American motorcycle major Harley-Davidson is venturing into the sub 500cc segment of motorcycles to expand its reach amongst the masses and doing the job for the company will be the new Street 500.
Harley-Davidson has launched the most affordable motorcycle from its stable, the Street 500, for the Indonesian market. Prior to the launch of this motorcycle, the Street 750 was the most affordable offering from the American motorcycle major. The Street 750 and the Street 500 are targeted to the developing economies and although the company has not come out with an official statement, we expect to see the latter in the Indian market sometime in 2015.
In terms of design, the Street 500 looks identical to the Street 750. The only difference between the two is the engine bore. While the Street 750 has an 85.0mm bore, the Street 500 has a 69.0mm bore which produces 494cc. The new Harley-Davidson Street 500 is powered by a Liquid-cooled, 494cc Revolution X 60-degree V-Twin engine that produces 40Nm of torque. The engine comes clubbed to a six-speed gearbox.
The motorcycle will catch attention from young, urban riders who plan to buy an entry level cruiser before investing in big machines. It would also find its place between the cost conscious riders who are willing to buy a product which would give them riding pleasure at an affordable price tag.
We expect to see the Harley-Davidson Street 500 on Indian roads by mid 2015 and to be priced between Rs 3-4 lakh. Here are the technical specifications of the motorcycle.
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 2,225mm |
| Seat Height (unladen) | 709mm |
| Ground Clearance | 145mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,534mm |
| Fuel Capacity | 13.1 litre |
| Weight (with fluids) | 222kg |
| Engine | |
| Engine Type | Liquid-cooled, Revolution X V-Twin |
| Displacement | 494cc |
| Bore | 69mm |
| Stroke | 66mm |
| Compression Ratio | 11:01 |
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