H-D’s Improved Street Cred

Harley-Davidson’s smallest cruiser gains some wicked street cred with the introduction of the Street Rod

HARLEY-DAVIDSON, THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE manufacturers who have a cult following in many parts of the world, have announced the arrival of their latest motorcycle, the Street Rod. This brand-new Street variant has been introduced in India priced at Rs 5.86 lakh (ex-Delhi). H-D India have already opened the bookings for this new variant and soon the motorcycle will be available for test-rides.

The Street Rod is based on the standard Street 750; however, the company has made several changes in order to make it aggressive and sportier. To start with, the styling of the bike harks back to the days of the XR1200, a model that was designed and developed for the European market. The tail section, the front end and the side panels and even the exhaust are all designed to pay homage to the XR1200.

What sets the bike apart from the standard Street 750 is the revised geometry and new equipment. The frame of the bike remains the same as the standard variant but the steering geometry has changed. The rake angle has gone down from 32° to 27°, giving the bike greater agility. The front suspension has gone from being a conventional telescopic unit to 43-mm upside down (USD) forks that hold the wider 120/70 R17 tyre. At the rear, the Street Rod gets longer shocks and swingarm to accommodate the new, larger 17” wheel with wider 160/60 R17 tyre. Brakes have been updated as well with the Street Rod getting a dualdisc setup with twin-piston callipers at the front and a single, twin-piston calliper at the back. ABS comes as standard equipment. The bike will be available in three different shades, namely, black, blue, and gold.

On the engine front, H-D have increased the compression ratio of the 749-cc Revolution X engine from 11.0:1 to 12.0:1. The torque output has gone up from 59 Nm to 62 Nm at 4,000 rpm and the power output has jumped from an estimated 47.5 PS to 52.7 PS at 8,250 rpm. The new engine also comes with larger, 42-mm twin port fuel-injection.

With all these changes, the Street Rod, on paper, has got some real street cred so far as sportiness is concerned. However, we will have to wait for a first ride review of the bike to be sure about that.