Ride and Handling
The Street 750 cradles the 749cc V twin in an all-new frame by Harley Davidson. The chassis feels stiff and coupled with slightly firm suspension setup endows the 750 with precision handling prowess that is seldom seen in cruisers of this size. H-D manages to nail it in the handling department with the Street 750 which has the capability to be the corner carvers of the bikes in this segment.
The 750`s pulled back wide handle bars with soft grips makes a light work of weaving through the urban traffic maze. The handle bar design is more suited to taller riders, riders with average height (5`7“-5`8“) will find reaching out to the grips a bit of stretch and leading to fatigue over longer durations. A bit more pull back would have helped in making riding the experience a stress-free one.
One must however, exercise caution while riding through winding roads. The Street 750 handles unlike any other Harley Davidson and given its handling, it is very easy to get carried away with the Street`s appetite for curves on the black top before the foot-peg digs in threatening to spit the rider off the bike. The foot pegs do not carry a feeler bolt either, even though they are spring loaded. The positioning of the foot pegs too, in our opinion could have been revised for a more forward position, while the pillion foot pegs are uncomfortably high. Riding the bike as a pillion for longer durations would call for regular halts to prevent a sore saddle.
The 750 rides with a ground clearance of 145mm and short travel suspension, with a 5 step adjustable (for preload) hydraulic shock absorbers at the rear. Even with a pillion aboard, the 750 feels stable and composed at triple digit speeds unshaken from any cross winds or minor undulations which are dispatched without any notice. Even with a low ground clearance, softest pre load setting and a pillion the Street 750 managed to dodge most of the city`s speed breakers without a scrape! The belly scrapes only over the more vicious speedbreakers. With a wide and comfortable rider saddle, there are rarely times when one craves for more suspension travel or a softer set up.
The motorcycle is shod with 17 inch 100/80 rubber at the front and 15 inch 150/70 MRF Zapper rubber at the rear, keeping the costs in check. We strongly feel that the 750 deserves better gripping (and looking) rubber considering the torque-y nature of the engine and the speeds it is capable of.
Braking duties on the Street 750 are taken care of by single discs with twin pistons at both ends which are adequate on paper, but lack the bite on the limit. Our test bike had a spongy feel to the front brake while the rear too lacked any sharp bite. Braking thus, is average and nothing to write home about considering the 222 kgs (+ rider) weight that it has to haul down.
Next page for images and descriptions of specific details about the bike>>>
nice review with photos
Hopefully Harley will take note of the un-impressive aspects and work towards improving them. Tyres can be swapped for a stickier pair, mirrors can be replaced by more functional ones from the RE Thunderbird. But practically nothing can be done about the weak brakes and weird foot-peg placement. Maybe an after market job on the pillion seat could make it a better place to be in. Lack of a fuel gauge is a major grouse, hoping Harley incorporates one or atleast makes it available as an accessory………….
it is better…..
Clarke- you said it. Its only a start. Hopefully it keeps growing and growing for Harley. Already some talk going on with the forums. HDforums.com and hdstreetforum.com are talking about this bike.
So here you go: Cruddy tires, funky pegs, weak disc brakes, un-impressive metal work on the tank. I'm glad Harley is breaking into the world market in the critical mid-size market. But, they've got a ways to go to catch up with any of the big 4 from Japan on quality and workmanship. It's a decent start, but only that. A start.