Which Is The Hardest Harley-Davidson To Ride? Here's What Riders Say

Harley-Davidson is known for producing big, burly, powerful motorcycles — that are not exactly seen as easy-to-ride vehicles. In fact, a popular perception is that inexperienced riders would find many Harley-Davidson motorcycles quite difficult to handle due to their design, weight and size.

There is truth to that, but some Harley-Davidson models are undoubtedly harder to ride than others. With that in mind, we wanted to determine which Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders find the most challenging, and so we explored Harley-centered webzines, communities and forums across the web, coming to the conclusion that the top spot is reserved for one of the most iconic vehicles the company has ever produced. The famous Harley-Davidson Fat Boy.

This motorcycle is sometimes credited with rejuvenating the Harley-Davidson brand in the early 1990s, when it was prominently featured in "Terminator 2." Plenty of different models have come out since then. They vary in size and performance, but are generally considered hard to ride by experts and enthusiasts alike.

There's a fairly broad consensus online that the Fat Boy is the hardest Harley-Davidson to ride, with several articles declaring it so. The Redline Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership unambiguously described the Fat Boy as "the most challenging bike" in the Harley-Davidson lineup, citing the "rawer feel" that comes from its powerful engine. The Fat Boy is also described as being less comfortable than other Harley-Davidson motorcycles, with a relaxed steering geometry. 

Top Speed's Anthony Capobianco went into a little more detail in his column, noting that the Fat Boy "comes with a big learning curve." According to Capobianco, the "gigantic tires" are the main issue. "This bike has no problem moving in a straight line. It's the twists and turns that can turn this motorcycle's primary features into its Achilles heel. Bigger tires mean greater road coverage, and many newer Fat Boy riders admit to experiencing wider-than-usual turns," he wrote.

When you take a look at Harley-Davidson forums, it becomes clear that enthusiasts agree with the experts. In most online communities we have explored, users strongly advise beginners to take a motorcycle safety course before even thinking about riding a Fat Boy.

For example, in a Reddit thread where one beginner asked how challenging it would be to ride a Fat Boy, the commenters were quick to point out the large tires as a potential issue. One person wrote that the tires "make it take effort to turn," while somebody also suggested the original poster "take the corners nice and slow."

In another Reddit thread in the r/Harley community, one user asked if it would be a good idea to borrow their father's Fat Boy to learn how to ride. This user was warned against doing so, with one commenter saying that the Fat Boy handles "like a tank" and is too heavy for beginners. Others agreed, while one person chimed in to say "your dad wouldn't be amused, if you drop it... and you will!"

Old threads on popular Harley-Davidson forums echo these sentiments, with most users agreeing that the Fat Boy is hard to ride and definitely not suitable for inexperienced riders.