2003 FatBoy

[wacokid]

Curious to know the opinion of a 2003 FatBoy? Love my Max, need something for all day with HD buds. I'm also looking at used Stratoliners, always wanted one of those as well.

Anyways, looking at a sweet looking '03 FatBoy with bags, windshield, pegs, etc. Link here
https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2003-Harley-Davidson-FAT-BOY-5017748373Worth it?

It looks real nice,

Appreciate all help,

 

[user 16790]

I had a go on a friends fatboy many years ago, he had 'performance cams on it, it was the slowest performing big cc bike I'd ever ridden, I tried to ride it on its legendary low down stump pulling torque but it just vibrated my feet off the floor boards and I nearly lost control of it, in all honesty it was the most unimpressive bike I'd ever ridden, yes it gave that Harley 'buzz' sitting at 50mph but the clutch was heavy and brakes were on par with a Honda Superdream, it definitely wasn't a bike for me, I had a Kawasaki 1000 Eliminator at the time, I've ridden nicer Harleys and maybe the fatboy would've been better without the cams, I don't remember what year model it was

 

[DreamV4]

For twice less money you can buy Vulcan 2000 or VTX1800.
I had 2 Harleys, they are not bad bikes, they are just 2-3x more expensive than equal Japanese bike. (year, mileage, engine). Air cooled engines wear out much faster.

 

[Fire-medic]

For a 43K mile bike H-D or not, too-much $. If it was immaculate, and needed nothing, and had 1/2 the mileage, I'd say ~$5,500=6K. You can probably find an Evo in decent shape for $4K-$5K. You can around here. Here's one.

1994 - motorcycle parts - by owner - vehicle automotive bike sale (craigslist.org)



1994 Harley Davidson Low Rider, Teal Blue, 1340cc, 5 speed, Features: *Chromed Out, *Brand New Screaming Eagle & extra pipes, *Brand New Leather seats same color as the paint job-Teal Blue-Rider and passenger seats, *Original Stock HD Decals for the Tank, *New Tires, New Battery and Ready to Ride** Excellent Condition. *Clean Title, $4,500 Or Best Reasonable Offer. (786) 356-5997 Hollywood FL I suspect this could be purchased for $3500. It's been a month since listing, still there, if he wants off of it, he should be willing to get something instead of nothing. No miles listed.

I looked at all the pics of your listing, it is pretty-clean. Any spotting under the bike? If the seller is motivated, an offer of $5K might get a counter-offer of $6K+ and at $5K-$5.5K I think that would probably be a fair market value. Here's the thing: guys with this vintage of bike, they want something newer, if they want to stay in H-D's. They want the new tech, the Milwaukee 8, and they're desperate to get-off their Twin-Cams. A motivated seller may just be willing to sell cheaper, I'd offer $4.5K and leave your contact #. After a week or two of no bites at his asking price I bet you get a call-back.

Here's another example of where this bike should be priced, you can get this Heritage Softail for probably half of what that H-D owner is asking. A year newer & 1/2 the asking price. First thing I'd do is trash the ridiculous ape-hangers. A Heritage Softail is a very-pretty bike. Check-out the listed mileage, I wonder if that's a typo?



2004 HARLEY DAVIDSON HERITAGE SOFTAIL RUNING GREAT, MUST SEE!!!SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, WE DON'T CHARGE DEALER FEES,CALL CARLOS FOR APPOINTMENT FROM 9am TO 6pm 305-399-6823.WE WILL HELP SHIPPING COUNTRY AND WORLDWIDE.LOCAL DELIVERY AVAILABLE.WE BUY USED MOTORCYCLES.TRADES WELCOME.


2004 HARLEY DAVIDSON HERITAGE SOFTAIL - motorcycles/scooters - by... (craigslist.org)

 

[RadiumPHX]

Bike is worth 6k in the northwest. Cycle trader is always overpriced. I've had a Fatboy, RoadKing and many Sportys, now I ride a 06 Vulcan 2000 for my heavy cruiser class. The Vulcan has double the power and brakes of the Fatboy but she is a land barge, heavy as hell. I am selling the Vulcan though and 2 other 80s bikes. Gonna keep the Max and get me a D5 or later ZX11. I'm Done trying to manage huge fat ass bikes and the Vmax seems like a feather weight after the Vulcan. If I was gonna tour with "HD folks" I'd get a Concour C14, still might in leu of the ZX11.

 

[wacokid]

Thanks for the responses. I checked KBB ($8,100) and it has to do with being 100th anny, badging., acc. I talked to the dude, he's pretty cool via phone., even if he is a cali xplant... I won't go $8k, and it will depend on if mama likes sitting back there. Won't be able to look at it til next weekend due to work.

 

[Parminio]

Curious to know the opinion of a 2003 FatBoy? Love my Max, need something for all day with HD buds. I'm also looking at used Stratoliners, always wanted one of those as well.

Anyways, looking at a sweet looking '03 FatBoy with bags, windshield, pegs, etc. Link here
https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2003-Harley-Davidson-FAT-BOY-5017748373Worth it?

It looks real nice,

Appreciate all help,

It's a nice bike. With the hard bags and all and the Corbin seat, I think it's priced about right. It's a completely different beast than a Vmax to be sure. They're very nice riding machines though. Very comfortable.

 

[Zeus36]

After getting three speeding tickets followed by a suspended license on my Kawasaki LTD 1000, I bought a 1981 Wide Glide Shovelhead to slow me down. Ended up putting in a 96 inch S&S Stroker kit, Manley valves, solid lifters, S&S Super carb and Andrews B grind cam with open drag pipes. Harley made 1200 cc (74 cubic inch) Shovelhead engines then went to 1340 cc (80 cubic inch) in 1980, but all they did was to bore out the cylinders to a larger diameter. This reduced the cylinder sidewall thickness and became a weak spot near the base stud area that had clearance relief cuts outside the cylinder for the cylinder base nuts. The rear cylinder exploded on mine and that is the reason for the Stroker kit. Good thing that model had forward pegs and controls or I would have had shrapnel in my legs. The Wide Glide model had a kickstarter and electric starter with a 4-speed transmission. Lots of fun kick starting a stroker...

I rebuilt that engine three times during my stint in the Navy, then picked up a 1992 Fat Boy Evo Orange/Cream edition that was owned by a Harley mechanic. He installed lots of aftermarket goodies plus an Accel Fuel injection system and it was faster than the Wide Glide. I put on Samson Long Cannons with no baffles and was able to hit 105 in 4th gear and this was a 5-speed. But these bikes put out maybe 58-62 horsepower.... The Fatboy was stolen from the apartment complex and I had sold the Wide Glide to my girlfriend of 10 years, so no bike for a year until I picked up an early production 1999 Fat Boy identical to the Terminator 2 motorcycle for $9000. That was the last of the single cam design. The prior owner put on a Vance and Hines 2 into 1 Pro pipe, but otherwise I've left it stock and still ride it for short trips. All three of those bikes had solid mounted engines and the Softail runs twin horizontal shocks under the transmission. The stock shocks are not great and my Spousal Equivalent won't ride on the back anymore.


Pros for the Evo Harleys are single cam, single carb, two spark plugs, belt drive, heel toe shifter (for me anyway), dry sump oil system, simple design, tons of aftermarket replacement parts, easy to work on.

Cons are poor handling, old design frame, engine and transmission, suspension, brakes, primary chain, expensive, reliability (likely due to air cooling vs. water).


The issue with the 2003 Fat Boy is the Twin Cam design. I would stay away from a Twin Cam engine and find a nice Evolution engine Fat Boy. The model design from 1990-2017 did not change in appearance much, so they are all similar looking bikes.

 

[DreamV4]

I used to have 2 Chinese 150 cc dead scooters. (bought for $100 each, sold for 700 and 300)I remember going on their forum, where I found bunch of very proud owners, who upgraded 150cc to 175cc.
One of my Harleys was 99 Electra with Screaming Eagle 100cc (?) upgrade. It was funny to me because previous owner paid $2-3k to increase HP from 60 to probably 70.
I would definitely do upgrade in case of blown engine, because parts would be

 

[wacokid]

After getting three speeding tickets followed by a suspended license on my Kawasaki LTD 1000, I bought a 1981 Wide Glide Shovelhead to slow me down. Ended up putting in a 96 inch S&S Stroker kit, Manley valves, solid lifters, S&S Super carb and Andrews B grind cam with open drag pipes. Harley made 1200 cc (74 cubic inch) Shovelhead engines then went to 1340 cc (80 cubic inch) in 1980, but all they did was to bore out the cylinders to a larger diameter. This reduced the cylinder sidewall thickness and became a weak spot near the base stud area that had clearance relief cuts outside the cylinder for the cylinder base nuts. The rear cylinder exploded on mine and that is the reason for the Stroker kit. Good thing that model had forward pegs and controls or I would have had shrapnel in my legs. The Wide Glide model had a kickstarter and electric starter with a 4-speed transmission. Lots of fun kick starting a stroker...

I rebuilt that engine three times during my stint in the Navy, then picked up a 1992 Fat Boy Evo Orange/Cream edition that was owned by a Harley mechanic. He installed lots of aftermarket goodies plus an Accel Fuel injection system and it was faster than the Wide Glide. I put on Samson Long Cannons with no baffles and was able to hit 105 in 4th gear and this was a 5-speed. But these bikes put out maybe 58-62 horsepower.... The Fatboy was stolen from the apartment complex and I had sold the Wide Glide to my girlfriend of 10 years, so no bike for a year until I picked up an early production 1999 Fat Boy identical to the Terminator 2 motorcycle for $9000. That was the last of the single cam design. The prior owner put on a Vance and Hines 2 into 1 Pro pipe, but otherwise I've left it stock and still ride it for short trips. All three of those bikes had solid mounted engines and the Softail runs twin horizontal shocks under the transmission. The stock shocks are not great and my Spousal Equivalent won't ride on the back anymore.


Pros for the Evo Harleys are single cam, single carb, two spark plugs, belt drive, heel toe shifter (for me anyway), dry sump oil system, simple design, tons of aftermarket replacement parts, easy to work on.

Cons are poor handling, old design frame, engine and transmission, suspension, brakes, primary chain, expensive, reliability (likely due to air cooling vs. water).


The issue with the 2003 Fat Boy is the Twin Cam design. I would stay away from a Twin Cam engine and find a nice Evolution engine Fat Boy. The model design from 1990-2017 did not change in appearance much, so they are all similar looking bikes.

Thanks Zeus,

Think you just changed my mind. I’ve always wanted a fat boy because of that crappy 2nd terminator movie. Who was I kidding? I got rid of a perfectly good road glide ultra because it’s too friggin slow, hot, lopey, I know better... Back to searching for a cruiser mama be happy on all day.

 

[Bullies74]

After getting three speeding tickets followed by a suspended license on my Kawasaki LTD 1000, I bought a 1981 Wide Glide Shovelhead to slow me down. Ended up putting in a 96 inch S&S Stroker kit, Manley valves, solid lifters, S&S Super carb and Andrews B grind cam with open drag pipes. Harley made 1200 cc (74 cubic inch) Shovelhead engines then went to 1340 cc (80 cubic inch) in 1980, but all they did was to bore out the cylinders to a larger diameter. This reduced the cylinder sidewall thickness and became a weak spot near the base stud area that had clearance relief cuts outside the cylinder for the cylinder base nuts. The rear cylinder exploded on mine and that is the reason for the Stroker kit. Good thing that model had forward pegs and controls or I would have had shrapnel in my legs. The Wide Glide model had a kickstarter and electric starter with a 4-speed transmission. Lots of fun kick starting a stroker...

I rebuilt that engine three times during my stint in the Navy, then picked up a 1992 Fat Boy Evo Orange/Cream edition that was owned by a Harley mechanic. He installed lots of aftermarket goodies plus an Accel Fuel injection system and it was faster than the Wide Glide. I put on Samson Long Cannons with no baffles and was able to hit 105 in 4th gear and this was a 5-speed. But these bikes put out maybe 58-62 horsepower.... The Fatboy was stolen from the apartment complex and I had sold the Wide Glide to my girlfriend of 10 years, so no bike for a year until I picked up an early production 1999 Fat Boy identical to the Terminator 2 motorcycle for $9000. That was the last of the single cam design. The prior owner put on a Vance and Hines 2 into 1 Pro pipe, but otherwise I've left it stock and still ride it for short trips. All three of those bikes had solid mounted engines and the Softail runs twin horizontal shocks under the transmission. The stock shocks are not great and my Spousal Equivalent won't ride on the back anymore.


Pros for the Evo Harleys are single cam, single carb, two spark plugs, belt drive, heel toe shifter (for me anyway), dry sump oil system, simple design, tons of aftermarket replacement parts, easy to work on.

Cons are poor handling, old design frame, engine and transmission, suspension, brakes, primary chain, expensive, reliability (likely due to air cooling vs. water).


The issue with the 2003 Fat Boy is the Twin Cam design. I would stay away from a Twin Cam engine and find a nice Evolution engine Fat Boy. The model design from 1990-2017 did not change in appearance much, so they are all similar looking bikes.

Have to agree, stay away from the Twin Cam engines, they are grenade just waiting for the pin to be pulled.

Grab an Evo with decent miles.

I have three of them, an 85 and two 91’s.

The engines are simplistic, run well, but have to many damn gasket / mating surfaces that have a tendency to leak.

Minor issues, but annoying never less.

On the other hand, my 94 Vmax amazes me, it’s 27 years old and not a leak to be found.

 

[02GF74]

Back to searching for a cruiser mama be happy on all day.

How about a kawasaki vn1500. To my inexperienced eyes it's a clone of a generic Harley. I would imagine they don't leak and aee very reliable, like most Japanese motorcycles.

If I had the space, I'd like a HD at some point but am put off by the assymetric appearance, namely exhaust on one side.

Now this Vn addresses that, I would assume the exhaust is not factory.


Oh, and they probably are about 1/2 the price of the fat boy.

 

[Fire-medic]

One of my riding buddies I see at Bike Week (he lives in Melbourne FL) has a Suzuki 1800cc V-twin, it runs and hides from an Evo. It's an M109R. I happen to like the styling, some may-not. He's had two of 'em, one in CO when he was building a spec home there in Durango. (he's a G.C.) He said they have been very reliable and fun to ride.

 

[02GF74]

There is also the triumph rocket 3 which makes the fat boy look svelte.

 

[tbird71]

I've had 3 "Flat" Boys one of HDs best lookin most popular bikes. They look sound and feel great. As long as you're just toolin around locally in say a 50 mi radius. However if you're going to do any RIDING leave the FB in the garage. Damn things are just flat uncomfortable on a 100+ mile ride (for me anyway) Nothing wrong with a Twin Cam motor as long as it's had the tensioner adjuster replaced. Don't buy a TC with no evidence of service unless it has less than 15000 mi or it's dirt cheap and then do the service yourself (600-800) as they'll go out between 20-40000 mi. STAY AWAY FROM AN 03 MODEL ALTOGETHER AND ARE TROUBLE. I agree with everyone who said get an evo (92-99) if you're dead set on being a terminator...LOL



GET A ROADLINER OR STRAT. I have an 06 I converted into a street glide copy and it has all the torque and comfort
necessary looks great all you'll need is a good solo seat to be an all day ride. And these can be had for 4500-6000 all day long. Vulcans are "OK" had one not enough torque and power for me. Get a low mile XV1900 and go enjoy yourself. Or spend 12-19000 and get a newer Ultra, Street Glide, or Road Glide (cant believe you sold your Ultra). Good Luck!

 

[wacokid]

I’ve been looking at the roadliners, besides the one HD, I’ve always had yams

 

[tbird71]

I always thought Yamaha made some of the best big cruisers out there overall. Another one to consider may be the 96-04 Royal Star or the
05-09 Yamaha Royal Star Tour Deluxe. VERY comfortable machines (basically a venture with the fairing and trunk removed) But they ARE carb bikes and need serviced every so often. However they are a true 150-200000 mi motor and nice RSTDs can be had in the 5K range with a little searching. Nice Royal Stars go as cheaply as 2500. Now that's inexpensive riding.

 

[Parminio]

Back to searching for a cruiser mama be happy on all day.

I'll catch hell for this, but:

Have you considered a Gold Wing? They are really nice bikes.

 

[CaptainKyle]

I'll catch hell for this, but:

Have you considered a Gold Wing? They are really nice bikes.

Not catching hell from me.lol

 

[Coastal Grey]

As sad as this is to say
I’ll throw a couple of cents in the ring on this.
Forever I have been anti Harley all kinds of bikes over the years but no to Harley had a really beautiful red 2010 vmax I did what I wanted to it had it setup beautiful for me my own work.I even ghosted flames on the intake cover to match the 2005 I had put a lot of Kim’s on that bad girl
Had a brain fart
I had been looking at 2013 Fat Bobs for awhile very traditional
so I traded the Gen 2 for a beautiful bone stock red head see the theme here
There is some kind of weird cave man thing about riding a harley it is very true if you are really going to ride it and push it it’s brute force again very cool
Well I tooled around on that for awhile did some nice work to it all harley wille g stuff the skull
One winter I decided I would take the next step I bought a turnkey Vance and Hines big radius set up again all my own work the intent was to bring it to where I could really push it riding
harley believes this to be a true riders bike.an oversized set of Avon cobras I was done
tore up the back roads for a couple years and a year on the east coast. I had bought bags over time and a high back for my now wife all easily removable for dual or solo Cool
And the siren Call of a vmax I saw an add for a 3500km 2014 vmax it was to much for me to deal with took a drive to Halifax and drove it home it was a very comfortable feeling sort of like an angry hug
I gues the point is this if you can get a fuel injected 103 dyna looney at stop lights but pans out liquid smooth Gold.
I have had my limit in carbureted engines I’ve moved on
the work that was done was my own with carefully selected stock bikes once you start stepping outside of that things get pricey
most times I’ll be quite honest I don’t like other peoples mods so much
Harley is a cool ride but my soul belongs to a naked gen2 and I throw the bags over it and cruise and ride that regardless of what my buddies are riding sure I got to stop for gas more often but hey it’s all about your ride
For sure there are really nice world cruisers that are for better price
you will have less headaches with fuel injection
Be warey of mods have a really good look
Bring a white piece of paper with you for checking oil
Be suspicious of a bike that is warm when you get there
It should be cold and started when you arrive when it gets warm use your paper you would be surprised at times

Sorry for the rant my wife is doing a first aid course at the bee yard and waiting to grab her for lunch break

Cheers
Peter