Street Cred

If the Street Rod looks like a Harley, sounds like a Harley, it should ride like a Harley too – right? Wrong. And here’s why…

- Shivank Bhatt

You, I, and everyone else who’s remotely aware about motorcycles know for a fact that Harley-Davidson enjoys a cult following all around the world. There’s no other brand that represents cruiser and custom motorcycles like Harley-Davidson does. You may even say that the Milwaukee-based manufacturer doesn’t sell motorcycles anymore – they sell a lifestyle. People buy Harleys because they want a Harley-Davidson. Period.

In price sensitive markets, such as India, there is, however, a big catch. Say, if you’re financially well off– like, really well-off– buying the Harley of your dreams shouldn’t be much of a problem. However, if you happen to be a young aspirational buyer who’s on his own, you don’t have many options. In fact, thus far, there was only one – the Street 750.

The Street 750 is the entry ticket to the Harley-Davidson family in India. Now, while the motorcycle did well in terms of volumes – and continues to do so till date across the globe – it isn’t a Harley for the “street” per se. Three years down the line, Harley-Davidson realised that most of its new generation buyers – the young lot – want a motorcycle that’s sportier to look at and ride, but, at the same time, should also have that quintessential cult factor of a Harley-Davidson.

Enter the new Street Rod 750. It’s based on the Street 750, but it’s virtually an all-new motorcycle. Every component has been honed to give it more street cred. The looks, the engine, wheels, brakes, suspension setup, ergonomics, and pretty much everything has been tweaked to make it more aggressive in every imaginable way. And from what I can tell from a full day of riding the Street Rod around the streets, highways and some nice back roads of Singapore, there’s a lot of promise in it. And a few niggles too.

Beefier is better