1990 Harley-Davidson
H arley-Davidson held a p ressconference recently to introduce its 1990 model lineup ,
and th e star of th e show wa s
the new FL STF " Fa t Boy".
T h is m o st rece nt creatio n b y
H arl ey-Davidson stylist Willie G .
Davidson encom passes a number of
the modifications that bu yers have
had to perfor m o n th eir ow n steeds
in the past. Ma ny parts. such as th e
shot gun-style dual exha ust system
an d m et al front fe nder strongly
resem ble curre n tly ava ilable af termarket parts. It' s a case of the O EM
im ita ting th e afte rmarket. rather
then vice-versa.
. T he styli ng is " just the kind of
thin g some of th e cus tomers ma y
have done if they had the time and
the money," sa id a company spokesman a t th e press conference. The Fat
Boy's dis tin ctive styling includes a
-
... Harley-Davidson's new FLSTF
Fat Boy offers as standard many
of the items that owners once
had to purchase from the
aftermarket.
.
The 1990 Ultra Classics feature
cruise control systems with
resume/acceleration functions;
CB /intercoms with adjustable
voice actuation and low noise.
_
The XLH Sportster 883 now has
""f' its own contingency-paying club
road racing series. Called U.S .
Twin Sports, it's sanctioned by
AMA Championship Cup Series.
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textured leather sea t in sert .; handlaced leather gas tan k strap and seat
valan ce. wide FLH-issue han dlebars
and a front disc wh eel (previous
model s ha ve had rear d iscs a n d
spoked fronts). Col or is all -silver .
with subtle yellow high lights o n the
derb y a n d timing co vers. center
conso le. rocker box spacers a nd tank
gra p h ic s. The stylin g tr eatment
dep arts from the Harley norm in th a t
it is th e fir st to feature a silverpainted. rather than chrome-p la ted
o il ta nk.
T he FLSTF featu res H arl ey' s
unique Softail rear sus pens ion system w ith du a l- un der sl ung gas
shoc ks, which recreate s the look of
a rigid, cho ppe r-like rear end yet
provides four in ch es of suspension
trav el. The Fat Boy is powered by
th e venerable 80 cubic-inch (l 34Occ),
V-twin, OHV Evo lution engine,
with a five-speed transmission a nd
belt final drive.
T he " Fa t Boy" designation .was
chos en since it so unded like the sort
of nickname that en thusiasts have
bestow ed upon past H-D products names li ke " Fa t Bob" (a type of fuel
ta nk) and " Shovel head " (a motor) terms which h a ve cu s to m a r i l y
