Summary

• The Harley-Davidson Bad Boy had a questionable title, however it was a blackout bike with tasteful chrome accents and interesting driving traits.
• The Bad Boy was usually missed by bikers, however those that rode it praised its connectedness and pure driving expertise.
• While the design of the Bad Boy stood out with its mix of blackout and chrome, it had subpar efficiency and lacked options, leading to disappointing gross sales figures.

It’s the 1995s, and Harley-Davidson has unveiled a brand new bike that’s in contrast to anything of their lineup. The bike in query is the Bad Boy, and the solutions it obtained weren’t good. Ask most bikers, and so they’ll not know a motorbike by the title of Bad Boy ever existed. Not just like the moniker is one thing to be pleased with; the Bad Boy title is corny at greatest and pretentious at worst.

Fortunately, the Bad Boy was far more than its title. It was a blackout bike with tasteful chrome accents, constructed onto one of many most iconic Harley-Davidsons of the time, the Softail. The Harley-Davidson FXSTSB Bad Boy drips badass swagger, and as long as you don’t say its title out loud, you’ll be the good biker on the planet. So, what’s it concerning the Bad Boy that makes it particular? Style, partaking driving traits, and a roaring exhaust be aware (with the suitable aftermarket muffler). Unfortunately, nobody purchased it. We marvel why.

In order to provide the newest and correct info doable, the information used to compile this text was sourced from Suzuki and different authoritative sources, together with Motorcyclenews.com and Motorcycle.com.

A Sportster With A Big Twin Heart

Power Output: 60 HP @ 5,000 RPM

Of course, the Harley-Davidson Bad Boy was a Softail, however given its distinctive driving place and entrance suspension, the bike was way more partaking to trip than a median Softail. In reality, the bike rode so much like a Sportster, albeit with a Big Twin engine strung alongside the chassis.

The ergonomics of the bike positioned your toes ahead, however in contrast to different Softails, the Bad Boy wasn’t a laid-back cruiser. The seat was stepped-up, which pushed your weight into the handlebars whereas making it simple to achieve the ahead set footpegs. At the identical time, the excessive, pullback grime tracker handlebars gave you a good feeling slightly than the comfortable consolation that Softails are often identified for.

And the bike’s character matched the partaking ergonomics, too. The Harley-Davidson Bad Boy wasn’t meant to be a giant, gentle, slow-steering Softail; as an alternative, it was meant to be ridden onerous and thrown round corners. The Springer entrance had a good rake, which made the bike really feel nimble and light-weight.

Those Who Knew The Bad Boy Remember It Fondly

The bike isn’t identified for lots of issues. In reality, most bikers don’t even know this bike ever existed. But those that have ridden it would all the time sing countless praises about how linked this bike felt to you. Ride the bike, and also you’ll really feel as if there’s nothing between you and the Big Twin engine — it’s a pure riding experience that makes Sportsters so popular as of late.

It was a wonderful metropolis bike and a enjoyable cruiser for weekend shenanigans; not the perfect mile-muncher although. The engine begged you to open it up at each go, and sure, it was nonetheless a vibey V-twin, however a lot enjoyable to throw round. Granted, the inventory exhaust did make the bike sound puny, so any respectable proprietor ought to improve the exhaust with somebody extra imposing.

Engine And Chassis Specifications

(Specs sourced from Motorcyclenews.com)

A Factory Hotrod For The Masses

The Harley-Davidson Bad Boy was marketed as a manufacturing unit customized, however let’s not give it that a lot credit score. Instead, contemplate the Bad Boy as a inventory Harley-Davidson with some tips up its sleeve — not many, only a few. First of the tips was its well-executed chrome and black-out therapy.

Back when the Bad Boy was launched, chrome was all the trend. In the shiny sea of chrome cruisers, the Bad Boy stood out in daring distinction. For instance, the entrance girder forks had been powder-coated in darkness but the springs, shock, and headlamp had been polished in chrome. Every ingredient of the entrance stood out, and the identical utilized to the powerplant. The engine and exhaust system had been chrome and the body, oil tank, and gasoline tank had been handled with black powder-coat.

Aside from the contrasting blackout and chrome combine, the bike had one trick that no different Harley-Davidson ever had. The Bad Boy featured the first-ever floating disc on a Harley-Davidson bike. Today, we may take floating discs for granted, however for a 90s HD, it was a giant deal — no extra discs warping underneath excessive hundreds. Unfortunately, it didn’t make the bike cease more durable, because of its 21-inch entrance wheels and a single-piston brake caliper. But hey, not less than it seems cool, proper?

Design Highlights

• The mix of blackout and chrome is among the greatest design workouts in Harley-Davidson’s historical past
• The rear disc wheel was coated in strong chrome together with the bullet-shaped headlight
• The bobbed rear fender and minimal entrance fender gave the bike an aggressive look

But It Wasn’t A Great Motorcycle, To Be Honest

Production Years: 1995 to 1996

You might sing many praises concerning the Harley-Davidson Bad Boy, however you may by no means ignore the elephant within the room — in all different elements, it was an alright bike. Nothing to brag about in your driving group. In reality, Motorcycle News even gave the motorcycle a subpar rating of two out of five stars, which isn’t an important look, to be trustworthy. And to this present day, whenever you say Harley Bad Boy in a motorbike dialogue, folks will instantly query should you meant Fat Boy as an alternative.

We’ve not ridden the bike but; it’s a uncommon one, however what MCN says concerning the bike, we’d solely trip this bike to look cool and gun it at cease indicators. Nothing else. The engine’s character remains to be lazy, regardless of the partaking ergonomics. The suspension is a ache in your again, and the inventory silencers sound puny. The bike additionally lacks many bells and whistles; it will get a primary small headlamp, primary dials, and a cut-down seat. And don’t take into consideration aftermarket equipment as there’s not sufficient house for them on the bike.

A Devastating Beauty With Devastating Sales Figures

Used Selling Price In 2024: $13,000

Harley-Davidson has made related errors previously. Think of the XLCR Ironhead Sportster; a blacked-out, attractive café racer that was produced for 2 years. It is definitely one of many coolest HD bikes of the AMF period, however in its ultimate manufacturing yr, it solely bought 9 items! The identical applies to the Bad Boy — the bike diverted too removed from the normal Harley-Davidson persona; no marvel HD had been conservative after the bike’s launch.

Like the XLCR Sportster, the Bad Boy took the design to the acute. It was a one-of-a-kind aggressive Softail, and whereas it lacked engine efficiency and bells and whistles, it was nonetheless a enjoyable bike to trip for brief sprints. It will stay one of the milestone Harley-Davidson motorcycles ever created, albeit on the decrease finish of the gross sales figures.

Some People Really Do Forget The Bad Boy Was Ever Around

Harley-Davidson is a producer with the liberty to discover design ideas, in contrast to most different manufacturers. The bikes will not be tarred with all-out efficiency, and nobody expects Harleys to nook like monitor weapons or demolish grime roads of Mongolia. People who purchase Harleys, purchase them for different causes. Unfortunately, issues typically don’t work within the model’s favor, and that is one instance of it.

Because of its experimental type and interesting driving dynamics, the Bad Boy labored nicely sufficient, however it lacked efficiency and options. For $13,850, the Bad Boy was an expensive bike and didn’t make sense for many patrons. Not a lot of them had been bought, and the title has fallen into automotive obscurity.