Harley Davidson Street Bob (FXBBS)
I went to the local Harley dealer just to look around and somehow came home with a brand new 2023 Street Bob 114 (FXBBS).
I initially went in to look at two bikes: the Street Bob and the Low Rider S. Both are built on Harley's Softail platform, but they're pretty different bikes. The Low Rider S is more performance-oriented, with inverted forks, dual front disc brakes, and a generally more aggressive setup. The Street Bob, on the other hand, is a stripped-down bobber that's basically a blank canvas.
Ultimately, I went with the Street Bob. The biggest factor was price, it was about $4,000 cheaper than the Low Rider S. That left a lot more money for mods and customization, and the stripped-down nature of the Street Bob meant I could build it into exactly what I wanted.
I wasn't much of a fan of the orange tank graphic, but I figured I'd deal with that later.
Time to void the warranty
After having the Street Bob for a few months, it was finally time to void the warranty.
I mean, install some mods. :laughing:
First on the list was getting rid of the stock exhaust, replacing the seat, and adding some sort of fairing to make highway riding a little more comfortable.
Vance & Hines Short Shots
The stock exhaust was replaced with a set of Vance & Hines Short Shots. I had the same exhaust on my Sportster and always liked the way it looked, so this was an easy choice.
Saddlemen Step Up
The stock seat was fine around town, but anything longer than about an hour got uncomfortable pretty quickly. I replaced it with a Saddlemen Step Up, which also fit the direction I wanted to take the bike.
Memphis Shades Road Warrior
Since the Street Bob is a bobber, I was initially skeptical about putting a fairing on it. Eventually, I decided on a Memphis Shades Road Warrior and started leaning into more of a club-style look.
While I was at it, I inverted the mirrors. To make that work, I used the turn signal mounts from a Low Rider S. It's a small change, but I think the front end looks much cleaner this way.
12-inch Lucky Dave's T-Bars
To keep the club-style theme going, the next modification was a set of 12-inch T-bars.
Originally, I wanted IMZZ Dive Bars, but they were out of stock for months. I eventually went with Lucky Dave's The San Diego bars instead.
The installation was actually pretty straightforward. With some patience and help from a friend, we got everything installed without much trouble. If you're comfortable working on your own bike, I'd recommend doing the install yourself. It can save you a few hundred bucks in labor.
Getting rid of the orange
Remember that orange tank graphic I wasn't a fan of?
Luckily, I found a black tank from a 2020 Street Bob on OfferUp. The Street Bobs that year were available with solid-color tanks, so swapping to the 2020 tank gave me the cleaner all-black look I wanted without having to repaint the original.
That one change made a huge difference in the overall look of the bike.
Other mods
A few of the other modifications I've added along the way:
- IMZZ OG Crash Bar
- Death Metal Racing clutch and brake levers
- Inverted mirrors
- Low Rider S turn signal mounts
At this point, the bike looks quite a bit different from the Street Bob I originally rode home from the dealership, which was pretty much the plan from the beginning.
There's still more I want to change, but that's part of the reason I chose the Street Bob in the first place. It's a simple platform with a ton of room to make it your own.