Cross Bones

Introduced for the 2008 model year, this Softail-based cruiser was Harley-Davidson’s factory-built take on a stripped-down, old-school bobber with strong retro cues. Its defining visual feature was the Springer-style front end, paired with a low-slung stance, solo saddle, tall handlebars, and a generally blacked-out, minimalist look that set it apart from the more traditional Heritage and Fat Boy variants in the Softail family. The model fit neatly into Harley-Davidson’s late-2000s emphasis on nostalgia and custom-inspired production motorcycles, giving riders a showroom version of the kind of hand-built machine that had long been popular in the custom scene. In Harley-Davidson’s own model-code history, the Cross Bones nameplate is listed as FLSTSB and shown as a 2008–2011 model, confirming a single continuous production run. It became especially notable as one of the brand’s most recognizable factory retro cruisers of its era, combining modern Softail engineering with a deliberately vintage appearance. Production ended after the 2011 model year, and the nameplate has not been revived as a separate production model since.