Last night I was watching Blue Bloods. They were busting some "motorcycle gang", when two of them tried to escape on. what appeared to be, a Street 750.

 

Almost as good as the Japanese.

 

Harley does have stiff competition from brands copying their style, but with more modern technology. Harley has relied on their history as the premier American bike and on rider loyalty about as long as they could, and is playing catch up now with the technology. They'll have to appeal to younger folks that have grown up buying cheap Asian in Walmart, no "brand loyalty" for them, and in the next 10-15 years as a great many riders lose the ability to ride and can only reminisce about the good ol' days.

 

I'm thinking that the Street is basically a shrunken down VRod.. If I had been in charge of the design I would have done basically that.. unfortunately I think the street needs some more "beautification". the rear fender doesn't look so hot. they need to clean it up & put a nice LED tail light on. The bike has real potential but it's going to have a slow start. it needs something more to make it stand out and make it appealing.. the fairing does help it's appeal a lot, that's not something you see on many bikes.


.. Harley needs to take some ideas from their previous styling. Harley should not haved bothered making a 500cc for the US market. SUn-Glo blue would look amazing on this bike instead of that dull maroon red..


HD must have some method of adding a tach/ shift light to this bike,

 

Just finished puting 1,057 miles on my Street 750. The bike has amazing handling capabilities and is a very comfortable ride. I have been riding since March of 1956 and have owned over 50 bikes of all makes and sizes.

The Street reminds me of my favorite bike in the past the Norton Commando Fastback in ride and handling. The Revolution engine is a bulletproof engine that should easily go 200,000 miles.

In my riding experience of covering most of the North American Continent on a variety of makes and models from a CB160 to a Rune and HD CVO's The Street is a well built and competent bike as any of them.



I got it to compliment this bike.



I guess some can't see the resemblance. Sure looks like the Vrod's little brother to me.

 

I had a 30 year break and previously had a 78 Kawasaki KZ200 street (my first bike). I looked at the new HD Street 750 (500 too small, IMO) and Iron 883. The Street felt nearly identical to my Kawasaki, but I didn't care for the plastic parts or what appeared to be "unfinished" design. I scheduled a test ride for both. I took the Iron out first...but when I got back to the dealer, I didn't even want to ride the Street and bought the Iron. At first, I was wary of the hefty Iron as I'm a nearly 55 year old woman, but it handled well and felt right. The Street just wasn't sturdy enough for me and felt too light. It's a good fit for new riders or those who are restarting and a good move by HD to get the demographic they're after, just not for me. I think those who do go with either Street will trade up quickly or mod the hell out of it to get more from it.

 

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Trim is what makes a HD cost what they do and what separate them from the Japanese competition. Chrome, detailed powered coating, burnished metal, custom paint options, hand laced wheels, seat stitching are the labour intensive tasks and what significantly add to the cost of the bike because they can't be automated.

As an example of how this effects pricing compare the Street 750 to the Sportster 883. The newly designed Street 750 surpases the old Sportster design in handling, engine, suspension and smoothness but the Sportster costs significantly more and perhaps looks better. This is because of the detail and trim on the Sportster and the costs associated with it. Different bikes for different customers. Perhaps the new Sportster will be an optioned up Street with lots of custom trim like the current Sportster and a bigger displacement water cooled engine, so customers can have the best of both.

 

Motorcyclist magazine rated this bike dead last in a 6 bike comparo...
Sad

 

I rode a 750 and liked it a lot. Very zippy and responsive. However, at only 5' 9", I felt pretty cramped. And the mirrors gave me a great view of both my shoulders - not much else. IMHO, this is a bike for little people.