Harley-Davidson launches new limited-run Fat Boy Gray Ghost.
If you like chrome you’re going to love the new Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Gray Ghost, the fifth instalment in the brand’s Icons Motorcycle Collection that has been launched to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the introduction of the Fat Boy.
The Fat Boy Gray Ghost features a gleaming new Reflection finish that Harley-Davidson says gives the entire motorcycle the appearance of being dipped in chrome.
Production of the Fat Boy Gray Ghost model will be limited to 1990 total motorcycles globally (paying homage to the original 1990 Fat Boy) with a ride away price in Australia of $41,750.
“The original Fat Boy model took the look, proportions and silhouette of a 1949 Hydra-Glide and completely modernised it for a new generation of riders,” explains Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson Vice President of Design and Creative Director, Motorcycles. “Those riders appreciated our post-war design DNA but also found themselves drawn to the clean simplicity of contemporary industrial design.”
Initially, the Fat Boy was intended to have a limited lifespan; instead, it has spanned three powertrain generations and a complete redesign of its Softail chassis.
According to Harley-Davidson, the Icons Collection Fat Boy Gray Ghost “will shimmer in sunlight like it was machined from a solid alloy billet and polished to a mirror finish. The Reflection finish is created using the physical vapour deposition (PVD) process, also known as thin film coating, in which a solid material is vaporised in a vacuum and deposited onto the surface of a part, in this case the fuel tank and motorcycle fenders. This is accomplished by applying a positive charge to the solid material (an aluminium alloy) and a negative charge to the motorcycle part. Following the deposition process, the part is painted with a standard clear coat finish.”
Other styling features include chrome side covers, a frame finished in bright silver powder coat, a round air cleaner, and yellow accents on the lower rocker covers, powertrain covers and tank console insert. There’s also a leather seat valance with lacing and tassels, and a black leather tank strap with laced edging, while three-dimensional fuel tank medallions are designed to replicate the iconic winged graphic from the original Fat Boy. A commemorative tank console insert is etched with the bike’s unique serial number.
Lakester cast aluminium wheels are exclusive to the Fat Boy model, and these are fitted with Michelin Scorcher 11 tyres (160/60R18 front and 240/40R18 rear) .
On the performance front, the Gray Ghost shares its driveline with the 2025 Fat Boy motorcycle, which means it gets the 117c.i. Milwaukee-Eight that makes a claimed 75kW (101hp) and 171Nm. The engine is equipped with a two-into-two exhaust with individual catalysts and a there’s a new rider-selectable mode setup with Road, Rain and Sport modes.
Other new tech includes cornering ABS and traction control, as well as Cornering Drag Torque Slip Control and a tyre pressure monitoring system. There’s also new LED lighting all around, a USB-C port for charging devices, and a new analogue speedometer above a multi-function LCD digital display.
Harley-Davidson says MY25 Fat Boy’s suspension is calibrated to optimise rider comfort – it runs a 49mm fork up front and a preload adjustable shock at the rear – and this is also used on the limited-edition Gray Ghost model.
Fat Boy?
According to Harley-Davidson, no other manufacturer would have the audacity to name a motorcycle Fat Boy.
“You’re probably wondering how we came up with a name like Fat Boy, and I’ve heard a lot of tales about this, nearly all of which are untrue,” wrote Willie G. Davidson in his book 100 Years of Harley-Davidson. “Here’s the real story: it’s tough to come up with names that will be popular on the street. We were looking for something unusual and maybe even a little irreverent, because there’s something sort of cool about poking fun at your products from time to time. To me, and to a lot of other insiders who’d seen it, the bike had a massive ‘fat’ look. So the folks in marketing came up with the name Fat Boy.”
Fat Boy Model Timeline
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1990: The Fat Boy model debuts in one colour, Fine Silver Metallic, powered by a rigid-mounted Evolution V-Twin engine.
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1991: The Fat Boy motorcycle entered popular culture with its featured appearance in the motion picture “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” in which actor Arnold Schwarzenegger rides a Fat Boy motorcycle through Los Angeles in a dramatic chase scene. The movie was a global sensation, helping cement the Fat Boy model as representative of the Harley-Davidson brand in many markets, especially Europe. One of the bikes used in the movie is now in the Harley-Davidson Museum collection.
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2000: The counterbalanced Twin Cam 88B engine debuts in Softail models, including the Fat Boy model.
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2005: The limited-production CVO Fat Boy model, powered by a Twin Cam 103 engine, began a two-year run. Styling highlights included slammed rear suspension, steel pan-style seat, chrome pillion, and a new metal-grind finish accent with three colour options.
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2010: The Fat Boy Lo model dropped the seat height to just 616mm, thanks to slammed front and rear suspension and a low-profile seat.
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2016: The Fat Boy S model is powered by the muscular Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110 engine and finished in Dark Custom styling.
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2018: The Fat Boy model is one of eight revolutionary Softail motorcycles based on an all-new chassis featuring monoshock rear suspension and dual counterbalanced Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin engines. The styling is all new – a massive front end, a new headlight shape, and a huge 240mm rear tyre – but the bike is also quite obviously a Fat Boy model.
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2020: Harley-Davidson celebrates an icon with the introduction of the Fat Boy 114 30th Anniversary Limited Edition motorcycle. Restyled in dark finishes with bronze highlights and powered by a Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, production of the 30th Anniversary Fat Boy was limited to 2500 examples.
For more information head to H-D.com/au.
