Spirited Performance

Harley-Davidson seem to have granted the enthusiasts’ wishwith the launch of the Street Rod. We went to Singaporefor a first ride. Here’s what went down

- Aspi Bhathena

I HAVE A VIVID RECOLLECTION OF the occasion when Anoop Prakash, MD, Harley-Davidson, launched the Street 750 at the Auto Expo. I was at an H-D competitor’s stand with the managing director of that company. When Anoop announced the price of the Street 750 — Rs 4,10,000 (ex-showroom) — the reaction from the MD standing next to me was, ‘Oh, my god!’ The Street 750 makes for a perfect platform to create different bikes such as the race replica that I built here at Bike India. Following considerable customer feedback and demand now Harley-Davidson have made a Street Rod and raised the game. We were invited to Singapore to ride the Street Rod.

At least, it certainly seems that way as I’m powering the new Street Rod out of yet another bend on the twisty roads around Singapore Island. I had just braked hard and flicked the Harley into the turn with a screech of the right foot-peg. Now it was feeling taut and stable as its liquid-cooled V-twin engine revved harder to fire the bike out of the turn with a respectably strong surge of acceleration.

This is the sort of spirited performance that many of the Harley enthusiasts had in mind a couple of years ago when the Street 750 was launched to mark the beginning of the Milwaukee firm’s entry-level family of liquid-cooled V-twins. The Street, which itself was partly the outcome of focus groups, was received well in most countries. It garnered more than 35,000 by way of global sales and has been the best-selling bike in its segment in several key markets.