Introduced for the 2013 model year, this Softail-based cruiser brought a drag-bike attitude to the factory lineup with a long, low stance, narrow front end, and a wide rear tire that gave it a deliberately stretched, custom look. It was positioned as a modern muscle cruiser rather than a traditional dresser or classic bobber, and its styling drew heavily on the straight-line visual language associated with stripped-down performance bikes. The model also helped expand the factory’s more aggressive cruiser offerings in the early 2010s, when interest in bold, high-impact V-twin styling was growing.
Across its run, the bike remained closely tied to the Breakout identity, with the FXSB designation used for the standard production version and the higher-spec FXSBSE reserved for CVO variants in certain years. The nameplate’s production continued through the 2017 model year before Harley-Davidson replaced the original Softail Breakout with a redesigned version for 2018, carrying the Breakout concept into the new Softail platform under a different model code. As a result, the FXSB is best understood as the first-generation factory Breakout nameplate: a single continuous production period, introduced in 2013 and concluded after 2017.