Daily Slideshow: Breaking Down Harley's New Small Bike Lineup
If you're looking for a rider-friendly Harley, look no further than the Street lineup. Here's how they all stack up!
Street 500
Harley's plans to introduce 100 new motorcycles and create two million new U.S. riders over the next decade is no doubt ambitious. And to make the two work harmoniously together, it's important to have a strong lineup of entry level bikes that are both affordable and easy to ride. Enter the new Street lineup.
The most rider-friendly of the bunch is the Street 500, which sports a smooth and predictable liquid-cooled 500cc Revolution engine. Peak torque comes in at 3,500 rpm, which is nice for those still getting used to controlling the throttle. And with an estimated 64 mpg, the Street 500 is quite efficient, too.
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Street 500 cont.
The combination of a narrow frame and seat along with a 25.7-inch seat height gives the Street 500 a low center of gravity and makes it easy to plant both feet on the ground when you come to a stop. The skinnier 17-inch front tire and 32-degree rake keep steering on the light side. Curb weight is a manageable 514 pounds, and brakes are adequate but not so powerful that they'll throw you off if you grab them too hard.
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Street 500 extra
Anti-lock brakes are optional on the Street 500, but this is a relatively well-stocked bike out of the box. A basic 3.5-inch instrument gauge mounted on the handlebars keeps eyes on the road, where they belong. But the black 2-in-1 exhaust, bikini fairing, and cast aluminum wheels add a nice amount of flair to a bike that costs a little less than $7k.
>>Join the conversation about Harley's small bike lineup in the Harley-Davidson Forum.
Street 750
Ride a Street 500 and a Street 750 back-to-back, and you might not be able to tell much difference. Which is because they share the same wheelbase, frame, coil-over shocks, 32-degree rake, seat height, and weight. But there is one big and obvious advantage that the Street 750 holds.
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Street 750 cont.
The 750cc liquid-cooled Revolution X is obviously a big step up from the 500cc unit. A bigger bore, higher compression ratio, and larger fuel injector give it a peak 44.5 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm - a noticeable increase from the 500's 29.5 lb-ft. There's a reason why Harley chose this engine as the base for its flat-track XG750R racer.
>>Join the conversation about Harley's small bike lineup in the Harley-Davidson Forum.
Street 750 cont. some more
The Street 750 also has a ton of potential for customization if you're looking to buy a new bike and make it your own. In fact, it was this year's chosen motorcycle for the Battle of the Kings contest, where European Harley dealers compete to build the coolest custom bike. And they responded by building everything from cafe style racers to bobbers. Not too shabby for a bike that starts out at $7,599.
>>Join the conversation about Harley's small bike lineup in the Harley-Davidson Forum.
Street Rod
Care more about performance than customization potential? Well, the Street Rod is exactly what you're looking for. Like the Street 750, it has a 750cc engine, but with revised cams, heads, intake ports, 12:1 compression, and a bigger throttle body. All of which is good for a peak torque output of 47.9 lb-ft.
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Street Rod cont.
Compared to the 500 and 750, the Street Rod also comes with a much-improved suspension setup. The fork is inverted 43mm, and there are piggyback shocks in the rear. Harley pulled the pegs up and back to enhance lean angle to 37.3 degrees left and 40.2 degrees right. Which is a huge improvement on the 500 and 750's 28.5 degrees in either direction.
>>Join the conversation about Harley's small bike lineup in the Harley-Davidson Forum.
Street Rod cont. even further
Throw in a taller seat (29.8-inches) and tighter fork (27-degrees), and the Street Rod provides a noticeably different riding experience than its younger brothers. And it stops better too, thanks to dual disc brakes up front. Plus, the Street Rod formed the basis for Harley's Pro Stock drag motorcycle efforts. And how cool is that? For a price starting at $8,699, you get a heck of a lot of bike for your money, too!
>>Join the conversation about Harley's small bike lineup in the Harley-Davidson Forum.
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