the Icons Motorcycle Collection are numbered and can contain extra features compared to the standard version. The production of the Fat Boy Gray Ghost is limited worldwide to 1,990 copies, as a tribute to the year 1990 that the Fat Boy was put on the market. The Fat Boy Gray Ghost celebrates the lasting meaning of the original ‘Fat custom’ motorcycle.
“The original Fat Boy took over the look, proportions and silhouette of a 1949 Hydra glide and modernized it entirely for a new generation of riders. Those drivers appreciated our post-war design DNA, but also were attracted to the sleek simplicity of industrial design from their own time.”
In the first instance, the Fat Boy was only intended for a limited number of years, but thanks to the Blockbuster Terminator 2 in 1991, the bicycle received a cult status and it became an outright sales success. And so Harley decided to keep the bike in the range and the Fat Boy has now experienced three powertrain generations and a completely new Softail chassis. For 35 years he has been able to maintain his original power and impress with an unparalleled presence and unmistakable style.
The Fat Boy is a large, impressive motorcycle, designed for riders who want to make a statement. A statement that, according to Harley, is reinforced by the Gray Ghost because it glitteres in the sunlight as if he was milled from a solid block of aluminum and polished into a mirroring finish.
The reflection finish was created using the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) process, also known as a thin-film coating. Hereby a fixed material in a vacuum is evaporated and deposited on the surface of a part, in this case the fuel tank and the mudguards of the Fat Boy. This is achieved by giving a positive charge to the solid material (an aluminum alloy) and a negative charge to the engine part. After the coating process, the part is sprayed with a standard white varnish.
Harley-Davidson has used PVD in the past to finish smaller parts, such as tank medallions and exhaust shields. The application on the fiddling and fuel tank of the Fat Boy Gray Ghost means the first time PVD has been used in parts of this format.
The precision of this coating results in a beautiful finish with a chrome-like appearance, but because the coating is more powerful than chromes, it meets the Harley-Davidson standards for rust resistance that are not feasible with chromes on these parts.
Chromen side panels complete the overall high -gloss finish of the engine, supplemented with a frame finished with a shiny silver powder coating. Style characteristics inspired by the original Fat Boy include a round air filter and yellow accents on the lower valve covers, powertrain covers and fuel console insert.
Extra details, such as a leather saddle edge with laces and brushes and a black leather tank belt with veterans, contribute to the nostalgic look. Three -dimensional fuel tank medallions refer to the iconic winged graphic of the original Fat Boy. A special fuel console insert has etched the unique serial number of each motorcycle, while the Icons Collection medallion is placed on the rear fender.
Cast aluminum Lakester wheels, exclusively for the Fat Boy, underline his impressive stance. High-quality Michelin® Scorcher 11 tires (for 160/60R18, rear 240/40R18) improve the driving experience.
From a technical point of view, the Fat Boy Gray Ghost is the same as the 2025 standard model, which is powered by the new Milwaukee-Eight 117 Custom V-twin, good for a top capacity of 101 hp and a maximum couple of 171 Nm, an increase of 7% more power and 3% more torque compared to the 2024 Fat Boy.
The 2025 Fat Boy has further improved suspension, new selectable driving modes, new ADAS systems such as curves ABS, angle of slope dependent traction control and motor brake and tire stress control. Also new is the full LED lighting, a USB-C port, heated equipment connectors that have been moved to the top of the rear fender under the saddle, and finally, a new 5-inch instrument panel is provided on the console, with an analog speedometer above an multifunctional digital LCD screen.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.