Austin, Texas—This is not Cycle World’s first outing on the Street 750, Harley’s brand-new entry-level machine. That occurred back in March, when Road Test Editor Don Canet spent three hours on a pair of hand-built pre-production 750s on CW home turf. While Canet’s overall verdict was positive, my ride was more telling because the Street 750 I just rode took place on an actual production model built on Harley’s Kansas City line.
Harley held the press introduction for the new Street 750 in conjunction with the Austin X Games, which just happened to be packed with thousands of desired potential new riders. Another reason Harley was there? The Motor Company is keen to make flat-track racing a medal sport in the 2015 summer X Games, to further showcase the sport in front of a much larger audience. If you want to let your opinion be heard, do so by hashtagging #XGamesFlatTrack. Harley also showed off a Vance & Hines-built custom-frame Street 750 like the five ridden in the promotional video by reigning AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Champion Brad Baker, Jared Mees, Nichole Mees, Mike Hacker, and Cory Texter.
As for the new Street 750 production bike, it makes a lot of sense in the US and foreign markets such as China, India, and Southeast Asia, where motorcycle sales are currently exploding. Currently, the only other model in H-D’s line that could be considered new-rider-friendly is the Iron 883, which starts at $7,999 but weighs a whopping 80 pounds more than the Street.
H-D Street 750 on the CW Dynojet dyno:
http://ak.c.ooyala.com/Eyd3RjbDrD4VwC7EJFAHD9mDQaLGX_Ks/3Gduepif0T1UGY8H4xMDoxOjA4MTsiGN
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Learn more: Dyno Files: 2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750
My ride on the Street 750 featured a nice mix of urban (H-D’s key target), freeway, and back roads in the Texas Hill Country. The second I threw my leg over the bike, I noticed the ultra-low seat (we measured 28.2 inches), but also the low-slung position of the fuel tank. I can’t remember riding another motorcycle on which my knees protruded above the tank—it makes the bike feel very short.
Feet up, clutch out, and rolling, the Street feels very light and maneuverable with neutral steering and good ground clearance. Downtown Austin’s streets are like any urban area in America, with pockmarked bad pavement, but I was pleasantly surprised with the 750’s ride quality compared to an 883’s or a 1200 Sporty’s. With 3.5 in. of rear wheel travel from the pair of pre-load-adjustable shocks, and 5.5 up front from a 37mm fork, the Street has more than double the travel of its Sportster cousins while maintaining the all-important low seat height.
With my 5-foot-11 frame, the seating position was very comfortable with just a slight rear-set bend to my knees and natural reach to the handlebar. I wish I could say the same of the seat’s long-term comfort. After more than 100 miles of riding, my butt was definitely ready to call it a day. The padding is too soft, which is great for short hops, but after a while the seat doesn’t offer much support. Also worth noting: The mirrors—mounted quite inboard on the handlebar—don’t offer the best view. You can either set them to see right behind you with a lot of shoulder in the reflection, or you can adjust them out wide but not be able to see what’s coming directly up your tailpipe.
The jewel of the Street 750 is the engine. Harley’s marketing people say it feels and sounds “just like a Harley.” That’s not entirely true. Sure, with the right set of aftermarket pipes installed, it may produce a familiar V-twin sound, but the liquid-cooled, sohc, four-valve Revolution X engine feels and performs like no Harley-Davidson I’ve ridden. That’s not a negative, either. With a nearly flat torque curve and power that builds steadily from 2,000 to 8,000 rpm, plus crisp fueling, it’s no wonder that Harley had Vance & Hines build those aforementioned flat-trackers. This engine has a very usable powerband.
In and around Austin, throttle response from the EFI felt good, but the bike I was riding did have a tendency to flame out and die occasionally. After mentioning this to some of the other journalists on the same ride, I learned that the problem was apparently isolated to my bike.
Acceleration is surprisingly good, whether leaving a stop or using the midrange torque to pass another vehicle. Rowing through the six-speed gearbox is easy, with light yet very positive shifts, although I did sense a bit of driveline lash when rolling the throttle on and off in urban settings.
Canet complained about the brakes on the pre-production Street 750; while I can’t say the production bike’s brakes (with a dual-piston caliper in front) worked great, they were far from horrible. Feel at the lever is a bit spongy, the bite isn’t all that aggressive, and I added a bit of rear brake every time I needed to stop quickly. That stated, I also think the Street 750’s brakes will not be intimidating for new riders. According to Harley-Davidson, no changes were made to the brakes between our ride of the pre-production model and the Street I rode.
A few other nits to pick: The brackets for the foot controls are made of stamped steel and look to be of low quality, while some of the details that H-D has been traditionally good at, such as hiding cables and wiring, were apparently not a priority on the Street.
After spending a day riding the Harley-Davidson Street 750, I’m a bit torn. On one hand, the bike is exactly what Harley needs to help build a pool of future motorcyclists. On the other, I counted more than 35 motorcycles in the Cycle World Buyer’s Guide that are priced around $8,000 or less, and a huge chunk of those offer better bang for the buck and build quality. But I also have a soft side that appreciates consumers wanting to buy an authentic Harley-Davidson motorcycle built right here in Kansas City at a price that almost any new or young rider can swallow. For me personally, though, I’d opt to pay only $500 more and pick up an iconic Sportster Iron 883.
Ultimately, it’s those first-generation riders that will determine the success of the new Harley-Davidson Street 750. Will all those folks at the X Games join the Harley faithful for life?
SPECIFICATIONS
2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750
GENERAL
PRICE
$7499
ENGINE TYPE
Liquid-cooled 749cc 60-degree V-twin
BORE & STROKE
85.0 x 66.0mm
INDUCTION
Mikuni EFI 38mm
COMPRESSION RATIO
10.5:1
VALVE TRAIN
Four valves per cylinder, sohc
TRANSMISSION
Six-speed manual
FINAL DRIVE
Belt
FRONT SUSPENSION
Fork
REAR SUSPENSION
Twin rear shocks
FRONT BRAKE
Single disc, dual-piston caliper
REAR BRAKE
Single disc, dual-piston caliper
FRONT TIRE
100/80R-17
REAR TIRE
140/75R-15
RAKE
32.0º
TRAIL
4.5 in.
WHEELBASE
60.4 in.
SEAT HEIGHT
28.2 in.
WET WEIGHT
503 lb.
FUEL CAPACITY
3.5 gal.
PERFORMANCE
0-60 MPH
4.6 sec.
0-1/4-MILE
13.69 sec. at 93.8 mph
BRAKING, 60 MPH-0
152 ft.
HORSEPOWER
57.6 hp at 7955 rpm
TORQUE
43.2 lb.-ft. at 3790 rpm