Wednesday 8th July - Monday 13th July - Why I love Fat Bob

It's been an epic week on the Harley Softail Heritage, and I have found myself becoming more and more attached to these American bikes I have ridden as they simply possess so much soul and passion, and more importantly character.

Riding a Harley is like having a muscle car, yes there are more efficient, and faster ways of getting around, but nothing that makes as much noise and that makes you feel as primal as these do. They simply ooze personality and have such a sense of tradition and that surrounds them, and everywhere you go on one, when you arrive anywhere it's always with such a sense of occasion.

I have done over 500 miles on the Softail Heritage in 6 days, not bad if I say so myself while trying to balance work and everything else, and it has been a real joy the whole time. I mentioned it with the XR1200, but I really can't understand why anyone thinks Harleys are not easy to ride, sure it's a different style of riding to other bikes, but they have an undeserved reputation for being real dogs, which is just not true!

Yes they take a bit of getting used to, and if you haven't ridden a few different type of bikes, then this may come as a shock to you, but having ridden loads of different types of two wheeled beauties in these diaries, I can say that all bikes ride differently, but once you get used to them they are fine, and I have actually found these beasts as manageable as any other bike on the roads even at slow speeds, once you know how they respond.

Its seems silly, I have had friends who have bought Harleys only to take them back within a few weeks because they didn't like them, something that having ridden a Harley for the last month, I simply cannot understand. Yes they don't handle like superbikes or commuters, and yes they are very different form the Japanese attempts at making a "Fake" Harley, but that's the point, this is a Harley, the others have just taken the idea and toned it down.

I digress anyway which is bad, because today the lovely man from Harley came and took the Softail away, sniff sniff, (although he did have a wicked old school Dyna Glide on there - see pic further down!) but then replaced with a Harley CVO Fat Bob...............which is probably the bike I have been most excited about getting when I found out it was on my list a couple of months ago.

Look at it...................

Bikes simply don't get any more beautiful, and the CVO at the front of its name (awesomely and aptly simply known as the Fat Bob!), means that this is a Custom Vehicle Operations Harley, which literally means that this is a bit of a one off special that not very many people will ever get the chance to ride........................now you are probably sensing my excitement!

The paint job is amazing and subtle too, with the mottled section starting at the front of the bike as a dark orange, and then gradually becoming darker as you run down the length of the bike, something that you wouldn't notice at first, but it's these touches that make this one off bike so special.

There is more chrome on it than I have seen on anything of this ilk, and with the chromed out solid wheels, the brushed chrome dials, and chrome handlebars, it's not exactly going to be light, but that's okay, because that's the point of a Harley (I might repeat that saying quite a bit!).

It has two headlights in the European style, and this definitely looks better than the one headlight look they attempted on the XR1200 which never looked completely right to me, and if I'm being honest, it's the most beautiful thing on two wheels I have ever seen.
I was genuinely nervous about getting on this thing and riding it, it's like driving to work in a Picasso for crying out loud..........but I needn't have been because wow was I in for a shock.

So as soon as it was off the lorry, I jumped on the back, and set off without much further though about Excess's and how that If I crashed it would be a travesty for such an amazing machine!

First impressions then?

I remember going for a ride a few years back in my cousins Bentley Brooklands R, this thing was incredible, it weighed almost 2 and a half tons, yet had supercar performance, it was an odd feeling. I have been in and driven some very fast cars, and you expect to feel the full force of the acceleration tearing your head off, but in this thing even doing 0-60 in 4.5 seconds didn't seem that manic because you were so much in control and in so much comfort it simply eased you back into the chair as you put your foot down.

That is the closest comparison I can get to what this feels like to ride, it's a big and heavy bike that exudes comfort, but wow, thanks to some amazing engineering you really do feel it has a sporting pedigree, and my god does it go some!

It has a beast of an engine, weighing in at 110 Cubic Inches or 1,802cc, but the power delivery on this thing is something else, so smooth that it allows to ride at in such a way that you even feel cool!

The ride is uber comfortable, plus I love the suede and leather seat which I reckon by looks alone increases this even more so, and the handling is..............wait for it......................awesome!!

This a big heavy bike, but it goes round corners with no worries, and with no foot pegs to scrape the floor you can really lean it round bends too. All of which again went against the negative stereotype of Harleys I had grown up with, but I really can't find fault in the way that this thing goes round corners....it rules!

Here was this beautiful thing to look at, and yet it also rode like a pretty sporty cruiser, how is it possible. Well like in the example I gave about my cousins Bentley above, I suppose Class just runs through this thing, or another word for it would be pedigree.
It's savage, noisy, and goes like stink, yet somehow refined, comfy and relaxing to ride........sounds like fun right?

It damn well is!

Thursday 9th July

Gutted I can't take this thing to Worcester tonight where I am DJ'ing, but I suppose taking a picture of it with me on my phone will have to make do!! That way every time I get lonely in the booth I can just look at the pic and feel better........god I'm turning into an obsessive!

I take Bob into work and show it off to everyone who didn't see it yesterday, and Kerrang is a pretty rock and roll place, but even so this thing impressed pretty much everyone!
I mentioned yesterday about the noise, and this ties in nicely to what I was saying a few weeks ago when I was riding the Japanese Cruisers, when you get on a bike that looks like this you want a raw, pulsating engine that feels like given time it could rip a hole through the crust of the earth and probably make it all the way to China. With the Jap bikes, you get a very efficient sound, and good performance from it, but start up a Harley and you will see what I mean.

I touched on the start last week with the Softail, I love it, keyless ignition once more, simply press the button and wait that split second and "Thhhhhhhhhwwwwwwwwooooooommmmmmmmmp!" it makes the most reassuring noise as it turns over the first time, and of course the cacophony of noise from this incredible machine begins.

It just gets better when you get it up above 4,000 RPM as well, turning from a low burble into a soul melting bass note that is to me what a deep friend Mars bar is to a Northerner........sheer bliss!

Seriously, why does anyone travel in other way........ever??

Well that question was answered by the rain......bugger!!

Friday 10th July/Sat 11th July

Due to rubbish weather, as in Biblical thunderstorms and flooding around Birmingham, plus a massive workload and few end of an era work parties and also rather large amount of alcohol imbibing Fat Bob had a couple of days off, still, even when I don't get a chance to take him it out for big ride, it makes the little ride into work so much fun.

I can't think of a bike that has such a sense of occasion as this, yet also just wants to be ridden, and is so easy just to jump on the back and go...........now I just wish this weather would piss off!

Sunday 12th July

So I'm starting my new daytime show on Kerrang tomorrow, and after finishing my last ever (hopefully!) Sunday Breakfast show in the morning, and with the sun, shock, horror popping out between the torrential rain, I decided the best thing to do was to get out for a couple of hours on Bob and see what I could do to blow away some cobwebs after being stuck indoors the last few days thanks to the rubbish weather.

I nailed it round loads of A and B Roads, and this thing just comes into its own. It's actually quite scary how much fun I'm having on this thing, as I'm starting to get scared that I won't want to give it back.......actually not that I won't want to, more like I won't be able to!

Cruising is what this thing is built for, but I decided to give it a bit more of a go today and give it some tap, and boy does it fly. Yes it's not a superbike, but twist away on the chrome throttle and you are rewarded with an instant source of power that while not as brutal as some bikes, just never seems to relent.

The gearing is spot on too, allowing you cruise through traffic in 1st if need be, and yet 2nd will get you all the way to 70mph, and get it between 4,000-6,000 rpm and hold onto your hat!

I'm starting to think this might be the perfect bike for me, well that's if money was no object as this beauty will set you back somewhere in the region of £20,000, which when you look at the prices of even the incredible Rocket 3 at circa £12,000 seems a lot, but you can see where the money is spent, and don't forget this is a Custom made one off special, as the normal Fat Bob comes in at a tidy £11,340.

It's tricky, is it my favourite bike of all time? Well yes as an overall package it has to be up there, as nothing has this much character and poise and yet is still such a monster of a bike, and of course so jaw droppingly beautiful.

If money was no object, this would have pride of place in my perfect bike garage, although I would want to ride it all the time as it's simply immense so it wouldn't be rested up on a plinth anywhere!

That I suppose is the point of Harleys (Hmmm haven't actually used that saying that much, that'll teach me trying to be psychic!), they truly are an awesome experience, and there is nothing else like them out there, my advice is if you think they may be for you, and even if you have never thought twice about one, go test ride one, because you will see what I mean that they really are completely different to anything else. I completely understand how some people will never like them down to the fact they are so different, but I'm not one of those and if you do get on the back of a hog hopefully you will end up with a big as smile as I have had riding these crazy cats over the last few weeks.

Only got 3 days left with it.......damn!

Monday 13th July

Started off my brand new show on Kerrang today, and what a way to arrive in style, with the sun shining and atop the back of Bob (I'm aware that sounds dodgy, but I'm just past caring!). This is such a special bike I'm going to miss it a lot, and as a treat to "Bob" I thought after my show I would nip up to Stratstone Harley to see the awesome James (who alongside Jenna at Harley Head Office organised all of these awesome yank bikes for me...................THANK YOU!) and have a chat about just how blown away I was........oh and to see some more of its cousins on display!

When I first met James, he said that these bikes would blow me away, and that I would be shocked at just how good they were, he even saw the usual sports bike rider cynicism off with a shake of the head and a "Trust me...........you'll understand after a few weeks!"

He wasn't wrong, it was so nice to be able to tell James and the team how much pleasure I had got from all of the Harleys they had lent me, and how right their predictions were.

To be fair I think they were surprised, knowing how much of a sports bike rider I was, to see how impressed I was, but it has been an amazing 4 weeks, and I have ridden some incredible bikes

From the sporty and awesome sounding XR1200, to the atomic buzz saw engine and incredible handling track bike that was the Buell 1125R, to the sheer cruising style and luxury of the Softail Heritage, and finally onto this simply beautiful and inspired one off Fat Bob, it has been one hell of a month.

I thought the Fat Bob would be more of a piece of art than something I would want to ride every day, let alone ride hard, and I was wrong, very wrong......it's simply epic!
I just wish the weather would brighten up, because as I write this it is 8.30pm and it's chucking it down, and all I want to do is hit the road.

Ah well, forecast is a bit better for tomorrow, my last full day with Bob before I become Harley-less, not to worry though as I have some awesome Japanese and English bikes to ride from Streetbike and Triumph that I know will be amazing,.............and if that wasn't enough it also looks like I might be getting some more Harleys in August, so all in all sweet!

Right then, now all of the build up to my new show is done, and I'm into my new daily routine, I will hopefully have time to upload each diary entry daily, and maybe even more often, so simply check back every day to read about my latest adventures on bikes amigos!!!

Wooooooooooooooo!