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For decades I've ridden many, many a Harley: my dad's various "glides", my friends', etc.
But I've owned metrics. Why? Because I'm primarily a cruiser/bagger rider and for a 'bigger' bike I wanted the reliability (less of an issue the last ~10 years I admit), the lower price and didn't like getting my teeth rattled at stop lights. Yeah, you don't get that awesome 'potato potato' sound from a Goldwing. But take a Vulcan 1500, a big Vstar tourer or a big Boulevard and put some good slip-ons on it, you get something loud enough and 'close enough'.
For 'smaller' bikes, the only real H-D option for many years was the Sportster. Though I -LOVE- my recently-acquired stripped down 1996 Sportster 1200, I avoided them for years because of the "chick bike" aura - not necessarily helped by H-D themselves, as has been pointed out here.
So from a -business- perspective, I think the Sportster "iron" was a move in the right direction, but the bigger Street is a smarter move. It's a 'whole new' thing without the 'girl's bike' aura, the styling is tough, and it definitely fills that gap for folks (perhaps mostly younger) who don't want a big bike but also didn't want the Harley "girl bike"... At the same time, it's no rice-rocket Ninja or Gixer and avoids that stereotype. Feels real.
Even the branding is on-target. "Street" is good. You can be street-wise, street-smart. If you're living "on the streets" you're no wuss. Street is tough. Street is not girly. They nailed it there, I think, on the marketing/branding front.
Mind you, the street "500" is another story and let's simply not discuss that underpowered "meh" mis-step.
For me, I'd sooner stick with my Sportie, even enduring the taunts of not having a 'real' Harley. But I can see why the bigger Street has done well and fills a good gap in the lineup. Gotta give it props.
My 2c. YMMV.
Last edited by RE:CYCLE; May 14, 2017 at 01:31 AM.
Personally... I think the Street 500 and 750 are one of the most fugly, screwed up, confused (lack of focus) messes I've seen a motorcycle manufacturer produce. Although the Street Rod is an improvement, that's not saying much.
It's like HD couldn't make up their mind what type of bike they wanted to make - generic standard, flat tracker, cafe race, or baby V-Rod - and so they tried to do them all. In the end, then ended up with something that does nothing well.
Those articles also alludes to the lack of focus. Particularly in the Motorcycle.com article where they say things like:
Then Styling went back and forth with Engineering (and who knows who else), and decided to use a flat, drag-style handlebar instead of the pullback one from the original Street.
You have to bend a bit to grab the flat one that won out in committee. What worked best for me at 80 mph and 5000 rpm on a chilly Florida morning wound up being prone on the tank, feet on passenger pegs. I hate to be a jerk, but hasn’t anybody at Harley ridden a Triumph Street Twin or a Honda CB500F? Being able to go around corners and being comfortable are not mutually exclusive goals.
You can’t really blame Brian the Engineer or Chetan the Stylist; it seems like there are many levels of bureaucracy at Harley with differing agendas that seem to not always mesh perfectly together in the final product.
Then there's that tail on the Street 500 and 750's. It's looks like it was lifted directly from an early 80's Japanese standard.
Unfortunately for HD, the Honda is actually better looking.
If I was looking for a "street", I would skip HD and go right over and look at Triumph's Street Twin and Street Cup. There's no confusion or lack of focus there. And the final products are good performers at what they try to be.
"But, but, but the HD streets are selling well overseas/SE Asia" you say. So what? All that means is that they lack taste/will buy anything there. Reminds me of the old saying that you could chrome plate a terd and find people to buy it. It doesn't mean we should give HD a pass here. In my book, if HD wants to attract new buyers with something new, they need to try again and do better.
There has been a Sportster of one form or another in production for about 60 years, but I have heard them called skirtsters. and even HD ads show mostly women on them.
A lot of BT owners have viewed the Sportster as something less than a "real bike".
So I would have to say pretty dumb reply.
You had me till the captain america thing. It does not matter if a character rides one. If Bugs Bunny road Road King, would that mean that it is the best and all people need to buy one?
I am just busting your ***** but you get where I am going right?
But Bugs Bunny does ride a Harley so it must be the best bike.
Do you work for HD? This is simply a discussion about whether or not HDs newest low end offering has moved the Sportster into the realm of being something other than a beginners motorcycle which is not accepted as a real bike by the HD owners groups.
Bingo! Scooters and smaller bikes are all over Europe and Asia. You'll see as many or more people on two wheels in cities like Paris and Rome than you will cars, but it's extremely rare to see a full size V twin.
IMO. The reason for all the scooters and small bikes is because of the great gas mileage they get. Fuel is around $5 a gallon over there.
Personally... I think the Street 500 and 750 are one of the most fugly, screwed up, confused (lack of focus) messes I've seen a motorcycle manufacturer produce. Although the Street Rod is an improvement, that's not saying much.
It's like HD couldn't make up their mind what type of bike they wanted to make - generic standard, flat tracker, cafe race, or baby V-Rod - and so they tried to do them all. In the end, then ended up with something that does nothing well.
Those articles also alludes to the lack of focus. Particularly in the Motorcycle.com article where they say things like:
Then there's that tail on the Street 500 and 750's. It's looks like it was lifted directly from an early 80's Japanese standard.
Unfortunately for HD, the Honda is actually better looking.
If I was looking for a "street", I would skip HD and go right over and look at Triumph's Street Twin and Street Cup. There's no confusion or lack of focus there. And the final products are good performers at what they try to be.
"But, but, but the HD streets are selling well overseas/SE Asia" you say. So what? All that means is that they lack taste/will buy anything there. Reminds me of the old saying that you could chrome plate a terd and find people to buy it. It doesn't mean we should give HD a pass here. In my book, if HD wants to attract new buyers with something new, they need to try again and do better.
I would take the power of a V twin over a in line twin any day.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
