[rakesh_S]

Mid-life crisis plays its own games, although subtly!

One of those lovely weekends in April 2014, my wife and I were in Bangalore Club for lunch, and she decided to walk down to Lavelle Road to buy some stuff. While we passed the Tusker showroom I asked her if we could go in for a few minutes and look around. The idea was just to see a Harley showroom and feast our eyes on the bikes. Had never been there ever before!

Looking at the bikes was great as luckily most models were there in the showroom. I plonked on a Night Rod and refused to get off like a kid who had just found his toy. But I clearly knew I couldn’t afford the toy. Street was parked right behind. Once I sat on it, I was hooked. I knew I was going to enjoy it. Yezdi Roadking memories flooded my head, even though there were so many other bikes I had ridden in my life. Not sure why, but I guess it may be something to do with the way Street beckoned me to ride it. Roadking eons ago had done the same thing.

But I decided to walk away and take my time to think over the fact, whether I’ll have time to do justice to this bike. And have the requisite confidence and strength to ride it. I spent the next 4 months, reading Team BHP pages by some of the Harley owners. That I guess gave me the courage to take the plunge

Then in mid of September 2014, we landed at Tusker exactly in the same way as we did in April. Wife told me ‘Go for it’. Somewhere she knew that this was probably the best way I could spend 5.2 Lakhs. And that’s quite true, there is no other possession (barring my first car M800 in 1996) has given me this kind of high. Only thing that will ever beat this would be another Harley in my garage!

TEST RIDE

I rode a Red Street 750 with the works on it, including the Screaming Eagle kit, Wind screen, glittery grips etc. It moved like a dream and sounded like an animal. It was perfect sales machine to hook you on in the given 5 minutes of test ride and lead you all the way to pay the booking amount.

But I had paid the booking amount, minutes before I took the test ride! My better half was wide eyed with the prospect of riding one herself and she was drooling in anticipation. The deal was done and we waited most impatiently often talking about trip to IBW - Goa 2015 etc.

Frankly there was nothing new to talk about, nothing to analyze, the goods or the bads…I had read the reviews on Team BHP and so many others all over the world. Despite all its all known flaws and virtues, as always in my case, the heart prevailed. I was told that waiting period was 6 months. It was Sept 15th, 2014.

However, a little over 3 months of agonizing wait I was handed over the ’Denim Black’ Street 750.

The photo is a bit grainy (thanks to wife's iPhone), right now the only delivery picture I have. Have requested the ones taken by the dealer folks, will put up as soon as I get them


DEALERSHIP EXPERIENCE:

Bike was delivered in a little over 3 months, which surprised me pleasantly. HD has apparently increased production for this model to fulfill the growing demand. I understand the bread and butter models like Street, Iron, Superlow etc. also have reduce waiting now and contained within 3-4 months as against 6-8 months earlier. Naga the Tusker sales person was polite and provided all information as required. Naga has been helpful throughout and very cooperative. Much appreciated!

The bike was clean and parked in the showroom, wait time was minimal and paper work was quick. Some snaps were taken and I guess it will be sent to my email id. HD bag and a keychain provided with all papers and instruction booklets etc. The bag is useful to carry a helmet, but not much of use otherwise. Can’t carry much, so stored with all papers and spare key. HD provides a pathetic, frail looking multi spanner as the tool along with some first aid kit. You need to store it separately in your bags; there is no place to keep even a pin on this bike. There is clearly no space under the seat or anywhere else. The spanner doesn’t look too useful though

The crash guard (black) was fixed on the bike before delivery. The quality is good, though it remains to be seen how long the paint would last. A chrome one could last longer, but it looks out of place on the bike. Back rest was not in stock, so I need to wait till mid Jan 2015 at least. Was also asked to join in Sunday rides as an automatic member of Tusker Harley. Mails are already on for details on Sunday rides and other information with regard to HOG activities. Need to wait for 6 weeks to get the HD membership details, pins, badge etc. Shipped from UK.

The bike will be registered in January to ensure 2015 registration. This was requested by several customers. I agreed too. There is a general rigidity in the way HD has built warranties, nothing new here. Briefing on the bike was:
a. Be gentle with the bike initially. Do not cross 60 Kmph for the first 80 Km
b. Max 120 Kmph till you cross 800 Km
c. First service 1600 Km or one month which earlier

The ride home post-delivery was tiring to say the least, in the murderous Bangalore Friday evening traffic. More so as I was just getting used to it on my first real ride. Perhaps the fact that it was a Harley and very obviously a ‘new’ rider, some of the folks on the road gave way, which was a relief in many ways. Thankful for their considerations!

THE BIKE (have done a little over 500 Kms at the time of writing this):


It is a bigger bike than it appears. It is quite heavy at 220+Kgs. It is powerful. And, it’s fun to ride! And then eventually feels much lighter than it is, on the move. The engine is a gem! And it can be overwhelming to new riders or riders like me, who have had long gap with riding. But the machine is user friendly and lets you adapt well. You need to ride it a few times and more. The horn bleats like a lamb. I was told that the electrical warranty will be void if I changed it. I found this amusing and disturbing at the same time. Harley should provide a better horn or standardize on a few alternatives. The red wire is still exposed where it connects the horn. Yes wires are hanging around and a very prominent yellow one on the left side of the speedometer, connecting the controls on the left side. I don’t see any improvement on this front, since the launch of the bike

The cowl had to go, though it gives the front a bit of ‘weight’. Didn’t feel any great difference, riding against the wind. Need to figure out, how to clean up the front a bit. There are some bits and pieces which may need to be covered /hidden. It also gets dirty in nooks and crannies left exposed. Foot-pegs, gear shift and brake lever rubbers are tough but look ordinary. Rear foot pegs position is ok for people who are within 5 to 5-6’ in height. Taller co riders may not be comfortable on longer rides. My wife and kids had no issues there. Saree guards are good to have, if you’re carrying saddle bags. I let them be, as I feel they do not look hideous as its made out to be. Can be removed and kept out if you’re not traveling. Please remember to screw the reflectors on to the fenders when you take the saree guard out, just for safety (This snap shows the seat modified by Rao Seats. Pretty good job!)



The denim black bike needs care. The paint is good and tough to hide scratches on a matt lacquer. Clean it wet, else light ‘phatka’ with soft/microfibre cloth when in hurry. It’s a paint that’s easy to damage. Tank bag users need to be very careful. Perhaps a 3M film on top would help preserve it better. To explore further. All said I love the color, it just makes the bike look a little more grave and ‘Harley’. The ‘spine’ on the tank shouldn’t have been there. Couple of dark orange/red stripes (aka Nightrod) might take the unwanted attention away. The back also might look better with the stripes. A 13 litre tank is good for all purposes, though feels a bit low set on the bike. The gas tank could take a bit over 13.5 litres with no room to spare. Tried it out just to check. Weld quality functionally may be excellent, but eyesore in some areas.

Personally I felt the front tire could be one size broader. 120 width could provide better (read heavier) feel compared to the 100. Right now it feels a bit lighter than it should be, especially on higher speeds. The rear tire is adequate at 150, though MRF has a 170 width available for Street, and some may even look at it. The belt cover is imperative but takes away the clean look from that angle.

Exhaust note is not ‘Harley’ not meant to be I guess. It is adequate. People do notice the difference and its deeper, louder and nicer, while cruising at higher speeds. If you need more roar, than all kinds of exhaust are available. V&H is a bit more interesting but expensive Changing exhaust will make it ‘Harley’, it will just wakes up the neighborhood at odd hours on Sunday mornings. Perhaps a good thing to have and have more fun!

I’m 5 11” and was comfortable overall. The handlebar is a bit overwhelming in its stock set up and forces you to keep your arm straight posture. It does more for shorter people. I would like to lower the handle by about couple of inches. The clutch and brake lever should be set perpendicular to your reach for more comfortable. Most of the time your hands are slightly bent downwards on the wrist, for reach, making it a wee bit stressful. Ergonomics will improve including the reach of the switches in general. Next weekend would keep me busy on this.

The controls are comfortable to use. Switches are just about ok. The horn switch could have been better placed, perhaps a bit lower. The high/low beam switch is a bit stiff and placed higher than required. A pass switch is definitely desirable. The grips are a bit hard IMO for bare hands. Could have been better quality. Riding without gloves is not comfortable. Changing them for comfort is more important than bling. Not sure if the glittery ones from Harley are more comfortable. Needs to be looked into. The clutch is not butter smooth but I hear it becomes better after the first service. It hurts in traffic, especially for folks who haven’t ridden for a long time.

Mirror extenders – The view behind is completely blocked by the rider’s shoulders. Not sure which one to fix (nothing available as straight fit for Street). The right side of the handle poses some challenges due to break fluid pod fixed there. Clean solution could be getting long stem mirrors. HD should get this right more than money spent it’s the unnecessary cycle of going through the changes. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, change the damn thing and customers will appreciate it. Else it’s just sloppy work on a good bike

I did feel the need to stretch once a while and kept my clutch hand behind my back to reinforce posture, while riding. I guess footrest about 6 inches further and a handlebar couple of inches closer, would help. Moving the footrest by about 6 inches further could work, but then you’re almost touching the crash guard with your toes. Will stick to stock unless a proper solution comes through

The seat is comfortable for short rides but hurt like hell after an hour. It needed some firmer /kinder padding. The problem is that the stock seat is made like a trough for the rider and you keep oscillating between the tank and passenger seat, when you break or adjust yourself. Clearly it had to be straightened and raised a bit. Tallboy seat from Harley does nearly the same thing, at a price, which was not my cup of tea. So landed at Rao Seats in Shivajinagar, and they did a good job. I have a better seat, and the pain is almost gone. One can also use gel based padding (around 3.2 K for front or 6.3 for the whole seat), but then its more money and perhaps still not the best solution. For long rides, its still the best thing to wear biking shorts inside with right padding on the bone that you sit on. My better half is 5 6” and found herself comfortably perched as s rider with both feet firmly planted on the ground (on the stock seat as well as the modified seat). She felt she could ride the bike after all the scooters she has ridden in her life. The bike basically beckons you to ride it. I felt the same way when I sat on it in the showroom for the first time after 20 years of no serious biking!

The heat on both thighs is a killer in traffic. High time HD got some heat deflectors for Street, manufactured soon. Meanwhile I could be looking at some ‘jugaad’ deflectors fixed under the seat. Something is better than nothing. Long rides, heat is not an issue. I’m hoping as the bike munches more miles, the heat may reduce a bit, or you just get used to it.

The headlight is just about adequate. I’d recommend better bulbs for night time riding. Perhaps a Philips Extreme on the stock connection. On my duster they improved the illumination drastically. Couple of road fogs on the crash guard (pointed at the road and not traffic) could also make life easier on night rides. HD daylight lamps are not only hideous and expensive, but also do not provide any more light IMO

The front shocks are pretty good and manage the potholes, speed bumps pretty well. I was quite curious to know why it would just knock lightly sometimes on slight/low irregularities on the road. Needs to be checked. Overall the bike handles Indian roads well and doesn’t disappoint when you’re single. However it can scrape on speed breakers, as it did in my case with my better half on the rear seat (She’s about 55 Kgs), if you don’t slow down sufficiently and roll over carefully. This is perhaps because the rear shocks are set on 2 by default. One can set it up stiffer (upto 5) if you have bags, co rider etc on your bike, depending on the load.

Front brakes are better to use and adequate. Rear brakes are wooden and need to set in. However it feels better than it did on the first few days. I’m not expecting a major change as the test ride bike also gave a similar feeling which had run much higher. A place holder for some research here. Hoping after first service, things get better.

The gauge is nice during the nights, but in the day time there is a bit of sun in it. At times its difficult to see the turn signal and any other display on the same. But overall its minor and perhaps its more prone to afternoon sun. Yes it could have been better and a gear indicator could be good thing to have along with an RPM

The gears need to set in a bit, I guess by the first service it should set better. Right now finding neutral is a pain. Shift is good and quick. Sometimes you can find false neutral on the way up. I guess they are not intended to be ‘japanese’ but its comfortable to use. I didn’t really miss a heal shifter

There was a turn that I missed so had to almost make a U where the bike leaned heavily on to right. I was able to manage the weight of the bike through the U on my leg while I took the turn. Top marks for its maneuverability and but turn radius is still not great

Despite not being as attractive as bigger Harleys, it does attract people, sometimes in amusing ways:

While the pooja for the bike was being done at a temple near my house, there were at least 20-30 people taking pictures and talking excitedly. The bike was a celebrity! Just couldn’t concentrate on the pooja. The bike did look awesome with flowers, Om and teekas painted all over. A perfect East meets the West

En route BIAL, a Ford Ikon with a middle aged man behind the wheel, pointing at the bike to his kids in the back seat, came dangerously close to me! Had to signal him to move on, which was a bit rude on my part, but had no choice. Thankfully he was sensible enough to move away and onwards. The man looked every bit more excited than the kids!

A guy leaned out of a Sumo Cab and asked if we could rent it out for a film shoot!

How much? Mileage? What bike it is? Light is on! Is pretty common. And in different dialects and accents depending who you bump into. ‘What’s the rate’ is the most amusing thing I have been asked several times

Overall it’s a great bike, great because it’s a radical change that has hit the market and now encouraging lesser mortals like me to own an experience Harley, be a part of a community which thrives on different folks with common interests and passion. It’s great because there is no other bike like it in its class. There could be and there may be better ones, but none like it. It’s a package that can give you goose bumps after years of hibernation of being a family guy.

- It will make you get up, at hours you hate to get up
- it will wake up your senses that have been dulled by comforts of cars and enjoy the very essence of an experience of biking after years
- it will force you to be a ‘tough guy’ (exercise) once again and endure all the pain of riding after years, happily with a smile
- it will force you to live better (no sat night binging) because you want to be a smart, alert and a strong rider on Sunday mornings
- it will give you humility to not race a kid on a Duke/Pulsar mocking at you for spending a part of your retirement money on a bike beyond your physical and mental capabilities
- it will tempt you to backpack your laptop and take it to office
- it will also make your grown up daughters to yet again believe in ‘my daddy strongest’



- You’d love to take your better half out for a ride, like you did in college days, that’s if you’re middle aged like me
- It will make you spend on riding gear, accessories etc. At times you’ll be buying things just because you like it! Not only for yourself but also for your spouse and kids
- it will keep you busy on weekends and on holidays and you will not waste your time watching TV.
- You will get on and enjoy the ride with your friends and would be friends as you did in your teens
- It will make you enjoy your own company!

Street is about the future bikes Harley will produce. Fuel efficiency, quieter /smoother /lighter and comfortable bikes will be the drivers of change. This change will eventually drive the choppers into the ground. And then there will be folks who will sigh and perhaps say ‘those were the days when we had proper Harleys’. But then this to happen we are at least a generation away. Street is an indication of things to come, it’s a start.

Ask me, if I have money, I would still buy a Breakout, a Fatboy or maybe a Night Rod and burn the road!

Right now it’s only a street which gives me and a lot of other inspiring folks out there, a foot in the Harley door with an excellent affordable package overall. It will sell in high numbers and perhaps become as common / noticeable as any other bike on the roads. And by the time the vanity fades, we hope to see some radical mods, newer models in the market, which is just the tip of excite-berg!

Unfortunately, I have not recorded the delivery on my camera or phone, nor have I recorded the progress as days went by. Will upload whatever I can over time, and try to give some insight into what has happened and what will in times to come.

RIDING GEAR & ACCESSORIES:

Harley should get this right for India wherein most of the year you will not use the US standard winter stuff in this part of India. There is also no correlation between what they have on India web site and the booklet available in the showroom. Anything you order with the dealer, takes roughly two months to get. Harley should seriously consider an active inline shopping available in India with choices as good as US/UK and quick shipment service

Stock on most of the stuff was low. Any FF helmet below FXRG range is a 4 pounder. Not much of choice there. I was told that FXRG delivery could take 6-8 weeks. Some gloves that I really liked were also not available in my L size.

Bought an HD waterproof jacket for 16K (within very limited choices available). It overpriced, but then its Harley! The jacket quality is very good and with armor pockets (no armor stock, will be available in late Jan 2015). It should provide fairly good protection once loaded with armors, for typical cruiser style of riding/speeds. Its warmer and obviously not as airy as mesh ones. For colder seasons (up north) one may need to wear a fleece inside. Pockets and vents are plenty. Liked the way you can route the earphone wires to the collar area.

The backrest wasn’t available and I have to wait till Jan mid. Better half and kids quite miffed at that . For the time being she needs to hang on to me. Aftermarket solutions do not look clean and overpriced. Hoping to fix the HD one, this weekend

So after a while, I had to step out of HD zone and start looking for VFM options from other brands.

So what did I buy:

HELMET - AGV K4 Evo Helmet – 19K (1450 gms in XL) – The helmet is noisy at speeds around and above 80 Kmph. The cheek liners take time to break in and ears are constantly pressed against them. You’ll have a tough time keeping earphones there; it’s just not comfortable that way. It took me a while to realize (Thanks to Dheeraj’s post) we have something called MT who supplies to AGV and ICON I guess. So something similar like Revenge helmet with a bit inferior liner would cost you 5.6K. MT Matrix for better half (lesson learnt the hard way). This is 1350 gms in M size and perhaps 8.6K will not get you anything better. Its quiet and has good amount of space for your ears and earphone to settle in while keeping snug. The lining is as good as K4 Evo! MT Revenge and Pilot are heavier and she didn’t like them on feel factor. Nor did I. Megha Motors sales guy is a hard seller and can get overwhelming after a while. No discounts though!

KNEE PROTECTION – Dainese – Light and extremely comfortable. Can’t be worn inside. The best IMO. Also got Aspida Perseus knee guards for better half as she felt too chuffed about wearing one on top of her jeans. Needs loose/regular fit jeans to wear them inside. Though it feels thinner, but felt strong and comfortable with Knox inserts

GLOVES
Alpinestar SMX2-Air gloves – 4.5K – Great comfort and fairly good on protection. The mesh will shred and shred and shred on regular use. Bad one and not worth the price. Also got a Cramster Flux – Has some pressure points on the right knuckles, but overall just about ok.
Cramster Blaster – had to return, as it leaked dye on sweating. My left index popped out of the stitching and right ring finger felt shorter than it should be, while riding. Don’t buy them
Cramster TRG2 (gauntlet for longer rides) – Good VFM. I had to put a padding on both index finger insides, to avoid the stitching folds biting into my nail and skin space. A little cotton worked. Be careful and inspect thoroughly before buying as I realized only after 15-20 kms of riding. Overall not top grade, but functional. On the rev side the glove tends to slightly ‘bunch’ up on your right palm. Its also not a cold weather glove, realized that one early morning as the fingertips got chilled. Comfortable for BLR weather otherwise

ANOTHER JACKET - Cramster Breezer 4s – VFM. Adequate ventilation for hot days. Overall fit is good. Can take a bit of belly. Using this for regular rides, while waiting for HD’s armors to come in (any replacement armors available? Would appreciate some pointers here). Finish is average, especially the collar appears to be made by someone in hurry. The armors are CE rated, though I have doubts on the back armor quality. No internal pockets. Rain and Warm liners can be attached to two separate zip lines. Functional and no please don’t expect to look like Rossi on the track

ELBOW PROTECTION – Inexpensive Cramsters, just in case you need them and not wearing riding jacket. Comfortable and stays in place. Can get a bit warm though. For 950 bucks you can’t go wrong here

TANK BAG – Cramster, appears ok. Rynox could have been a better choice here. Use a microfiber/soft cloth under the bag, else it can scratch your tank. Met a guy who had 3M film on top of his tank to avoid scratches. Good solution, but wondering how it will work on a matt black tank with gloss finish of the film.

TUBES – life savers. Wear it the way you want to, whenever you ride. Helps reduce fatigue and keeps dirt away. Cramster ones are pretty good for the money and you can find some Harley ones too

BASE LAYER – Wear them tight enough, will reduce fatigue and wick away the sweat

What I need to get (requesting pointers here):

Riding Pants – for long rides they are imperative. Cramster Velocity appear ok and VFM. Would like to see if anything else is available. Overall DSG keeps popping in on VFM segment. Spartan/Aspida is well spoken about by various folks on this forum

Riding Boots – Like the TCXs, easy on feet and perhaps can spend the whole day in them. This appears good for long rides. Day out in the city, so far my Timeberlands /Columbias have worked well enough. Not too keen on anything that race quality, they’re simply not for touring

Saddle/Seat bags – Veterra seat bag, appears good. Excellent review by Dheeraj and convinces me to go for it. Cramsters saddlebags appear ok. Rynox are compelling!

Short cuff gloves for city/short rides which is not too expensive. Looked at Zeus, same problem with stitches inside and hurting finger tips/nail & skin crevice. Also having a tough time finding a small size woman’s gloves for my wife, which can provide, requisite protection

Spot/Fog lights. Something that can be fixed on the crash-guard. Not sure how this works with HD warranties, pointers welcome in this direction

Any other suggestion on gear / accessories is more than welcome.

Thanks for reading this!
And ride safe!!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle Section. Thanks for sharing!

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by rakesh_S

Saddle/Seat bags – Veterra seat bag, appears good. Excellent review by Dheeraj and convinces me to go for it. Cramsters saddlebags appear ok. Rynox are compelling!

Congratulations on your bike. Glad to see that you have added the pictures. Read the entire post yesterday but by the time i wanted to reply the thread disappeared off the forum.

ViaTerra quality is extremely good. I guess you are referring to the claw. I have not used that bag, but i do have what is called a ViaTerra Seaty, which is specific for the Thunderbird and KTM Duke. Stay away from Cramster.

[viper_711]

First of all welcome to the 'bitten by mid-life' riding bug club!

Originally Posted by rakesh_S

[b]
Exhaust note is not ‘Harley’ not meant to be I guess. It is adequate. People do notice the difference and its deeper, louder and nicer, while cruising at higher speeds.

Yes, absolutely unlike any other harley - this is because its a liquid cooled engine and bike is designed for urban use.

Mirror extenders – The view behind is completely blocked by the rider’s shoulders. Not sure which one to fix (nothing available as straight fit for Street). The right side of the handle poses some challenges due to break fluid pod fixed there. Clean solution could be getting long stem mirrors. HD should get this right more than money spent it’s the unnecessary cycle of going through the changes. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, change the damn thing and customers will appreciate it. Else it’s just sloppy work on a good bike

This is a known and major irritant! Most riders develop an elbow tuck motion to overcome this flaw and this is very irritating indeed. Get mirror extenders ASAP.

I did feel the need to stretch once a while and kept my clutch hand behind my back to reinforce posture, while riding. I guess footrest about 6 inches further and a handlebar couple of inches closer, would help. Moving the footrest by about 6 inches further could work, but then you’re almost touching the crash guard with your toes. Will stick to stock unless a proper solution comes through

Get an extension kit if you plan long rides.

The heat on both thighs is a killer in traffic. High time HD got some heat deflectors for Street, manufactured soon. Meanwhile I could be looking at some ‘jugaad’ deflectors fixed under the seat. Something is better than nothing. Long rides, heat is not an issue. I’m hoping as the bike munches more miles, the heat may reduce a bit, or you just get used to it.

The phenomena leads to Tandoori Thighs especially if you are caught in a jam!

Overall the bike handles Indian roads well and doesn’t disappoint when you’re single. However it can scrape on speed breakers, as it did in my case with my better half on the rear seat (She’s about 55 Kgs), if you don’t slow down sufficiently and roll over carefully. This is perhaps because the rear shocks are set on 2 by default. One can set it up stiffer (upto 5) if you have bags, co rider etc on your bike, depending on the load.

Kissing and scraping of bumps is a common malady to most HD's. You can get the bike raised by using a kit.

Front brakes are better to use and adequate. Rear brakes are wooden and need to set in. However it feels better than it did on the first few days. I’m not expecting a major change as the test ride bike also gave a similar feeling which had run much higher. A place holder for some research here. Hoping after first service, things get better.

In terms of braking effort please use the front brakes more. Almost 60 to 70 % effort. Some riders never use the rear brake but I don't subscribe to this method

There could be and there may be better ones, but none like it. It’s a package that can give you goose bumps after years of hibernation of being a family guy.

- It will make you get up, at hours you hate to get up
- it will wake up your senses that have been dulled by comforts of cars and enjoy the very essence of an experience of biking after years
- it will force you to be a ‘tough guy’ (exercise) once again and endure all the pain of riding after years, happily with a smile
- it will force you to live better (no sat night binging) because you want to be a smart, alert and a strong rider on Sunday mornings
- it will give you humility to not race a kid on a Duke/Pulsar mocking at you for spending a part of your retirement money on a bike beyond your physical and mental capabilities
- it will tempt you to backpack your laptop and take it to office
- it will also make your grown up daughters to yet again believe in ‘my daddy strongest’

I can identify with many of these!

Street is about the future bikes Harley will produce. Fuel efficiency, quieter /smoother /lighter and comfortable bikes will be the drivers of change. This change will eventually drive the choppers into the ground. And then there will be folks who will sigh and perhaps say ‘those were the days when we had proper Harleys’. But then this to happen we are at least a generation away. Street is an indication of things to come, it’s a start.

You are wrong here! the 500 and 750 were planned to hook younger riders / urban riders and then graduate them to the bigger bikes! HD will adapt technology but never deviate from their ethos!

The backrest wasn’t available and I have to wait till Jan mid. Better half and kids quite miffed at that . For the time being she needs to hang on to me. Aftermarket solutions do not look clean and overpriced. Hoping to fix the HD one, this weekend

Spot/Fog lights. Something that can be fixed on the crash-guard. Not sure how this works with HD warranties, pointers welcome in this direction

Look up Sandeep Dahiya on FaceBook. He has a page called AeeDEA.
He has several products to ease your pains! Great value and quality and quite popular with many HOG's

Safe Riding!

[n_aditya]

Congratulations on your Harley Davidson, Rakesh.

Wishing you many happy and safe miles on this one.

Have you read our Official Review of this bike?. Most of your 'concerns' around exposed wiring etc. have been mentioned here.

That said, the engine and suspension on this bike is a hoot. It will propel you from standstill to high speed without a fuss. Do exercise caution at high speeds though as the bike lacks ABS and the tires are not all that grippy. Better tires (Michelins) can improve braking and ride quality.

There are tons of choices to customize this baby and trust me it's a money pit

Great to see that all your riding gear is also sorted out. Super !

All the best. Ride safe.

[Shubz]

Rakesh,

Congratulations and welcome to the Harley Family. Hope to bump into you on one of the Sunday rides.

PS: We ride EVERY Sunday! (And I wasn't talking about Chapter rides)

Please invest on Back-rest if you intend to ride 2-up often. Its pretty dangerous without the backrest.

Cheers & Ride Safe!

#LLB

[V-16]

Congratulations on the purchase Rakesh. Ive been wanting to get a Harley for ages now and this 750 makes a whole lot of sense. You mentioned that changing the horn would void the warranty but im perturbed that changing bulbs or exhausts does not? Is that because the Exhausts are from the Dealership? Are you sure they will not void guarantee? Id take that in writing from them. Secondly im sure that the dealership would offer you other types of horns albeit more expensive than the market of course. Find out and you might be able to change the Bleat to a shriek!!

[kailashnj]

Congrats on your new bike. HD is a treat that you have given yourself and now you will enjoy your life on it. I am sure about it. Best of luck and wish you many many miles on your HD.

[rakesh_S]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Congratulations on your Harley Davidson, Rakesh.
.
.
.
All the best. Ride safe.

Thank you Aditya!

Yes I have read the review, intact it was one of the first ones I read. Its written extremely well and it was spot on! And the wiring was indeed one of the eyesores. I guess I just wrote that all over again, hoping there would be an improvement as it went into production.

No kidding, it is a money pit

Originally Posted by Shubz

Rakesh,

Congratulations and welcome to the Harley Family. Hope to bump into you on one of the Sunday rides.

PS: We ride EVERY Sunday! (And I wasn't talking about Chapter rides)

Please invest on Back-rest if you intend to ride 2-up often. Its pretty dangerous without the backrest.

Cheers & Ride Safe!

#LLB

Thanks Shubhen! Yes I'm getting the backrest fixed tomorrow morning. Its definitely needed.

Elated to hear about your rides, would be more than keen to join. Let me know if I could send you my number and we could connect.

I've been a great fan of your writeup on your Iron. And the color rocks! Worth the turn of events you went through to get it! Naga did give me a sheepish grin when I casually alluded to your writeup

Look forward to ganging up soon. Take care and ride safe!

Originally Posted by V-16

Congratulations on the purchase Rakesh. Ive been wanting to get a Harley for ages now and this 750 makes a whole lot of sense. You mentioned that changing the horn would void the warranty but im perturbed that changing bulbs or exhausts does not? Is that because the Exhausts are from the Dealership? Are you sure they will not void guarantee? Id take that in writing from them. Secondly im sure that the dealership would offer you other types of horns albeit more expensive than the market of course. Find out and you might be able to change the Bleat to a shriek!!

Thanks V-16!

Changing/adding aftermarket lights does affect the warranty. So does exhaust, as it may also include filter change and re-mapping of engine. However, if the dealer does it for you within the HD ambit, I guess the warranty stays. One of the reasons V&H exhausts may not be accepted by HD here, but screaming eagle may be. Not very clear on this as I have not discussed this explicitly with Tusker folks.

No they do not have alternative horn for the bike from HD / dealers.

Go for the Street bro, you will enjoy it I assure you

Originally Posted by viper_711

First of all welcome to the 'bitten by mid-life' riding bug club!

This is a known and major irritant! Most riders develop an elbow tuck motion to overcome this flaw and this is very irritating indeed. Get mirror extenders ASAP.

Thanks Bro!

I did find some universal extenders on eBay, which take the mirrors outward by about a couple of inches and higher by about a little over an inch. They are also not very expensive. Will need to be sure if they can be fitted. Yes, I need to get one quickly as every ride is a pain.

Originally Posted by viper_711

You are wrong here! the 500 and 750 were planned to hook younger riders / urban riders and then graduate them to the bigger bikes! HD will adapt technology but never deviate from their ethos!

Amen Bro, happy to be proven wrong. And I won't live to see if I was right

[sreejith.j]

Congrats Rakesh. Wish you Happy miles.

For riding pants check let's Gear up in HSR or you could even take a look at Dainese at Orion Mall.

#LLB

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats.

I'm glad you removed the 'bajaj boxer' fairing cowl. Looks a 100 times better without it and now- it looks like a proper Harley IMO. The cowl was my major disappointment when Harley revealed the Street design.

Ride safe. Wish you many happy miles on the HD.

[rakesh_S]

Apologies Shubz, for the typo on your name.

Look forward to catching up sometime soon.

Take care!

[abhimanyu_singh]

Congrats on the street buddy and welcome to the family

Wishing you numerous miles ahead , ride safe and ride hard.

Please get proper gear and the backrest for the pillion as well; they’ll definitely thank you for it. I believe there are lot more options besides HD backrest for the street, have seen many streets here with better looking and comfortable aftermarket backrests.
Wrt to female gear, Cramster and SPG have some decent female riding gear options.

[Shubz]

Hi Rakesh,

VnH - You sure could get it done at Tusker. As much aligned as they are towards Screaming Eagles products, they would source the VnH for you as well. its a different ball game with VnH.

We start our rides from close to Tusker (though not in front of them). We #LLB are now enjoying a great brotherhood minus the politics of the official chapter and its egoistic officers.

If you wish to ride tomorrow, please ride down to Lavelle road, opposite the Lamborghini showroom at 6:00 and we will all be there. Riding to Avalabetta.

If you are in the Street 750 WhatsApp Group, touch base with Nikhil or Santosh and you would get to know more about us.

Ride safe, see you around!
Cheers
Shubz

[rakesh_S]

Originally Posted by abhimanyu_singh

Congrats on the street buddy and welcome to the family

Please get proper gear and the backrest for the pillion as well; they’ll definitely thank you for it. I believe there are lot more options besides HD backrest for the street, have seen many streets here with better looking and comfortable aftermarket backrests.
Wrt to female gear, Cramster and SPG have some decent female riding gear options.

Thanks Abhimanyu!

The backrest was fixed this morning, Harley Tax was high!

I di see the backrest from Aeedea fixed on an Iron. Didn't like it too much as there were too many moving parts and the finish was not good. There were couple of chip offs and rub marks on the same. However, it does extend to provide a good backrest to even the rider and removable. Overall I felt 24K for it was too high IMO.

One other I was was from Gurgaon/Delhi person (don't remember his name). The backrest was non removable and finish was not very good. But I guess for 10-11K it may be fine. But I was keen on having something that I could leave behind when riding solo. He had a crash guard also which left me thinking how long would the paint last.

So settled on HD one. Though expensive, its solid and easy to remove. Wife loved it

I was looking specifically for gloves for women. Appears not many have it. SBK has some useful ones, perhaps will order from there. Have managed the rest for her. And I lover her MT Matrix helmet, its light, comfortable, excellent quality and cheaper than any other tri-composite helmet I have come across.

Take care and ride safe!