FEELING THE HEAT FROM THE STREET
Question: Is a Harley Street Rod a) A vintage V8 supercharged Chevy with lowered suspension owned by a top London doctor permanently high on methanol; b) A device for scratching that bit in your back you can’t otherwise reach; c) A motorcycle? For those of you said a) or b), we commend you for your imagination. For those of you who answered c), we commend you for being right. The Street Rod is, in fact, the souped up version of the entry-level Street 750 introduced in 2015. Its more muscular intent is signalled from the moment you slide on board, with a slightly higher saddle and new bars giving a more aggressive riding position. Of the view, there is little to be said, with a minimalist circular speedo and brilliant bar-end mirrors, up there with those on the Triumph Thruxton. What more do you need? Changing gear is as slick as a knife through a freshly buttered cliché – a far cry from Harleys of old, on which engaging first gear sounded like dropping a large spanner down a small well. The real treat, though, is the engine. The all-new powerplant on the Street 750 was a peach, and the tweaked version on the Rod is even peachier, with 20% more power and 10% more torque, the latter delivered at a subterranean 4,000rpm. This gives such a swell of mid-range grunt that on the mountain roads of the launch, I sold the other gears on ebay and just used third, with the occasional change down to second for particularly nadgery hairpins. Also tweaked is the chassis, giving sharper handling and a much better lean angle before the pegs touch down, with longer travel rear suspension soaking up even the worst bumps. It is, in short, a splendid upgrade on an already good bike which gave me a day of glorious fun powering out of bends and drinking in the deeply evocative snore of a V-twin at full chat. Harley Iron 883 and, for me, is a better bike. Harley’s marketing bods claim that it’s aimed at bad ass hooligans, whatever they are, but I predict it’ll be just as popular with the rest of us. And, I imagine, Harley Street doctors. It might even get them off the methanol.