So far as styling goes, it’s not a bad-looking bike on the whole, but it isn’t very cutting-edge either. There are some parts of the bike that won’t make you feel good at all and where cost-cutting is evident. For example, the nuts on the swing-arm and the axle look coarse while the quality of switchgear is far from top-notch. Operation of the switches too is not exactly flawless. Then there’s the pillion seat, which is virtually non-existent – it’s too narrow and too small for even the most petite of pillions to be seated comfortably. No, this bike is better off for the solo rider. On the plus side, the addition of a lockable fuel filler cap adds peace of mind when leaving the bike parked. The twist grips and the levers are nice too.
The party piece on this smallest and cheapest of Harleys, though, is not the frame, the riding position or the styling. That tag has to go to the all-new liquid-cooled (yes, liquid-cooled) 749-cc 60-degree V-twin Revolution X engine. Of all the engines that power bikes bearing the bar and the shield, this is by far the most refined. With the exception of the liquid-cooled engine that was developed in collaboration with Porsche and is employed in the V-Rod/Night Rod. What is most notable the moment the starter is thumbed is the lack of vibrations on this brand-new engine. Harley owners will be familiar with the slight shake of the handlebars on other bikes at idling. Well, that familiarity is not to be found in the Street 750, and we don’t think that’s a bad thing at all since it also indicates that the bike will be less vibey throughout. Naturally, it adds to rider comfort. The purist will, of course, argue that it robs the bike of the typical Harley character.
All arguments, however, are put to rest as soon as one starts riding the Street 750. The engine pulls cleanly right from the word go and continues building grunt right till the top of its rev range in one clean line. For the purist there remains the familiar rush of torque – 60 Nm of it to be exact – that is felt when twisting the throttle on other Harley bikes, but now with the added benefit of a good gearbox. The six-speed gearbox that Harley-Davidson have employed on the Street 750 complements the Revolution X engine perfectly with well-sorted ratios for all kinds of riding. The other surprising bit about this bike is how usable it really is in city traffic. You could potter around at speeds of 30-50 km/h all day without breaking into a sweat. At the same time, there is enough and more power to take it over long distances, cruising comfortably at around 120 km/h. In essence, this, we believe, is the perfect engine for a bike that is sold in countries where road conditions can vary between chock-a-block city streets and open four-lane highways.
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