Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today
If you close your eyes and picture a motorcycle, it probably looks a lot like this one.
There’s something about a stripped-down, no-nonsene bike that motorcyclists can’t get enough of. The infatuation extends beyond the hottest cafe racers we’ve found to minimalist cruisers that cut fenders short, drop seats low, and toss anything that’s not essential to the riding experience overboard in the name of the bobber aesthetic. Harley-Davidson has long been happy to oblige. To maintain its grip on the bobber market, though, the iconic manufacturer will have to trade punches with serious contenders like the Indian Chief Bobber, Triumph Bonneville Bobber, and Indian Scout Bobber. So, is Milwaukee still the epicenter of the bobber world, or has that honor moved on to Spirit Lake, Iowa, or Hinckley, United Kingdom? To see how the latest chopped-up cruiser performs, I grabbed the keys to a $15,349 (plus $450 for the Fastback Blue paint) 2022 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 114 and logged a few hundred miles of my own.
The 114-cubic-inch Milwaukee Eight was first unveiled in 2016 and it’s done such a good job that Harley-Davidson hasn’t had many reasons to tinker with it, save for giving it a black wrinkle finish in the place of polished chrome. The big, air-cooled V-Twin may look timeless inside the Street Bob 114’s frame, but it hides modern technology like rear cylinder deactivation to keep temperatures down in traffic, and fuel mapping that yields a claimed 47 mpg combined fuel economy. An oil cooler hides between the frame’s forward down-tubes to improve performance without cramping the bike’s style. Power is available right off idle and builds to the 4,750 rpm peak. Torque peaks much earlier, delivering the same steady push throughout the rev range that cruiser owners love.
Connecting the power plant to the relatively skinny 150-millimeter rear tire is a six-speed transmission and a belt final drive. A four-piston caliper squeezing a single 300-millimeter brake rotor in the front splits stopping duty with a two-piston caliper and 292-millimeter rotor in the rear. It’s a simple recipe, but one that’s worked for decades.
Related: Here's Why Harley-Davidson Street Bob Is The Ultimate Bobber Motorcycle
You should never buy a motorcycle just because of the way it looks; but, in the case of the Street Bob 114, it would be understandable. Classic cruiser styling and tweaks like a new tank shape, graphics package, and blacked-out components here and there combine to give the Street Bob 114 tremendous presence on the road. The ape-hanger handlebar, narrow rear tire, and a pair of rubber boots on the conventional front fork evoke a strong ’70s vibe without committing to the retro trend in the same way the Sportster Seventy-Two did a few years back. An American flag inside the “1” graphic on the tank is equal parts Easy Rider and Captain America. Government regulations require every new motorcycle to have certain safety and emissions equipment but no manufacturer does a better job of keeping it out of sight than Harley-Davidson. The result is a totally modern machine that puts nothing but the bare essentials of two-wheeled motoring on display.
Related: This Is Our Favorite Harley-Davidson Bobber
In addition to usual features like reassuring antilock brakes and an exhaust-scrubbing catalytic converter, the Street Bob has the ability to shut down the rear cylinder when the bike is stationary. That’s less for emissions levels and more for rider comfort; eliminating hot exhaust gasses flowing directly past the rider’s right leg makes sitting in traffic a lot more tolerable. Inside the minimalist handlebar cluster are a gas gauge and gear position indicator in addition to the speedometer, odometer, and indicator lights. These features make the Street Bob 114 a safer, more comfortable motorcycle that’s easier to ride.
That isn’t to say it’s lost its raw edge. Some riders don’t like the sound of the front cylinder puffing away on its own at a stop light, and those people have the ability to keep both firing by disabling this feature with a forward turn of the throttle. Riders who would rather do things the old-fashioned way can still unscrew the filler cap and rock the bike side to side to estimate the amount of gas sloshing in the tank. Use the Street Boob 114’s tech or don’t – it’s nice to have options.
For all the Street Bob 114’s 655 pounds (including 3.5 gallons of gas), it felt surprisingly light and nimble the first time I hopped on and rode away from the Milwaukee factory. Part of that comes from the low center of gravity and part is due to narrow tires that allow the bike to tip into corners with minimal effort. The handlebar is the highest I’ve used, and the adjustment was a total non-issue; if anything, the rider triangle was more comfortable than a lot of cruisers I’ve ridden. Within seconds of merging onto the highway, I fell in love with the Superman-esque posture of punching both fists into the wind.
Incidentally, that highway run also revealed the Street Bob 114’s weak points. There is no wind protection of any kind. The seat starts to feel hard long before the tank runs dry. It’s not a bike I’d want to take on a road trip, and Harley-Davidson agrees. The Street Bob 114 offers a pure riding experience, much like a cafe racer or sportbike. People don’t buy this bike to get someplace or transport gear; they buy it because it’s fun to ride. And boy, does it fill that role well.
During my week with the Street Bob 114, it didn’t matter if I stopped at a traffic light or carved up a country road; the bike just put a smile on my face. The experience begins with the riding position and only gets better when the big, air-cooled V-twin barks to life. Even with the stock exhaust, the engine sounds great. It made me want to open the throttle further, hold it there longer, and rev-match downshifts instead of tapping the brakes whenever possible. Catching glimpses of the bike’s reflection in storefront windows was a delightful reminder of how good the styling is, and I repeatedly backed toward my front door to look at it for a few more seconds.
Harley-Davidson views the Street Bob 114 as a gateway motorcycle. Yes, Sportsters are lighter and less expensive, but this is likely to be a lot of motorcyclists’ first big Harley. It might be a lot of owners’ first new motorcycle, too. It can help riders transition from their first motorcycle to something larger like a touring bike or something sportier like a Low Rider S. To keep the price down, Harley-Davidson skipped features like cruise control and rider modes. This model focuses on intangibles rather than technology. Before I picked up the bike, I actually planned on road-tripping it six hours away. That plan died within 30 minutes of flicking up the kickstand but that doesn't mean the Street Bob 114 is a bad bike. It looks fantastic, it’s a blast to ride, and it serves as a gateway to the Harley-Davidson brand. It’s appealing not because of what it can do but because of how it makes riders feel.
Related: Here’s What Makes The Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob A Great First Motorcycle
If you’re a fan of motorcycles that embody the two-wheels-and-a-motor spirit, it’s a good time to be alive. There are a lot of great bobbers on the market right now. Despite the stiff competition, I can’t say that anyone makes a better bobber than Harley-Davidson. In fact, the Street Bob 114 checks all the boxes without sacrificing rider comfort. There might not be a better bobber for a full day of riding.
The question becomes whether or not this experience is worth $15,349. By comparison, the Triumph Bonneville Bobber starts at $13,495. The Indian Chief Bobber starts at $16,499 but the entry-level Scout Bobber Sixty starts at just $10,749. That puts the Street Bob 114 right in the middle of the mix. Some of the differences that separate these bikes are objective; the Street Bob 114 has an open riding position that most people will find more comfortable, and it has the largest engine in the group. Others are subjective; for example, Harley-Davidson opted for a look that has more in common with custom choppers of the 1970s than, say, stripped-down standard bikes of the 1950s. Which one you choose will likely have more to do with visual appeal than stats on a spec sheet. One thing is for sure: parking and leaving the Street Bob 114 behind is the hardest part of owning one.
Scott is properly obsessed with cars and motorcycles. If he's not on a road trip or at a local meetup, he's probably building a presentation of recommended cars for someone he knows to buy. Now that the rebuild bug has bitten him, he's usually eyeing at least one potential project at any given time.