2017 Street Rod Impresses Second Time Around
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qjfucsr-68
After a bumpy first ride, the Street Rod wows reviewer on Spanish roads.
Automotive journalist Chris Cope over at RideApart didn’t have the best first impression riding the 2017 Harley-Davidson Street Rod. In fact, he actually crashed on it. Harley-Davidson felt as if he needed to take a second look and flew him out to Spain to take a ride on the Street Rod on the winding Spanish roads. And guess what? He had a blast!
“Whereas I came away from Florida with generally positive impressions, my time with the bike in Spain convinced me Harley is really onto a winner here,” says Cope in his review.
What he talks about is how his idea of what the Street Rod should be has changed. He realized this bike isn’t made for the open road like a full body Harley-Davidson. It sure isn’t going to put you in the fetal position like a speed bike, either. Where the Street Rod truly shines is the day-to-day urban driving in a city or on curving roads.
The parts of the Street Rod that separate it from the rest of the Harley-Davidson line-up are price and maneuverability. Coming in at a price of only $8,699, the Street Rod is a budget bike. With the low price, you’re definitely going to skimp in a few different areas. This isn’t a beefy bike, at all. It’s also not going to ride as comfortably as a larger, heavier bike. What benefits does it have then? The fact that there’s the 40 degrees of lean you can get from the bike. That makes navigating curves a lot more natural and easy than the bigger bikes.
‘Whereas I came away from Florida with generally positive impressions, my time with the bike in Spain convinced me Harley is really onto a winner here.’
So ultimately, what did Cope think of the ride? Simple, he liked it a lot more than he was anticipating. He said, “Yeah, there are certain elements of the bike that reflect its affordable price – areas where you may want to seek some aftermarket assistance – but I am increasingly of the opinion that if someone tells you the Street Rod isn’t a good bike he or she hasn’t actually ridden it.”
He explains in his video review that he expects that the US market is going to fall in love with this bike, over time, and the European market is already primed for it.
