Everyone has their own unique motorcycle preferences. That's why there are so many different kinds of bikes available. Every once in a while it's good to step outside your comfort zone and try something else, something you would never actually own yourself, just for the experience. Sportbike rider Adjrian Nickelodeon, who normally rides a Yamaha R1, gave a Harley-Davidson Fat Bob a try, and hilarity ensued.
From One Extreme To The Other
As one might expect, there are the usual digs about "real bikes" and the size of one's manhood in comparison to the loud, brash Harley. Mostly, though, Adjrian gives us an honest opinion of the Fat Bob from someone who prefers an entirely different type of motorcycle. Of course, the first thing he does is roll into the throttle, evoking the V-twin roar, gobs of torque, and lots of laughs. He's used to having to work for his power, winding the engine out to high revs to make it take off. The Fat Bob accelerates effortlessly, with all its torque available down low. As Adjrian winds it out, though, he notices that this is all the bike has to give. There's no build-up to high horsepower like his R1.
The feet-forward riding position is another huge difference that he simply can't get used to, partly because the controls are too far forward for him to reach effectively. I had the opposite problem when I went from the Indian Springfield Dark Horse I rode all week at Sturgis directly to an FTR 1200. I had a hard time finding the footpegs way in back of me at first. Once I found them, though, I had no problem at all. In his case, he's probably also used to moving around from side to side on his R1, leaning off and adjusting his weight on the footpegs for the turns. There's no way he can do that on the Fat Bob.
That's not the point of the Fat Bob, though, and Adjrian gets that. Although he tried to launch into a vlog on a different topic, he finds he just can't, between the noise, the wind, and the irresistible urge to start singing Born To Be Wild. I understand where he's coming from. The first time I got on a cruiser, as well as every time thereafter, it made me feel like a badass, even though in real life I'm just a middle-aged nerd. A lot of people don't like cruisers and that's perfectly okay. Although they're not my current weapon of choice, I definitely understand the appeal. After this ride, so does Adjrian Nickelodeon.
If you don't care about the Fat Bob, that's fine, too. Stick around to the end of the video and there's some completely irrelevant but extremely cute footage of dogs playing fetch and swimming.