Why Harley-Davidson Owners Don’t Like the Street 500 and 750 Motorcycles

[Bone]

Originally Posted by adri

It kind of sounds like you're confusing what was a commentary about a bike, with a motorcycle review, which I in no way implied that this was...

But it seems like you want some hard numbers, I'll try to be a good sport and offer up what you want.

Let's make a comparison of, say, a 2015 Street 750 compared to my eleven year old Aprilia Shiver 750.



Firstly, an introduction to my Shiver, I bought it for just under $3000. It's Italian, made in Italy. It uses a trellis frame to keep weight light. It has adjustable suspension, beefy inverted front forks, a decent rear shock. 90-degree liquid cooled L-Twin engine. Lots of brakes. Comfy very upright and neutral ergonomics. It makes a great machine for downtown hooligan riding where my V-Rod can feel a little too big and heavy.

The Shiver's claim to fame was being the first production motorcycle to feature ride-by-wire technology (for different ride modes, like Sport Mode, Rain Mode, Touring Mode).

Next, let's compare the numbers that you asked me about. I'll put the Street 750 numbers first, and Shiver 750 equivalent in bold, second.

0-60 MPH 4.6 sec. vs. 4.15 sec
0-1/4-MILE 13.69 sec. at 93.8 mph vs. 11.88 @ 111.8
BRAKING, 60 MPH-0 152 ft. vs. 113.8 ft.
HORSEPOWER 57.6 hp at 7955 rpm vs. 77.3 rear wheel hp
TORQUE 43.2 lb.-ft. at 3790 rpm vs. 44.83 rear wheel torque

By my math my eleven year old 750 is:
10% faster 0-60
13% faster in the 1/4 mile
25% better in braking distance (talk about a life-saving vs. life ending difference)
34% more horsepower
4% more torque

Source 1: Cycleworld https://www.cycleworld.com/2014/03/2...cations#page-3

Source 2: Cycleworld https://www.cycleworld.com/sport-rid...rmance-numbers

Torque aside... it's a slaughter. I can give you a bunch more numbers to show you what a complete POS the Street is compared to a 750cc bike 7 years it's senior, but then you might mistake me for someone who has an axe to grind with the Street.

Really, I'm just a guy who wrongly assumed everyone else already knew what a terribly mediocre vehicle it really is.

That's a pretty stupid comparison. Different horses for different courses.

And yes you do have an axe to grind, that's obvious.

It's also irrelevant.


Hell if you didn't have an axe to grind you would have AT LEAST used the Street Rod 750 and dropped the pretentious used bike babble.

Ride what you like, and worry less about what others like.

Btw - the Street Rod 750 was a fun ride, arguably comparable in performance to our 696.

[RDHenley]

I bought an XG500, and I have to say I'm fairly impressed with it. Decent power for a little engine, and it works well with the 6 speed. Fairly nice ride, decent handling, and smooth as an old sewing machine. It's not something I'd want to ride every day unless I added several inches to the seat, installed some ape hangers, and moved the foot controls forward to the crash bars.

But I didn't buy it for me to ride every day. I bought it because I have a daughter that's just barely 5' tall and 100 lbs, and the only Sporty we could find that allowed her to put both feet on the ground had been lowered to the point of hardly any suspension travel and had maybe a half inch of foam on the seat, which wouldn't be feasible to ride on long trips on Colorado's fine roads. And considering she loves black paint, and is not a fan of chrome or loud pipes, the Street is perfect for her.
It doesn't matter if it's bikes, cars, or trucks, you have to look at the purpose you're trying to fill before you say something is or isn't good. For a lot of people, the XG fits the purpose better than anything else the MoCo builds.

[tvon]

For my money, if i'm buying a low CC moto, I'd go with Triumph, Honda, or another metric. Priced better too. If i want classic american bike, I go HD. Just my personal preference.

[45Brit]

The Street simply isn’t sufficiently developed as a concept.

Any mid-range bike with any pretensions to performance needs a cantilever rear suspension, for one thing. Stand it alongside the Yamaha MT series, the Ducati Scrambler, the Kawasaki Ninja and the comparison is obvious.

Harley are well aware of this, as can be clearly seen in the 2020 model range, where the new OHC V Twins all have them.

The Street is primarily designed to sell into the sub-750cc Asian market, competing with the likes of Royal Enfield and the reborn Jawa.

[sportsterpaul]

For the record ?I don’t dislike the “Streers”, and have not ridden one yet. They appear small to me in light of my “Michelin man” body style. I will offer these comments though, when I observed them on a local dealers training course I was amazed at how quiet the motors were, actually noise from their tranny’s was louder. Additionally, while seated at the finish line of the “Springfield Mile” and feeling their power as they blew by at 130/140 m.p.h. was intoxicating. I know the race bikes are quite removed from the standard Street models but did offer insight to possibilities down the road. Oh, and the “Shiver” has always been a favorite of mine though it is getting a little long in the tooth.

[Maxeffort]

Originally Posted by sportsterpaul

While seated at the finish line of the “Springfield Mile” and feeling their power as they blew by at 130/140 m.p.h. was intoxicating. I know the race bikes are quite removed from the standard Street models but did offer insight to possibilities down the road.

With Dalton Gauthier riding, they might get a little more popular.

With those new 2020 models, I hope the Motor Co gets with it and puts some serious power out. Underpowered for displacement might cut it with our beloved air cooled engines, but it won't with the new bikes. The KTM 1290 Super Duke V-twin makes 173 HP...

[Joe_jeep]

i hope Harley sells an assload of the street models.
im not a fan of the look of them, they might b a fine bike though?
i want an american company to succeed!
the street was invented to invade the low buck markets overseas, not here.
if they can sell some of them here, more power too them.
some people overseas want that Harley name as a status symbol in their country.
look at the sales of american whiskey in japan now!
some people in other countries want american products.
it looks like a fine way to navigate tokyo.

[Joe_jeep]

Originally Posted by Maxeffort

The KTM 1290 Super Duke V-twin makes 173 HP...

my 2000 polaris xcr 800 triple, stock heads, stock bore, stock pistons, stock pipes, and stock muffler. it is 160 hp, lighter than my sportster, and that is 20 year old technology. making power aint hard if you want to.

in the 1/8 mile you gotta spend cubic money to hang with me.
i got under 3 k into it.