Best Bobbers You Can Buy In 2020

Hacking away at extraneous bits to fashion a badass bobber out of a vanilla stock machine used to be a time-honored tradition for those of us short on cash and looking for a cool and quick custom treatment. It still is (we hope) but lately major manufacturers have jumped on the trend too, and nowadays you can choose from more than half a dozen factory-built, ready-to-ride options if you’re not inclined to do the heavy lifting yourself (you lazy bum).

Related: Harley-Davidson’s 2008 Rocker And Fat Bob Are Here

To put it simply, bobbers are stock bikes stripped of excess parts and hand-modified by the owner or builder. The aesthetic evolved from the prewar cut-down and bob-job movement, where fenders and unnecessary parts were removed (or “bobbed”) and the rear shortened, lightening both the bike’s weight and its visual mass. In many cases the frame was also modded, resulting in a shorter machine with an emphatic diagonal from steering head to rear axle.

Related: The New 2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black Shows Off The Bobber’s Bad Side

And because OEMs rip most of their best ideas right off the streets, the “production customs” here maintain that same minimalist aesthetic and design, though let’s face it, they take a lot of liberties too. Generally you get a slicker, more reliable machine with added bells and whistles, but one that’s also without that earned patina and one-off vibe. Which is why we still encourage you to actively troll Craigslist in search of that killer passion project; but until that time comes, here are some factory-built ideas to tide you over.

Triumph offers two bobber models, the Bonneville Bobber and the Bobber Black, both of which are cut from the same stock Bonneville T120 cloth (as you’d expect) but both are also more different than they might appear. With that lovely floating solo seat, narrow, tire-hugging fenders, spoke wheels, and even shorty pipes, Triumph nailed the styling and attitude with the Bobber from the jump; it’s a well-designed factory custom that’s gone on to become the marque’s fastest-selling bike yet. All that hardtail-looking attitude, thankfully, is complemented by Triumph’s high-torque, liquid-cooled, eight-valve 1,200cc motor and a pile of other features you wouldn’t normally associate with bobbers, like ride by wire, switchable traction control, and ABS.

Related: 2018 Triumph Bonneville Bobber Black Gallery

Uh…isn’t this just a darker Bobber? Not quite; with the T120-based Black model, there’s more than meets the eye. Don’t think of it as just an experiment with dark paint (though it does get doused in the black stuff)—in fact, it’s the higher-spec of the two, rocking a bigger 47mm Showa cartridge fork rather than the 41mm KYB on the Bobber, an additional front brake disc, and, believe it or not, cruise control. It’s also got a more muscular and aggressive stance, thanks to its “fat” 16-inch chunky wire-spoke front wheel that rolls in place of the original 19-incher, which also changes its road manners. And the Black looks even more vintage than the standard Bobber. And, no, we didn’t forget the limited-edition $17,500 TFC Bobber…

Related: 2018 Indian Scout Bobber Gallery

Indian also carries a couple of models with the “bobber” title in the name, and in its case the Scout model is ostensibly the stocker getting the hacksaw. You can technically choose from three bobber models—the Indian Scout Bobber, the Indian Scout Bobber Sixty, or the up-spec Scout Bobber Twenty. Confused yet? In short they’re all essentially trim levels of the same base package with the same dimensions, but sporting different displacements and some distinct accessories. The easiest buy-in of the three comes courtesy of the blacked-out Bobber Sixty, which will run you a cool $8,999. Although the newest Scout comes with a smaller 1,000cc engine and just a five-speed transmission, you’re still getting 78 horses of accessible and tractable power. It’s also arguably the most bobbery bike of the group, with just a simple black paint job and a basic naked headlight (the others get a nacelle) as well as a super-tidy rear end with a side-mounted license plate. Those pipes could use a hacksaw though, and the wheels, as with the base Indian Bobber, are cast.

In the middle of Indian’s bobber series is the Indian Scout Bobber, which doesn’t stray far from the stock Scout, rolling with the same liquid-cooled 1,133cc V-twin, and coming in mid-point in this bobber group as far as price and features go too. You get six speeds, a claimed 100 hp from that 60-degree vee, and a nacelle around the headlight (for some reason). Otherwise it’s the same wheelbase, wheels, brakes, rake, and basic lines as the Indian Scout (as well as the Bobber Sixty), but for a grand less. (The Bobber Sixty is $2K less than the Scout Bobber.)

Related: Indian Adds Scout Bobber Sixty To 2020 Lineup

At the top of Indian’s bobber offerings is the Scout Bobber Twenty, which brings the same 100-hp V-twin and chassis as the straight Bobber, but it rides on a lower suspension, a floating seat, and wire-spoke wheels. It also just looks more finished, but perhaps the most significant change with the Bobber Twenty is the addition of mini ape bars, which transform the cramped, clamshell riding position of the standard Bobber into a more tolerable perch. The Twenty also bumps up the quality of the available graphics and finish options, which in turn also bumps up the price.

Related: Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber

Another reference to “bob” in the name makes the MoCo’s least expensive big twin—until the Softail Standard came along—an obvious choice in any bobber roundup. The Street Bob, a former Dyna gone Softail, consists of little more than the most basic components of a motorcycle—a frame, engine, wheels, and a seat—which is partly why it’s also one of the best platforms from which to exploit the Milwaukee 107 engine. With so much less mass to carry than its siblings, the Street Bob feels downright nimble, while the solo seat, tight fenders, and heightened handlebar make for an easily recognizable (and customizable) silhouette that tracks true to the bobber aesthetic, even if it came from the factory that way. Or save yourself a grand and opt for the almost identically configured and sized Softail Standard, even if it is a little chrome-ier. After all, you’re gonna modify it anyway.

An already-hacked Sportster? Pretty much, if you look at most of H-D’s stock offerings in its classic line over the years. The now-smallest and most minimal Sportster has been going strong for more than a decade, due in large part to its price, looks, and appeal to a broad swath of riders. With its taller bars, the Iron 1200 probably sells the bobber aesthetic a little better and it’s only a grand more, but the beauty of the 883 is that it offers even more of a blank canvas to do what you will. And the smaller Sporty still represents a solid (and bargain) entry into the bobber world, with its classic air-cooled Evolution engine, chopped fenders, tiny tank, and tall wheel capped by a solo seat.

Yamaha positions the Bolt as an “urban performance bobber,” but really it’s more like a challenger to the Sportster—not that there’s anything wrong with that. You can clearly pick out the token “bobber” cues, like a compact chassis, solo seat, short fenders, and a basic air-cooled motor, but the Bolt could always use a few more hacks with the saw, which, in a way, makes it even more appealing. “Ripe for customization,” says Yamaha, and the $7,999 buy-in is a great motivator, no? Plus, the better-equipped R-Spec model will run you just $400 more.

Donor bike for the Italian selection in the bobber sweepstakes? Alas, Guzzi’s V9 bikes debuted as all-new models back in 2016, so no previously stock machines were hacked to make them. Of the two V9 models, the V9 Bobber gets darker and chunkier themes with its fat tires, stubby pipe, and thin narrow seat interpreting the bobber vibe in stile Italiano. The classic transverse, 90-degree, 850cc V-twin sits front and center, with black accents throughout the bike while a pseudo-bobber vibe carries through the chopped fenders and thin narrow seat. This Italian Bobber rolls on chubby 130/90 and 150/80 16-inch tires that distinguish it from its Roamer stablemate.

Low down and basic as they come is the Cleveland CycleWerks Heist, a lean single-cylinder hardtail the company says was “designed for simplicity.” That means a traditional frame with a traditional-style OHV motor with one intake and one exhaust port to keep parts complexity down. A sprung solo seat, minimal (but steel) fenders, small fuel tank, and a tall front wheel give the Heist visual appeal, and you won’t find a lot of extra brackets, tabs, and fake plastic either, which makes for a super-light weight of approximately 300 pounds (depending on how you configure it). The 229cc, air-cooled, 15-hp engine won’t win any races, and don’t expect to get much respect from guys on handmade bobbers, but that’s not what this bike is about anyway.

Although the little Rebel doesn’t proclaim to have any bobber blood in its DNA, the lightweight entry-level runabout definitely goes for a bit of the same attitude, even in box-stock form. Plus the fact that Honda doesn’t actually call it a “bobber” makes us like it just a little more. The full-formed mainstream model—in either 300cc or 500cc flavor—has lots of the right stuff, with a solo seat, chopped fenders, and a stubby pipe, plus a fresh blacked-out look to boot. The Rebel might sell a tough vibe, but it looks ready for customization too. Its 471cc parallel-twin engine makes for a fun little ripper, and for 2020 the Rebel 500 sees some impressive upgrades, like an LED lighting package, new instruments, a slipper/assist clutch, and new suspension. At a reasonable $6,000 tag, your wallet won’t feel too much pain either.

CCM Motorcycles may be a British company, but it has somehow managed to create a fully evolved interpretation of the post-war American bobber. The company offers no fewer than six variations of “bobbers,” but we’ll look at the one called Spitfire Bobber, which sports fat spoke wheels, whitewalls, and a solo seat. But there are plenty of up-spec components aboard too, including adjustable suspension, Brembo brakes, some carbon fiber parts, and a hand-painted tank. These are limited-edition, handmade bikes, built to your specifications, though this model uses the same fuel-injected Husky TE630 motor seen on all the other CCM Spitfire models. The single-cylinder mill produces a healthy 55 hp, and the solo seat, brief fenders, and dual-pipe exhaust manifold provide some bobber cues, but in every other way the Spitfire Bobber feels like a handmade boutique bike, rather than the embrace of a raw, minimalist aesthetic.

Honorable Mention

Although by all accounts the Rocker handled and rode much better than it looked, this Softail styling exercise from Milwaukee never got much love, either from consumers or really the world at large. The factory wanted to do all the chopping for you, so what came out was an overwrought production custom with a 240mm rear tire and a skinny 19-inch front.