Harley-Davidson Street Rod is a hairy-chested 750

Harley-Davidson Street Rod is a hairy-chested 750

More power, sharper geometry, real brakes!

The Street 750/500 was a bigger departure for the storied American motorcycle manufacturer than their liquid-cooled V-Rod. Harleys not made in the USA, on top of being small and accessible were not a natural fit for the brand. Still, they’ve made a go of it and the Street 750 appears to be an ideal entry point into the range. When we rode it for the first time at launch, we were impressed with its torquey, fun character, if not its mediocre brakes. The new Street Rod changes quite a bit, including those bug-bear brakes.

While it’s based on the Street 750, the new Street Rod has enough new going for it to warrant a bump in price and certainly a fresh look — it’s a bit less Avenger and a bit more XR1200. To begin with, the motor makes 11% more power and 5% more torque. Peak power arrives at 8250RPM, which is beyond the reach of the company’s bigger twins. This motor should feel more rev-happy than the old unit. In characteristic H-D fashion, no actual power and torque numbers have been shared.

The Street Rod is a bit less Avenger and a bit more XR1200

Judiciously, the front brakes have been uprated to keep up with the added power — dual 300mm brakes plus ABS should be more than adequate for the Street Rod. The front-end is now sprung on 43mm upside-down forks held by aluminium clamps. Rake is down from 32 degrees to 27 degrees, which is a very large jump, and should sharpen the bike’s handling significantly. Rear shocks are new and get remote reservoirs, have 117mm of travel and mount to a longer swingarm, which should balance the sharper steering nicely.

Ergonomics are going to be more aggressive on the Street Rod. There’s a flat, drag-style handlebar, higher 765mm seat height, rearset aluminium footpegs and forged brake/gear levers. The mirrors are also handlebar-mounted and can be flipped up or down. H-D has also allowed for more lean on the Street Rod, with 37.3 degrees available on the right, and 40.2 degrees on the left. This is far more than the standard bike’s 28.5 degrees, which made for peg-scraping heroes of modest uncles.

The Street Rod wears new 17" cast-alloy wheels, but still comes with MRF tyres; 120/70 up front and 160/60 H-rated hoops at the rear. We’d have liked stickier rubber to go with the performance bits, but maybe the Street Rod has enough to keep you interested and riding until you need a better pair of tyres.

The 2017 Street Rod is available in Vivid Black, Charcoal Denim and Olive Gold colour schemes for ₹5,86,000/- ex-showroom, New Delhi. Bookings are open today, while test rides will be available starting April 21.