Motorman's Roadtest

2008 Harley-Davidson FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones

Harley-Davidson has just announced a new edition to the Softail line.  It’s called the Cross Bones or FLSTSB.  With Bobbers being the latest trend in custom motorcycles, the Motor Company now has three in the line up.  The Street Bob, the Nightster and now, the Cross Bones.

Being the Cross Bones is in the Softail line, its motor is the solid mounted 96B edition.  The B, of course, stands for balance shaft.  While I could bore you with the mechanical details, put simply, the 96B twin cam is the smoothest motor Harley makes.  Possibly due to the smoothness of this mill, the 6 speed shifts as smooth as butter as well.  Clutch pull is very light with a wide friction zone which aids in making this motorcycle a breeze to handle at low speeds.  Combine that with the 32 degree rake and the 64.5 wheelbase, the average rider should be able to whip this bike around like a child’s toy.

Mechanicals aside, this bike is all about nostalgic style.  Up front, there’s the blacked out semi-ape hangers that lead to the beautiful and functional, as well as classical, Springer front end.  The black smallish headlight is also old school. A stubby front fender covers the fat MT9016 front tire.  The 5 gallon tank is adorned with hand painted tribal pin stripes, an old school style speedo and a nostalgic leather tank strap.  Below the tank sits the 96B motor with aluminum head covers, a blacked out round air cleaner cover and blacked out motor.  The only chrome covering you’ll find is the shotgun style exhaust.

Next, we’ve got the classic styles Springer seat, which is not only very comfortable and beautifully styled, but adds to the smooth ride.  Out back, the wide “bobbed” fender sits above the equally wide 200mm fat rear tire.  The old style blacked out floorboards and rear brake pedal also add to the nostalgic theme.

OK, we’ve established that the Cross Bones is a nostalgic work of art.  But the question is, does it ride as good as it looks?  The answer is a resounding, YES.  Beneath all the classical styling queues beats the heart of a thoroughly modern, state of the art, cruiser.

The 96B motor puts out tons of torque from just off idle to the rev limit.  No peaky power band, no coughing or sputtering, just pure power through all six speeds.  Roll on the throttle in fifth at any speed above 50mph and the motor pulls you ahead with authority.  Sixth gear reacts the same at speeds above 70mph, and also offers a very relaxing purr from the motor at interstate speeds.

The 64.5 wheelbase and 32 degree rake give good high speed stability.  At the same time, these numbers aid low speed handling.  You can have plenty of fun on your favorite winding road as long as you keep in mind that you’re riding a cruiser.  The floorboards are the first thing to touch the ground on both sides and give you plenty of warning that it’s time to slow up a bit.  The steering effort is light and the wide rear tire doesn’t seem to hamper cornering ability as some 250mm and wider tires do.

While you could restore an old 1948 Harley and customize it to resemble the Cross Bones, you’d have a lot more money tied up in the results and no way would it ride near as well.  What’s more, you’d be forever tinkering with the machine and never really being relaxed on a long ride.  Similarly, you can purchase any number of custom Bobbers from bike builder companies and get similar styling, but you’d still spend a lot more cash and not obtain the ride-ability and reliability of the Cross Bones.

Personally, I love the looks of this bike and the way it rides.  If I were in the market for a Bobber, I wouldn’t even consider anything else but the Cross Bones. MSRP starts at $16,795 for vivid black and $17,140 for other colors.

A big thanks to Lakeland Harley-Davidson Buell for loaning me this brand new release.  

Ride Safe,
Ride Like a Pro Team....