2015 HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750
FIRST RIDE
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of the bike. In this day and age,
you don't expect to see exposed
wires (not even black, but col-
ored), galvanized bolts, etc. so
it was somewhat alarming to find
them on the newest Harley. The
bike's parts are sourced from In-
dia and other places (and really
aimed at those burgeoning mar-
kets), but the ones we're getting
are put together in the good old
US of A. Unfortunately there are
certain bits that look a bit unfin-
ished and… well, janky.
One thing I can tell you with
certainty is that the folks at Har-
ley are smarter than the rest of
us. How else can you explain the
fact that they are number one in
basically all sales of motorcycles
to riders aged 18-34? The de-
signers of the Street 750/500
talked to thousands of individuals
in 10 countries to find what they
wanted in a motorcycle and ap-
parently this is it. We shall see
how right they are.
We also need to remember
that, according to Harley, 92 per-
cent of its buyers do something to
their Harleys to "make them their
own." With the Street 750 and
500, they've given those buyers
a sort of blank canvas with which
to create. Bet your last dollar on
this: You will see a lot of custom-
ized Street 750s in the near fu-
ture. Actually, I'm betting you see
a lot of Street 750s and 500s in
all sorts of configurations, includ-
ing stock. Why? Because Harley
knows how to market and they
seem to know what people want.
Either that or they're really good
at telling them what they should
want.
The bottom line is that those
who throw down the money and
leave the dealership with the
Street 750 aren't going to have
the loudest Harley or the fastest
Harley, but they're going to have
one that is smooth, gentle and
easy to ride. It takes off from a
stop with ease, shifts effortlessly
through its six-speed gearbox
and takes you through town and
out of town with nary a vibration.
And the best part: It's a Har-
ley. So beard or no beard, you're
cool. Way cool. CN
The Street 750 was made for… well, the streets.
