Harley-Davidson Fat Bob
Real ownership data from 3,904 UK Fat Bob motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Fat Bob problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Steering and head bearings | dangerous | 9.7% |
| Tyres | user entered | 9.2% |
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 7.6% |
| Brake discs and pads | major | 6.5% |
| Suspension | prs | 4.3% |
| Other | dangerous | 3.8% |
| Fluid leaks | major | 2.2% |
| Controls and cables | dangerous | 1.6% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is corrosion.
Fat Bob mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 163 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 138 | 3,270 mi | 903 | 94.2% |
| 2022 | 157 | 3,670 mi | 700 | 91.1% |
| 2021 | 212 | 5,798 mi | 850 | 92.25% |
| 2020 | 206 | 6,794 mi | 858 | 91.13% |
| 2019 | 445 | 8,130 mi | 980 | 90.99% |
| 2018 | 471 | 9,101 mi | 939 | 90.71% |
| 2017 | 239 | 10,166 mi | 988 | 90.39% |
| 2016 | 125 | 11,272 mi | 976 | 90.23% |
| 2015 | 218 | 13,287 mi | 1,077 | 87.08% |
| 2014 | 268 | 13,105 mi | 1,026 | 87.7% |
| 2013 | 236 | 13,238 mi | 1,000 | 89.32% |
| 2012 | 132 | 15,716 mi | 1,098 | 88.82% |
| 2011 | 218 | 13,779 mi | 864 | 87.7% |
| 2010 | 189 | 16,463 mi | 1,125 | 89.33% |
| 2009 | 161 | 15,319 mi | 934 | 87.28% |
| 2008 | 224 | 16,390 mi | 882 | 87.16% |
| 2007 | 78 | 15,069 mi | 841 | 88.35% |
Fat Bob questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob?
Across 3,904 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are steering and head bearings (9.7% of all recorded faults), tyres (9.2% of all recorded faults), lights and indicators (7.6% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Harley-Davidson Fat Bob?
The median Harley-Davidson Fat Bob in the UK has covered 9,798 miles, and typically rides about 969 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 5,320 and 16,375 miles.
Is the Harley-Davidson Fat Bob reliable?
89.2% of Harley-Davidson Fat Bob MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.01 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 3,904 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.