Harley-Davidson unveils new Street 500 and Street 750

[Old Can Ride]

I thought strips were the things people in prison wore. You can't ride there! Don't want any.

 

[ziggie]

I would go with the ctx.mother Honda will let me ride not push.

sent from a keyboard in the frunk

 

[johnakay]

In a rather ironic twist (to me, anyway) I am getting flashbacks to when Honda first started to dip it's toe in the cruiser market, obviously trying to closely follow whatever it is that makes Harleys appealing.

Those first tentative stabs at "cruiser" had some definite oddball looking things going on, slowly refined over time. Now it feels like Harley is making the exact same fledgling steps, trying to reverse copy what the first Japanese copies of their own cruisers looked like. It's very amusing to contemplate the big circle.

Harley does NOT know how to make a good looking radiator, (yet) I will say that. And great Scott! Those fork gaiters are just horrifying, lol

good grief the whole bike look horrifying let alone gaiters.
best to put in here and be done away with.....

 

[Gigs]

Alright no need to hate on Harley that bad. These are practical entry level bikes made by one of the more American companies around. You get to say I ride a Harley, I get good mpg (assuming, it can't be terrible) and the ability to modify the crap out of almost immediately with a million bolt ons. They aren't my style but I think try fit the modern motorcyclist. I could picture that lady on the poster of the Milan show riding one. Just saying they aren't that bad.
Now since Polaris owns Victory and Indian which are going after Harley, they should build some smaller bikes maybe cruisers but def need some Polaris branded dual sports to challenge BMW and KTM and even our beloved NCX. This is because competition inspires innovation which works out for the consumer.


Gigs

 

[MZ5]

I'm not a 'Harley guy,' nor a 'cruiser guy' at all, but I'm VERY glad to see Harley re-entering this market segment. A Buell Blast was actually a consideration for me, albeit briefly, before I bought the NCX.

 

[dduelin]

Good for HD. If they don't do something their demographic will age out of riding and they won't have a market [in the US] to sell to. Their problem has been that same tradition bound demographic would never accept anything new or different. Maybe younger riders will have minds open to some change. The old folks will still ask 500/750 riders "When you gonna buy a real motorcycle?"

 

[Gigs]

I don't think the "when are you going to get a real bike" thing is true. What do you think most Harley guys started on, cb750, shadow700, seca's? I think it's a great move


Gigs

 

[davidc83]

I don't think the "when are you going to get a real bike" thing is true. What do you think most Harley guys started on, cb750, shadow700, seca's? I think it's a great move


Gigs

Our local HD store is also the BMW store. When I still had my bmw, the last time I took into the shop for scheduled maintenance, I actually had 2 old-timer HD riders state, "when you going to buy a real bike"
So it does happen. I also own my Suzuki cruiser (now with 65,000+ miles on it), and at the time it had about 52,000 miles on it. I said to them, my Suzuki has 50,000+ miles and never been in the shop for repairs, what you guys hanging out for? They didn't say anything else and walked away.

 

[Gigs]

Harley and BMW in the same shop. Sounds like douchebag central or a place for organized fights.


Gigs

 

[silverhound]

Ok I have to admit that I went through a "Cruiser Phase" but could never really see the logic in owning a Harley. However in a moment of weakness at one point I did have occasion to visit a HD dealership just to see if I was really missing out on something. I showed up there on my Honda VTX1800 V-Twin which frankly was bigger and badder than anything they had to offer at the time. Even with the all the customization I had done it would have still put their Ultra-Softail-Fatboy-Dyna-ElectraGilde-Screaming Beagle I mean Eagle whatever model to shame at roughly half the cost. At that time fuel injection was an "option" they had been toying with and their standard offering was still their 88 cubic inch evo engine (My Honda was 110 cubic inches roughly). Anywhooo...the salesman (for lack of a better term) immediately starts ranking on my Honda and says something to the effect that "guess you're ready for a real bike". So I asked why my bike wasn't "real" and he said, "well for one thing it's not made in America". My retort was short, I told him that technically Harley's aren't made in America either, they are only "assembled" in America but don't have enough domestically made parts to be labeled made in America anymore. Furthermore, my VTX was assembled in Marysville Ohio which last I checked was also in America. Then I thanked him for his time and left while he kinda stood there with a dumb look on his face.

You know I really don't have anything personal against Harley, in fact I think their bikes are good looking and as a business person I really admire their marketing and how they have stayed successful for as long as they have. I however will probably never own a Harley though just because of the arrogance and ignorance of this one sales guy and possibly because of the many* cult-like, rabid, kool-aid drinking sheep that seem to own them.

*This does not apply to all Harley owners, I have met several that were fairly normal and friendly.

And for the record...my Honda was freaking awesome...I would still have it had I not emerged out the other side of my mid-life crisis.

 

[buckshot]

That's one sweet ride silverhound. I plan on having several mid-life crises, and I can see a big cube cruiser being one of them. Don't know if it will end up being a Harley or not, but if I had to call it this early in the game, I'd lean toward a VMAX.

 

[silverhound]

That's one sweet ride silverhound. I plan on having several mid-life crises, and I can see a big cube cruiser being one of them. Don't know if it will end up being a Harley or not, but if I had to call it this early in the game, I'd lean toward a VMAX.

Ohh yeah...the VMAX would be an excellent choice!

 

[TheEdge900]

Cycleworld did a dyno comparison of the new Street 750 with several bikes including the NC700x.

Dyno Files: 2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750 vs. The Competition

Interesting note, although not directly compared in this article, the NC700x and the 883 torque/HP numbers are almost on top of each other.

 

[Mike Cash]

Cycleworld did a dyno comparison of the new Street 750 with several bikes including the NC700x.

Dyno Files: 2015 Harley-Davidson Street 750 vs. The Competition

Interesting note, although not directly compared in this article, the NC700x and the 883 torque/HP numbers are almost on top of each other.

The NC has superior passing ability to the Sportster.....the ability to pass a gas station without stopping.

 

[wozza]

I like the new 750 Harley Street. I'm sure I would be very happy with one.