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Does it come with thick rim glasses and skinny jeans or do you have to buy them used from the salvation army on your own?
2021 KTM Duke 890 R
2016 BMW S1000XR
1982 Honda CB750F Super Sport
I like it, reminds me of the XLCR a bit and it's nice they are finally realizing R&D can update motors past 1960s technology.....
Like I said they say, nothing stops a party barge.
97' Ducati 900SS - Sometimes runs
I think this is a good move; the American and European companies in general don't have much for new riders to choose from.
If it's a decent bike, it should expand their market (here and elsewhere) pretty well.
I'll go see if I can get a testride on one some time.
PhilB
"A free man must be able to endure it when his fellow men act and live otherwise than he considers proper." -- Ludwig von Mises
1993 Ducati Monster M900; 265,000 miles -- killed by minivan 30Oct17
....The night before the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan officially opened its doors to the press, Harley-Davidson took the wraps off its first all-new model in 13 years: the 2014 Street, which will be available as a 500 and a 750 when it goes on sale in the U.S. this spring, priced at $6,700 and $7,500 respectively. In short, the new Street is a liquid-cooled bike aimed at young urban buyers around the world, a model that Mark-Hans Richer, Harley’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, called “our path to the future.” Given that heady responsibility, the attractively priced Street—which will be built at Harley plants in Kansas City (for the U.S., Canada and Mexico) and India (the rest of the world)—deserves a close look.
Young urban vs old rural?
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/113/18...irst-Ride.aspx
In recent years motorcycle manufacturers have really turned their attention to grabbing young riders with budget-friendly offerings that appeal to the wants and needs of this key demographic. It’s easier to hold onto a customer that has bonded with the brand early rather than pull a sale from a rider of another brand, so these entry-level rides are important. Harley-Davidson’s 883 Sportster models may be small and reasonably priced in comparison to the rest of its line-up, but for a less experienced buyer they can still be intimidating. Enter the 2014 Harley-Davidson Street 750, an all-new HD that is aimed at attracting and holding onto an entirely new group of riders.
A last-minute invite to ride a pre-production Street 750 for photos and a quick two-hour unsupervised ride around Orange County gave us the chance to find out if this addition to the Harley line will be a winner. While grabbing a riding impression, photos and video, MotoUSA also pushed the clock to the last second by also squeezing in a dyno test to get the first real world horsepower and torque numbers. It was a hectic couple of hours, but we learned plenty.
Looking at the Street 750, it is unmistakably a Harley-Davidson thanks to the Dark Custom treatment. The fork gators, round headlight, and mag wheels are familiar and look good. Moving further back towards the tank and things still look classic and tough; even the radiator and shroud doesn’t seem out of place. Where it gets a little less visually appealing is when you size it up from the rear. Whereas the front three-quarters of the bike is classically styled, the rear fender and taillight are modern and boxy, missing the mark visually. Overall, however, it is a good-looking bike, and it has a presence worthy of the HD badge on the tank.
Look closer at the details and you begin to see how the Street 750 can be offered for around $7500 (no official MSRP has been set as of yet.) The levers are skinny and feel less solid than the units we are accustomed to on other HD models. While the paint is good on body parts, the seam down the middle of the tank looks unrefined. Some of the fastening hardware and brackets are rough and less than pretty. The switchgear however is very clean and easy to use, although the turn signals are not self-canceling.
Sitting on the Street 750 reveals a compact rider’s area. The 27.9-inch high seat and close footpegs felt cramped for my 32-inch inseam. This brings your knees above the top of the flat, low tank giving a feeling that you are atop the Street rather than in it. The reach to the bars is easy and comfortable but also close. Simply stated, the Street 750 looks big but rides small. Taller riders will need to look elsewhere.
On the road the small rider’s triangle gives you plenty of leverage to move the 750 around. It feels much lighter in motion than the 489-pound curb weight would suggest. Turn in effort is very light, and changing direction happens in a snap. I was expecting the steering to be slightly sluggish with a skinny 110/80R17 front tire and flat profiled 140/75R15 rear, but it turns wonderfully. The handling is absolutely the highlight of the Street. Corning clearance is excellent thanks to the tall footpegs.
Suspension is slightly taut but not harsh or springy, handling the cracked pavement of Old Town Orange with a controlled, comfortable ride. Spring rates front to rear are spot on for balanced handling, even though the rear-end does sit high when static.
Braking performance is the low-point of the Street 750, hands down. A single front floating disc and twin piston front caliper combined with same set-up at the rear drags the blacked out machine down from speed with less-than-impressive power. Two fingers and a strong squeeze is required on the front lever and the feel is wooden and weak. At the back the feel is actually better from the foot-pedal and must be used to have any chance of stopping quickly. Beginners definitely won’t have to worry about tucking the skinny front tire on the brakes.
While the brakes are a disappointment, the 749cc liquid-cooled Revolution X 60-degree V-Twin is not. Engine response is crisp and acceleration is much better than I expected. Grabbing a handful of the right grip brings forth a torquey bottom-end that continues into the mid-range. On top, the power does flatten out just before the rev-limiter kicks in.
During our ride we stopped off at Two Brothers Racing to get some dyno numbers. The Street 750 produced a respectable 52.89 horsepower at 7900 rpm and 39.36 lb-ft of torque at 6400 rpm, however, the torque curve was nearly flat from all the way through the rev range. It is a very nice powerplant for a smaller cruiser without a doubt. The only part missing is the rumble that is Harley-Davidson. The stock two-into-one exhaust note is subdued and lacks any sort of nastiness that you would expect from a blacked out HD.
The all-new Harley-Davidson Street 750 is powered by the Revolution X, a 749cc 60-degree V-Twin. It turned the dyno at Two Brothers Racing up to a respectable 52.9 horsepower and 39.4 lb-ft of torque. Shifts are quiet and smooth as you row through the Street’s six-speed transmission, and the gear ratios are perfectly spaced. The clutch pull is light, but the engagement point is near the end of the lever travel, which could be an issue for smaller hands.
After our short stint on the 2014 Harley-Davidson Street 750, I had to look at this machine from a new or young rider’s perspective to appreciate it. As a seasoned rider it fails to satisfy, but for someone looking to get into a cruiser, and most importantly a Harley, on the cheap the Street 750 is a very attractive motorcycle. It looks good for the most part, handles excellent and has a great engine. The Street 750 is a good first Harley-Davidson that will get many entry-level riders on the road and vault them to larger rides in the line as they gain experience.
Similar power, weight and price to a Ninja/CBR 650, but in a cool cruiser package. The geometry ergos and weight will also make it more noob friendly. I like it.
So it's any Japanese middleweight cruiser made in the last 10 years. Got it.
2021 KTM Duke 890 R
2016 BMW S1000XR
1982 Honda CB750F Super Sport
Seems like they would have been better off with one or the other. 750 vs 500 your talking minimal weight and minimal differences in power.
Wirelessly posted (GS3)
Its also HDs least expensive and lightest.Originally Posted by TheIglu
The 500 will replace the blast in the riders edge classes.
not to mention HDs lack of an entry level bike until now. Should be very low maintenance since its roots lie in the vrod engine.
Its price point is aimed right at the throat of the big 4s cruiser bikes of similar size. This will only increase HDs sales both here in the US and worldwide while cutting into the Jap bikes. HDs cant be sold in a lot of countries due to engine size and tariffs. HD will be putting a factory in India also (I believe) to build these to remedy that.
When I start my KTM in the morning, rules are broken. Its inevitable...
01 SV650S (RC51 eater)/07 690SM /03 300EXC/14 XTZ1200
TRACKS:Firebird/NHMS/VIR/Calabogie/California Speedway/NJMP/MMC/NYST/Palmer/Thompson/Club Motorsports
I think the 500 is designed for other markets that have graduated licensing and/or where they tax larger displacement bikes into oblivion. I've heard few expect the 500 to do well in the US.
Got rid of the 500 Prody Twin class just in time. Sorry BJ.
more water cooled engines from HD. they are all going to hell.
Gino
HAWK GT Racer Expert #929
2012 CCS LRRS ULSB Champion
2012 CCS LRRS P89 Champion
2008 CCS ULSB National Champion
ECKRACING Bridgestone Street & Competition Woodcraft MOTUL On Track Media Pine Motorparts Vanson Leathers
Our fleet for the academy will be coming in a few weeks. Looking forward to breaking them in.
LOL...unfortunately, that's an option. A handy-dandy cigarette lighter with HD logo is included, though.
but, I do think it's a step in the right direction...an entry level model with an affordable price--I was actually surprised when I saw that...thought it was a misprint at first, lol.
HDs problem at the moment, due to the killing of buell, is that a new rider gets done with a 3 day class on a Blast and goes into the showroom and the smallest thing to pick is the 883 sportster. granted to us experienced riders a 883 is slow and easy to ride. the reality is, the sportster is still a heavy bike. some 80lbs more than the street 500. and will still accelerate fast enough to scare a new rider or get them into trouble. by making the 500 and using it as a training bike, the new riders can walk into the showroom and see a bike that they recognize as the one they have been on for the last 3 days and already know that they are comfortable on it. they buy it, it says HD on it and when they are ready to move up they go back to the HD dealer for something else.
the way it stands now, if someone isnt confident enough to get a 883/1200 then they go to the imports and when they are ready to move up they go back to the imports because they have already developed a relationship with them. it may be 2 or 3 bikes later before they get a HD and thats not profitable for HD.
HD already out sells all the others so even if the 500/750 doesnt do stellar in the US i dont see it mattering all that much to them.
When I start my KTM in the morning, rules are broken. Its inevitable...
01 SV650S (RC51 eater)/07 690SM /03 300EXC/14 XTZ1200
TRACKS:Firebird/NHMS/VIR/Calabogie/California Speedway/NJMP/MMC/NYST/Palmer/Thompson/Club Motorsports
MSRP for the Street 500 is reportedly $6,700. So I suppose that story works. Entry level machine.
I'm betting sales will suck, Harley chick's won't be seen on a 500 and Harley guys won't buy them because thier women will outgrow them. New riders won't buy them because they will get laughed at etc etc.
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They have covered an under developed area
The calculus of hate
It is not that I should win it is that you should lose
It is not that I succeed it is that you fail
It is not that I should live it is that you should die
Within the US I'd guess Greg is correct, at least for the 500. I suspect it will be more successful in other markets. People will still be able to have the Harley mystique, but in a package that's actually somewhat reasonable and relates to other offerings in that market.
Unfortunately I do think the application of the 500 is limited in the US market. The 883 is hardly even a starter bike today (from the perspective of at least some Harley owners) regardless of whether or not it's appropriate.
I applaud the effort regardless of the outcome.
i think the 750 has the better chance of catching on here. HD sees it as an entry level to capture an untapped market for them...and the idea is to have these first time buyers move up to other HD models should they make the decision to do so. the 7K price is an enticement for sure, and may go a long ways to attracting riders who otherwise see HD's as very expensive, which is true in most cases. Call it a loss leader, lol. i like the V-Rod based engine choice as well, and it's not half bad looking.
My buddy paid more than the Street 750's $7500 MSRP for a Shadow 750. Given, I think he's an idiot, but still. HD has under cut that.
Looks like they undercut the Star Bolt too.. which is awful to ride.
The Blast sold...