On the safe side

Harley-Davidson’s entry-level Street 750 gets a much-needed safety update with the introduction of ABS

December 07, 2016 06:45 pm | Updated 06:45 pm IST

The Harley-Davidson Street 750 with ABS

The Harley-Davidson Street 750 with ABS

The Harley-Davidson Street 750 is the company’s first new motorcycle platform since the famous V-Rod. It was the brand’s bid to rope in a younger lot of riders into its fold, and the first model that it built in India. Not to forget, it’s the most affordable Harley in India too. While initial batches of the bike were marred by quality and braking issues, an upgrade that followed fixed the problems to a large extent. However, the bike still lacked the all-essential ABS (anti-lock brakes), until now that is.

Significant upgrades in the 2017 model line-up for Harley-Davidson include the new Street 750 that has been upgraded with ABS and a two-tone paint job. This improves the Street 750 in one area that it was lacking and what often resulted in scary braking. I remember a ride earlier this year on the old Street 750, on the hill road, up from Phuentsholing to Thimphu in Bhutan. A sudden surprise of cattle and loose gravel on the road resulted in some panic braking by me, causing the rear brake to lock up, and that threw the bike into a scary straightline skid that had me fishtailing ominously towards the edge of the road. With the new Street, such trespasses are forgiven, as the ABS bites hard but with compassion around corners, so that everything is on the safe side of physics.

Apart from the addition of ABS and a new paint scheme, the bike pretty much remains the same. Powering the bike is the impressive 749cc Revolution X V-twin motor that is mated to a six-speed gearbox, and is good for 59Nm of torque that comes in at 3,750rpm. Harley doesn’t disclose power figures as a rule, but the Street feels good for an estimated 55-60hp. This power is transferred to the rear wheel through a typical Harley-Davidson style belt drive. This translates into a nice, easy-flowing power delivery on the road, with performance feeling rapid for a cruiser bike with these proportions.

At 233kg, the Street 750 is hardly what you might call a light bike. Still, it feels quite manageable even through tight urban conditions. At the same time, it offers pretty good ride quality as well. The Street 750 is equipped with MRF tyres that were designed specifically for the bike, which offer a fair amount of grip in most conditions. In fact, out of the current Harley-Davidson line-up, the Street 750 feels like the most nimble-handling machine and is happier around corners than any of the others.

With a starting price of Rs 4.91 lakh for the all-black model, going up to Rs 5.18 lakh (both ex-showroom, Delhi) for the two-tone, the Street 750 offers the same great value today that it did when it was first launched back in 2014. And now with ABS, it gets the much-needed safety that was missing from the previous bike. If you were in the market for a mid-capacity cruiser motorcycle, now is the perfect time to consider the Harley-Davidson Street 750.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.