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Harley-Davidson Phantom Is Fat Boy Minus Chrome, But It Does Seem Just Right

Like many other bike makers out there, Harley-Davidson likes to phase its offering of bikes in and out in order to keep up with the times and the change in taste. So having a motorcycle in its portfolio that is over 30 years old speaks a lot about that bike’s appeal.
Harley-Davidson Phantom 18 photos
Photo: Nine Hills
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The Fat Boy softail was born all the way back in 1990, and it still represents one of the pillars of Harley’s offering of cruiser bikes. Now included in the same category as the Low Riders and Street Bobs, among others, it is described as “the original fat custom icon, now with bright chrome finishes.”

With a factory starting price of $21,049 for the two-tone model in its 2023 incarnation, the Fat Boy is not a cheap motorcycle to own. Yet even so, there are countless those who need the ride upgraded in some manner and are willing to spend a lot more than that for the chance of climbing on a unique two-wheeler from this family.

And unique the Phantom is, a Fat Boy born in stock form back in 2017 and modified to its current form by a Polish crew going by the name Nine Hills.

While retaining something the shop calls the “factory corpulent construction,” the Fat Boy was transformed into a more squarish and low version of its former self, and that somehow creates images of a bike from another breed in the onlooker’s mind.

The rather small, stock wheels, only painted a deep black, are still there, supporting a modified ride wearing all the bells and whistles in terms of adornments one would expect from something like this.

Up front, we get the stock fittings mostly, them too painted black - and we must say, the headlight, for instance, looks quite right this way - only equipped with Arlen Ness shifters and mirrors.

If you look closely, you’ll notice the bright chrome finishes Harley is so proud of are completely absent from this build, and that does not rob the bike of its appeal in the slightest. A two-seater by nature, the Phantom dropped the use of the industry’s favorite material even on the most important bits it featured it on, the engine covers, rims and front fork.

The bike’s stock Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine is of course still cradled in the custom’s frame, but it does wear some exterior accessories that make it at least more visually appealing, if not even more potent. The radiator that cools it is now dressed in a Kuryakyn spoiler that seems to lend the ride a bit more class, and there’s a Harley aftermarket air filter slapped onto it the help it breath in better. For exhaling needs, a Vance & Hines exhaust was provided.

Like pretty much all the Nine Hills builds we’ve covered so far, this one too does not come with a price sticker attached.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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