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.
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?