I guess it's a trade-off. If you upgraded the Fat Bob's front and rear suspension (a lot) it could well have an equal or better suspension along with slightly better brakes and a stiffer frame. But it would still be heavier and have more unsprung weight with the big wheels and tires. I'm not sure which front end would be better...the thin tubed narrow or the thick tubed wide. I think you'd have to do a lot to a Fat Bob to make it out-handle an FXDX, and it would take big bucks if one could be be built to hang with a modded "sport" like sharkey's. But I guess anything can be done with enough cabbage.

 

Sounds like he needs to go to demo day's at your local dealer. Dyna or Sportster would be the right choice. I'm kinds partial to the Wide Glide..

 

Howard at MotorcycleMetal.com has a conversion for dual front brakes using V-rod lowers. Great upgrade. Worth every penny of the cost- see his website under Dynas. Jay

 

Howard is doing ohlins double clicker ohlins shocks and a inverted front end

I just ordered this and its going to be like waiting for x-mas for 3-4 wks

I will keep u guys posted!

 

I am sure everyone noticed that 95% of the people that posted voted the bike they ride as the best handling. Now I'm not saying anyone is biased or anything but I think we might have to accept this as a possible explaination. All I can tell you is I love my Fat Bob. I think everyone would probably agree that when you purchase a Harley you look for a good compromise between comfort, function, and your personal style. For me that was the Fat Bob, handles well, looks bad a$$, and is comfortable. Of course all those things are based on my opinions. No single Harley will be all things to all people, but the good thing is there are so many models chances are you will find one that works well for you...or in this case him.

 

And all of them would be somewhat correct except for those that think a bike with forwards and increased rake handles better than one with mids and less rake.

 

Interesting thread…. I’ve been riding for less than a year with a 20 year hiatus since I rode a little Honda to high school. I’m not big into seeing how hard I can push my bike through corners, but I do believe my new Street Bob probably has an advantage over my Nightster in the corners with the increased ground clearance. I know I won’t be putting 11” shocks on my Street Bob no matter how good it looks. That Nightster would drag with the slightest turn and rode like a brick.

I don’t know if it’s the ape hangers or what, but I feel like my Street Bob is harder to manage at low speed in parking lots and stuff compared to the Nightster. I’ve only had it a little more than a month though. I may get more comfortable with it.

I still don’t feel like I’ve really mastered cornering at speed. It’s interesting to read about you guys pushing your 650+ lb Harleys through corners hard. I wish my skills would improve. Not just for fun, but for safety’s sake. I have some degree of fear that I’m going to freeze going too quick through a corner and go straight into the ditch or worse.

 

I guess I buy that for people with shorter legs, but forwards for me are still a significant knee bend. Mids are a pretzel shape I did put my mid pegs on as dummies though, so we'll see how it works out this year on the Dragon. I can position myself just fine on my forwards, but like I said my forwards are like mids for people not freakishly tall.

 

I notice that this thread is nearly a year old.... what did bikerdog134 actually buy in the end for his son?

 

You want a fast bike that handles the twisties? Dyna's are closest Harley Davidson comes to sport bike handling. When the predecessors to the Dyna's, the FXR's, first came out, the faithful screamed about those exposed rear shocks making them look too much like Japanese bikes. The true believer knows better. They're like Sportsters on steroids. Over the years, some "Sport" models had dual disk front brakes. You need mid controls with flatter bars for a more aggressive riding posture. You can put on a windshield and throw on some saddlebags, and you're ready for light touring. I have a 2005 FXDX sport cruiser. It will never handle like a sport bike. Low speed it handle OK, high speed turns it handle like a tank. You need to start turning with lots of lead time. I am 61 and not into sport bikes anymore, but I need something a little sporting. The bike as adjustable suspension, dual disk brakes, 131 Big Jims motor, and a new 6 speed Baker .