[Surajit333]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

So I hired a Benelli GT600 and went of for a 800 kms (2 days) ride with a couple of my collegues who had hired a Superlow, Streetbob, Tiger, Ninja650, scrambler, Scout and some other bikes. I had long test rides on each of these bikes which was a blessing for me in evaluation. What I found out at the end of the ride was that I am not really a bike person. Even the most comfortable bike was not making me happy during the tour. So lesson learnt after spending only 12k instead of a few lakhs.

That's an interesting opinion, it would be great if you could write a few lines about the mentioned motorcylces.

I have little experience on big capacity motorcycles, I ride a Duke 390. Recently I rented a Tiger 800 XR and went for a solo 600 kms ride (Bangalore to Ooty). Contrary to my expectations, the motorcycle, although a pleasure to ride on straight roads, was a pain offroad (10kms of road repair), city traffic and on tight hairpins. The weight followed you everywhere like a bad feeling. Although I do accept I do not have training in offroad riding, I can't understand how does larger weight help in off roading.

Anyways, I wanted to relate the experience to help people like myself and Amit who wish to upgrade to larger capacity bikes be aware of the fact that "they may not be what you think it will be". Nothing beats the wisdom reiterated across this forum of test rides. Specifically the guys from cities who have access to luxury rentals.

Ride safe
Surajit

[Games Goblin]

@amitkb

I have read your experience with the street 750 and it's sad to hear of the issues you have faced after buying this dream bike.

I recall a similar problem my friend faced when he got his dream bike - a Ducati 848. The bike was a stunner to look at at and it drew a lot of attention wherever it went, but he too found the heat unbearable when using the bike in the city and as a result the bike lay idle at his house for the better part of a year. After it got sold, he told me - "My sports bike craze has ended, never again will I buy one."

It's like the saying "never meet your heroes". True these bikes are good on the highway, but riding them in the city is difficult.

My advice to you is if you do not plan on using the HD as a tourer, sell it off and get yourself a scooter as originally planned - they are just so convenient for running quick errands in the city.

Or maybe even consider a small automatic hatch like the Nano AMT/Alto AMT.

Best Regards

[anandpkumar]

Amit,

You have shown a great level of courage to admit on a forum that you made a wrong purchase decision. Kudos to you for acknowledging that!

There is one aspect of biking that I would like to highlight here. Age. Your tastes and appreciation of bikes will change with age, and so will your preference for bikes. In your younger years (read early twenties), you may still put up with an aggressive seating position or a hard clutch or an overheating engine just because of the thrill of riding that fancy motorcycle. As you age, you start expecting more comforts from the bike, and are less compromising when it comes to the negatives. The dirt and the smoke and the pollution will all start getting to you. I am guessing that you commute mostly by cars, and to someone used to cars everyday, the dust, dirt and heat of 2 wheeler commute takes time to get used to. Now, the last time you rode a bike (15 years ago), these were not a big concern since you were probably not exposed to the comforts and luxury that you have now (i.e your car).

To share my own experience, I have always loved bikes. As a young man, I used to commute daily in a yamaha R1 in the US in rush-hour traffic in full riding gear. I used to be sweaty and sore by the time I reached my office. But the thrill of acceleration that the bike gave me, and the fun I used to get corner carving on the weekends more than made up for it. Today, more than 10 years hence, I will not touch a sports bike, let alone for daily use. I know that my body has got used to a more comfortable life and will not put up with the idiosyncrasies of a motorcycle for daily commute.

No bike is built bad. There are good points and bad points about it. If you can try and exploit the advantages of the HD you have (the fantastic engine, the cruiser ergos, open road performance etc), I am sure you will enjoy the bike more.

Originally Posted by GTO

Until I read the comments on this thread, I wasn't aware that bikes with big engines can be such a pain to ride in the city.

GTO - I have used a yamaha R1 (one of the most extreme sports bikes) for 3 years in the US as a daily commuter through rush hour traffic. It was tough and difficult. But I was young and passionate about bikes and the R1 was my 'dream' bike. I could put up with any inconvenience just to be able to ride it. Would I do that today? No way! Commuting in any two-wheeler, even a 100 cc one is a pain in our cities. Just not worth it in my opinion, unless you don't have a choice.

[vroomsome]

Thanks Amit for the review. Rant or review, it's honest opinions like these that make team bhp such a valuable resource. Once a purchase has been made, it's natural to highlight the pros and defend/downplay the negatives as that would essentially mean conceding defeat in decision making. Nobody likes to admit defeat. Your review is a testament to the honesty at teambhp forums.
Thanks again. I hope you make peace with your decision.

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by amitkb

• It’s terribly overpriced.
• The harsh ride quality.
• Lack of ABS, fuel gauge, tachometer.
• The mirror stems are short, a serious health hazard (it’s not expensive to put in longer stems, but HD wants to gouge money out of you).
• MRF tires are bad. The bike fishtails in a jiffy.
• Overpriced HD parts.

Alternatives considered:

As above, I went from needing to buy a two-wheeler to fetch a loaf of bread to buying a “lifestyle bike.” The options ranged from Activa, Bullet, to HD Street 750.

Why Street 750?

It was because I wanted to make a statement. It may also have been because I had lost my mind.



The Tandoor Between Your Legs:

The first thing I would advise any potential buyer of this bike is to test ride it outside the mall on the main roads (preferably in peak traffic conditions) for a minimum of 10 kilometers. T

Safety and related equipment:

Safety is a joke. No ABS + bad tires = Quick fishtailing and a life hazard.

At the time of writing this review, I have ridden about 1300 kms in close to two months of ownership. Why? Its because after I discussed all of the above with my wife, she simply refuses to let me ride it. Even to buy a loaf of bread.

Amit

You've been so critical of yourself for buying this , I see no point in piling on any more criticism !

But this sort of experience is a poster child for the term : Caveat Emptor - or buyer beware. A good read for impulsive buyers, to evaluate well before buying something big and expensive. Unless one it copiously rich, 5 lac isn't a throwaway sum.

Some things you'd have knows before the purchase anyway - lack of ABS and poor mirrors, lack of fuel guage. The rest like bad brakes, poor tyres , heating up in slow running, only some longer runs can reveal - or good reviews.

That said, any multicylinder bike over 500cc is overkill and unsuited for our kind of traffic. Since you went from Activa to Harley , I assume you have the born-again-biker itch still unscratched. You already have the Street put on sale, with the proceeds, you can buy an Activa and a Duke 390 (though many owners say ever the D390 gets very hot in slow traffic , so you can look at the Duke 200 instead , or the Mahindra Mojo ). Of course, if you must have a cruiser only, then there's not much choice, just the Avenger 150/220 and the Hyosung St7 which is a brand that I won't rely on, in India at least.
Or you can skip the Activa too, more money in the bank never hurt.

PS: I ride a Daytona 675, but only as a weekend/joy ride which I knew before purchase is how it would be, my daily commuter is a Pulsar.

Originally Posted by GTO

Until I read the comments on this thread, I wasn't aware that bikes with big engines can be such a pain to ride in the city.

I know one too many Thar owners who couldn't live with the poor practicality, niggles, ergonomic & quality issues etc. I remember driving my Jeep on the first night after delivery - was on the highway going to pick up my then girlfriend and thought 'my God, how am I going to live with this Jeep'? The ride was so bumpy. With time, I saw its other talents and fell in love. She'll soon be celebrating 20 years with me .

Who, the Thar or the girlfriend
Believe me, big bikes are a pain as daily commuters. At most maybe a Ninja 650 since it's less racy on seating/handlebars and has decent fuel efficiency and tyre life - but it does heat up anyway. With sportbikes, the slow speed and frequent braking in stop go traffic strains the wrist. I was way more comfortable riding to Goa than commuting in our dense traffic.

Originally Posted by anandpkumar

GTO - I have used a yamaha R1 (one of the most extreme sports bikes) for 3 years in the US as a daily commuter through rush hour traffic. It was tough and difficult. But I was young and passionate about bikes and the R1 was my 'dream' bike. I could put up with any inconvenience just to be able to ride it. Would I do that today? No way! Commuting in any two-wheeler, even a 100 cc one is a pain in our cities. Just not worth it in my opinion, unless you don't have a choice.

I completely echo your line of thought. Riding heavy, powerful motorcycles requires a level of physical fitness I don't have. I enjoy the throttle open moments of the Daytona, but avoid city runs like the plague. Unless the bike itself is needed (service, spares/accessories), I use my Pulsar for everything else. Yet despite the bad ergonomics, I pledge to myself to keep it , hoping I will get fitter or get used to it ! Such is the charm of a supersport/RR bike, to chase and keep the dream alive !

[speedguy]

Don't take it otherwise, but most of the issues you mentioned could be identified with a long & good test drive. You could have avoided the bike then & there itself.
Nevertheless, I wish you can see positive points henceforth.
happy biking.

[lionell]

Someone just posted about getting a scooter. Completely agree with him. Get yourself a peppy 150cc. The new Aprilia SR150 seems to be a great buy. Production has already started at the Vespa Baramati plant and the launch seems to be in August if I am not wrong.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by Surajit333

That's an interesting opinion, it would be great if you could write a few lines about the mentioned motorcylces.

Ok, I will try and pen down a few lines on my experience with the said bikes. Over the span of 800 kms (2 days), we rode on butter smooth roads (NH7 Hyderabad-Bangalore), some 2 laned village/country roads which were filled with unscientific speed breakers, patchy bumpy sections, with villagers drying hay/grain on the road, waiting for motorists to thresh it for them, to about 60 kms of pure dirt roads. The bikes have been sampled on the above mentioned terrain,during daytime, on dry road conditions.
1) Benelli GT600: I had hired this bike, because I was interested in buying one. The best part of the bike is the fantastic R6 derived inline four engine. Butter smooth, glorious soundtrack, no vibes to speak of (except slight vibration at around 5000rpm/100kmph/6th gear). The chassis is well sorted and the bike is comfortable with a upright seating position and a generous saddle. The suspension is adjustable, but even on stock settings, it was comfortable enough on bumpy and patchy roads. Ground clearance was adequate, not grounded over any speed breakers.
2) Triumph 800 Xr: Lovely bike with a butter smooth engine. Not much vibes to speak of, and the setting unfortunately is not adjustable on the XR. I had a weird problem of fitting onto the bike, in about 50kms on the highway, the area between my shoulder blades started hurting immensely. May be the bike and I were not meant to be together. However lot of other riders loved the bike, especially offroad.
3) Indian Scout: Again fantastic engine, and ergonomics. The low end power is immense and on accelerating to about 100/110kmph and opening the throttle I had my right leg almost fly off the peg. However the bike is too low seated and is almost unusable on two laned patch roads and fishtails a lot in the dirt tracks. Only useful on smooth highway stretches, feels at home instantly, like a powerful avenger. Had a heating problem with the ECU throwing up high oil temperature message when the bike was below 100kmph , went away at higher speeds.
4) Harley Superlow: It was fitted with the aftermarket (harley) exhaust. Was immensely loud and attracted the most attention. The fit and finish of the bike is great, however the vibrations are immense. At 120kmph my helmet was vibrating on my head, I am not kidding!! The custom windscreen protected from the windblast and there was something done on the suspension to increase ground clearance. However forward controls were not present and the riding position was akin to a thunderbird. The slowest big bike among the lot and frankly was the tail of the ride formation. Put me off a harley.
5) Ninja 650: Immensely capable and fast bike, however had no 'character' IMO. Felt like a big Karizma.
6) Speed triple: Again a bike which felt too small for me, however the engine was super refined and bike was quite comfortable to use.

[ACM]

Superb thread Amit

Yep you could have taken a better approach to deciding on the Street 750 but that is just what you are pointing out and helping the rest of us learn from the incorrect approach and this takes guts. Hats off to that.

Yep the thread could have reviewed the Street 750 itself much better (and in that sense isn't a 360 degree review), but that is fine as it conveys the message and feeling that you wished to convey overall. There are other threads that cover the positives and give an overall review. Infact the Official review does mention most of the -ves that you mention. Though the engine heat aspect being unacceptable is lost out in the fact that the heat is much more controlled in the street 750 vs the rest of the Harleys.

I really liked your narrative and frank acknowledgement of what you did wrong. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do with the Street 750. Somehow I think you should sell it off at the best price that you are able to get for it. In any case it would deprecate further in a few months time. But that is just what I would do in the same hypothetical shoes and not advice.

I have on multiple occasions mulled (and test driven) this and bigger Harleys as well as the Thar, Pajero SFX, Mercedes w124 etc, but giving it more thought and a ton of research (as I do for all my vehicles enabled) me to not go for the lure of the brand or the lifestyle. The struggle in day to day usage is not worth it if you do not have the time or desire to go all out. Some do and they would love this.

I definitely recommend that anyone desiring to buy a lifestyle brand vehicle should first rent it out (Especially if it a brand new purchase that can be rented out from Car or Bike Rental companies). Even a 10kms trial on the roads or even highways would not work as well as an overnight or full day drive experience that rentals offer. Yes one can reject a vehicle after a short trial but to select one it is best to get them to offer a longer trial or rent out where possible.

I have used rentals in the past mostly only going on to reject a vehicle or a lifestyle as being unsuitable for me. It may be an expensive rental costing between INR 5-15K but it is a worthwhile investment. One may for example love the thought of a BMW 3 series and enjoy the direct feel of the steering but a long drive may demonstrate that the harsh ride that is part of the package is not something that ones back can handle in the long term and yet may suite others. The experience adds to life's learnings while enabling us to not have to live with ones mistakes.

[Doc_nikhil]

First off the bat, let me tell you that it takes a lot of balls to admit that you got the wrong bike, even after knowing that it's gonna affect its resale value on this site, which is gold for someone looking to sell off their bike.

You came out with a lot of things every Harley owner would have faced, but, then most of them would have endured/enjoyed the hardship rather than swallow their pride and 'fess up regarding the S750's shortfalls. I would like to shake your hand for letting us potential Harley owners know what we should expect.

I don't know if I'm the first to notice it or if I'm wrong but, based on the tread of the tyre on the front (delivery pic) it seems like the tyre has been mounted onto the rim in a wrong way. I had a pulsar 200 (Ist Gen) that came with this kind of tread and it's the other way around, pls look for the rotation arrow on the sidewall if it's there. A tread like yours would collect more water in case of rain rather than dispelling it to the side. I am not able to explain it properly, but crudely put, the tread meeting in the middle should look like an arrow pointing the direction of rotation. Like /\ and not like \ / as its seen on your front tyre. God I sound like a simpleton telling that, but I hope you got my point. Check the rear tyre tread and direction of rotation. I hope this helps you out.

Other things to break ice with your bike have been more than elucidated by other members so I will not go into the finer details to make your next date with the S750 a good one.

Here is me wishing you good luck with your future rides and in case it doesn't work out, find someone who takes care of her. It's a bike ultimately. And in my world, bikes have souls.

Cheers, ride safe, all the gear all the time.

[Alisiddiqui]

Awesome review dude. Straight from the heart. I could actually relate to your review and feelings.

I also got the bike bug and bought myself a TB 500 3 years back on the pretext of not having enough funds to buy a second car.

Have been enjoying the bike a lot. It has proved to be better than my expectations , especially from RE since I expected to get a lot of issues on engine and maintenance. The bike rides great and can actually be ridden in city too.

The bug does bite again, having bought a second car and the lease of first expiring, I myself have been exploring heavier bikes and fortunately got to ride with a group on their iron 883. 46 kms and I came back with my finger sour. You are right, that one should TD for longer and I am completely off HD after the experience. It didn't give confidence at higher speeds, mirrors don't offer any view, and it's overall heavy in the sense that everything takes time, like gear changes, lane changes, etc. it's not a fun bike to ride and back when I rode my TB, I was pleased.

So if I ever buy a HD, it would be with the fact that it's a lifestyle product only and never to be used for my office commutes and only for Sunday morning rides. You've rightly pointed that it's wrongly names street since it's not a city bike for sure.

[niranjanrvce]

I have a somewhat different opinion here. There are three fundamental issues - one, the OP simply does not have enough time on the saddle to feel comfortable with the bike. Period. Mere 1300kms on your first big bike, especially after a 15 year hiatus is just too little a mileage to blend with the bike.
Second, most superbikes need some customization to make them truly yours. There is a tendency to look at changing tyres,brakes, levers, mirrors, clip ons, rear sets, seats etc as mere accessorizing if you have money. It is not. Some of these changes are absolutely necessary to feel comfortable handling a big bike. Most experienced bikers will have their list of mods ready before they even buy the bike. These bikes are not the fill it, shut it, forget it type.
Third, a superbike is not an easy toy to live with. You really need to love motorcycling. You need to put up with being sweaty under leathers all the time. You need to be prepared to spend time gearing up for every ride, however short. You need to be prepared to wait a few weeks atleast for every part. You need to be prepared to deal with ignorant service personnel. Yes, you can buy groceries if you have the patience to wear your gear for a 5 min ride, have added saddle bags or hard tops and don't mind fiddling with your wallet with thick gloves on.

I am not judging the OP here but all the issues are fixable. Get better tyres. Upgrade brakes to braided lines and EBC pads or even larger rotors. Play around with a few coolant options to reduce the heat. Switch off at traffic lights.
Just from my personal experience mate, I ride a Triumph street triple everyday. To work, on sunday rides, long trips, pretty much everything. I have done the same on the much more uncomfortable Ducati 848. Done the same on the Duke 390 as well. It is not that hard if you love to ride and weigh the joy of it vs the minor cons you put up with. It is definitely not as hard as some of the folks on this thread are thinking it to be!

PS: I am not a Harley fanboy, they are not my type. It's just that none of the issues are deal breakers to sell the bike. Now, if you were complaining of a low lean angle and wished for harder cornering experience, that's a different issue

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Doc_nikhil

I don't know if I'm the first to notice it or if I'm wrong but, based on the tread of the tyre on the front (delivery pic) it seems like the tyre has been mounted onto the rim in a wrong way. .

Nothing wrong with the rotation. It is correct though the thread design looks otherwise.

Picture it with the direction of rotation of the wheel.

[rkris]

Great review. Sorry about the issues you are facing with the bike.

But, this is not the first time I am hearing so many issues about a HD. I had a couple of my friends renting HDs to drive from Chennai to Pondy and their feedback was not so good. They were complaining big time about the heat emanating from the engine and the brakes too.

Not so rosy owning a HD it looks like, especially if you are in a hot city like Chennai!

[saion666]

Originally Posted by amitkb

As above, I went from needing to buy a two-wheeler to fetch a loaf of bread to buying a “lifestyle bike.” The options ranged from Activa, Bullet, to HD Street 750.
Amit

Originally Posted by amitkb

The other evening, while buying fruits, a neighboring young vegetable vendor came up to the bike and started admiring the bike by shining his phone-torch on it.
Amit

I do not know whether to feel amused or sorry at this extremely well-written "review".

Sir, you got a Harley to buy loaves of bread/ fruits from the market!!!!
You wanted exclusivity in doing these and such exclusivity where a Bullet falls short!!!

Originally Posted by amitkb

It seems like HD's business model is predicated on finding people with more money than sense and then proceeding to transfer wealth out of their pockets into its own. I feel sorry for having put my hand up and identifying myself as one such fool.

Amit

This was bang on.
Its not always that you get such honest reviews from Harley owners who actually call a spade a spade as most keep harping on how exclusive their lowest priced Harley street/city bike is, while getting ice to soothe their burnt legs.

My suggestion would be to join some Harley club and go on long rides. Let the bike grow on you. Yes, it would not solve the purpose for which it was bought but this is an opportunity for you to explore a whole new perspective, afterall we live only once.

You can always get the Activa for the bread shopping. Infact try the Suzukis/Yamaha/Hero/electric scooters as well.