VIDEO REVIEW 2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750

By Manuel Carrillo III - June 29, 2015

When Harley-Davidson gave us the keys to the 2015 Street 750, we were illuminated with excitement. It was 2001 when H-D introduced its last all-new bike: the VRSCA V-Rod. What a radical shift in Harley philosophy that was: an overhead-cam, liquid-cooled V-Twin co-developed with Porsche? Indeed, calling that motor the “Revolution” was apropos.

Fourteen years later with this new Street 750 we find ourselves amid a new revolution in the Harley-Davidson motorcycle lineup, and it just so happens to be powered by a descendant of last decade’s Revolution engine. It’s dubbed the Revolution X, and for the Street 750, the motor has been downsized to 749 ccs. There is another version dubbed the Street 500. That one’s packing a 494-cc powerplant.

Where the V-Rod was a revolution in philosophy, the Street series of motorcycles is a revolution in targeting. Harley-Davidson wants to attract young urban dwellers with this machine, especially young urban dwellers who live in emerging markets. That brings us to another dimension of this revolution: where this motorcycle is built. Street 500s and 750s that are destined for sale in the U.S. are built in Kansas City, Missouri. Streets that are destined for overseas retail are built in Bawal, India.

Globalization is an accelerating freight train. The Street series is H-D’s way of sprinting next to that open, hay-laden train car to jump in and ride into the big city where the success is.

Will the Street 750 and Street 500 prove to be an important player in the emerging markets where Harley must find success? That’s for the market to decide. As for what I can predict: I’m optimistic. Putting the Harley-Davidson brand cachet to the side for a moment, the Street 750 is an appealing option in its class. Putting the idea front and center that it is a Harley romanticizes the overall experience, or in the case of my video review’s intro, dramatizes it.

I was inspired to write a dramatic, unconventional opening to the video below because when it comes to entry-level cruisers, the Street 750 is a strong dose of character in a class that could use more rock and roll. Its design is a careful blend of cafe-racer-meets-back-alley badass. With the competition, you’ll need extensive customization to approach the bad-boy attitude this bike projects.

It would have been fun to film a review on anything with two wheels — Vespas excluded, yuck — but on this bike, with those chrome Harley-Davidson badges proudly thrusting their shimmer forward of my knees, and with those blacked-out touches everywhere else, this review sprinkled some Sons of Anarchy into my clean-cut (for the most part) life, and that was refreshing.

After seeing all the photos in this post, and before you hit the play button below, I should probably point out if you are over 5’10”, you might look like a giant on this motorcycle. I’m 5’9.5″ and 140 lbs. soaking wet, so I’m nowhere near the danger zone of dwarfing this Harley, but if you are 6-foot-plus, watch out. This thing will look like a Micro Machine between your legs.