What do Harley-Davidson Road Glide and Street Glide baggers have in common: find out on the roads of Croatia

It's no surprise that Harley Davidson chose Austin, Texas to debut its new Street 750. The city hosted the X Games freestyle motocross competition and brought together some of the world's most talented two-wheeled freestyle riders, soaring high into the sky on their bikes with a variety of incredible performances. tricks. The young fans of extreme sports who flocked there can be called potential buyers of this motorcycle. Harley Davidson lovers also came there, who did not want to miss the company's latest offer. Harley Davidson said the Street 750 is designed for cities like Austin, with congested traffic that gives way to winding rural roads.

Before this, one of my friends had already ridden a Harley Davidson Street 750 and said that handling is the main “highlight” of the motorcycle. He rode a pre-production bike, and the models I'll be describing are the first units to roll off the Kansas City production line. Thus, below I am going to describe my impressions of riding this motorcycle, also referring to the experience of my friend.

Harley-Davidson Street 750

The Harley Davidson Street 750 motorcycle is equipped with a liquid-cooled Revolution X V2 engine. The throttle valve has a 38mm body. Dry weight of the motorcycle is 206.4 kg. As for the seating position, I can say that I am a fairly tall person and when I sit on the motorcycle my knees are higher than the tank; also regarding the driver’s triangle, my position seemed to me not very comfortable and somewhat cramped. The low seat height of 25.7 inches allows you to plant your feet firmly on the ground when mounting the motorcycle if necessary. The upholstery of the bike's seat is quite hard, but comfortable, and the seat itself smoothly flows from the driver's to the passenger's seat, without any protrusions. The driver's triangle is still more “open” on the Star Bolt, but do not forget that that motorcycle is larger overall.

As for the brand of brakes, I can only say that I managed to test them. The Harley Davidson company, which has a good reputation, stated that it conducted serious testing, after which it chose the best option for this motorcycle. But information about brakes is somewhat shrouded in darkness. The same applies to the brand of shock absorbers. Practice shows that Harley Davidson does not like to go into such details, but this is not surprising and this policy is not particularly different from the policy of other similar companies. Personally, I have only respect for Harley, since this shows the manufacturer’s need to protect the company’s individuality by adding the brands involved in the development to the company’s list of secrets.

Spring view of Harley Davidson Street 750

I would like to comment separately on the appearance of the Harley Davidson Street 750 motorcycle. Its appearance looks dignified and complete. The Café Racer style windshield pairs well with the fork fluxes and adds a sporty look to the front end of the bike. The engine, exhaust pipes (2-in-1) and almost the entire body of the motorcycle are covered with dark paint. It is also worth noting that the 7-spoke wheels, painted black, also have the appropriate appearance.

It's true that Harley's high standards of control and quality seem a little exhausted in this bike. It is clear that in this regard, everyone was waiting for a model that would be similar to the expensive exhibits from the Harley Museum in Milwaukee. But this, I believe, is due to the fact that the main idea of ​​​​this model is its budget and, accordingly, during the development of the Street 750 the company was constrained by financial constraints. It is worth adding to the list of deviations from the company’s norms that both turn signal switches on this model are on the left handle, which is not usual. The wiring is external and in some places not very high quality. Also, the connector on the brake master cylinder looks budget-friendly. The Street 750's rear fender is steel, but has a plastic piece underneath to house the taillights, turn signals and license plate, which doesn't look like the usual Harley standards.

As for the rear seat, I can say that it is small and narrow, and the footrests are located close, so the passenger feels uncomfortable as they are pressed closely against the driver. But it is worth noting that Harley Davidson offers removable racks, passenger backrests and seat bags for this motorcycle. This way the bike can be easily converted into something more comfortable for two people to ride.

The brakes on the Harley Street 750 are soft. The front brake is sticky and both brakes don't do much stopping. In other respects the bike is very friendly. Responsive throttle, good clutch, smooth gear changes, good handling and excellent suspension.

The main thing that my friend and I came to the same opinion on was the handling of this motorcycle.

A friend of mine said about this:

The bike corners effortlessly and changes in direction with just a click. I expected the steering to be a little sluggish with the 110/80R17 front and 140/75R15 rear tires, but the bike turns in wonderfully. Handling is certainly the highlight of the Harley Davidson Street 750. The ground clearance is excellent, thanks to the high running boards.

What do Harley-Davidson Road Glide and Street Glide baggers have in common: find out on the roads of Croatia

Americans had been to the Balkans before - and it was not without their participation that Yugoslavia broke up into several states with the smoldering pain of the past civil war. And now the Yankees have returned to Croatia with new Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I already talked about a test drive of the Sportster family, and now we’re talking about the Touring series.

Baggers! Real dudes who successfully exploit the image of their predecessors from the fifties and sixties. And although the Street Glide and Road Glide are quite different in appearance, they are 95% the same motorcycle. The Road version has a slightly longer fork offset, and the fairing itself is moved far forward and lives a life independent of the steering wheel. The facade with double, frowning ovals of eyes turned out to be ambiguous - some people love it, while others hate it. I belong to the first: this Road immediately reminded me of the first generation Buick Riviera coupe, at the sight of which I lose my will and am ready to immediately emigrate. In the Harley-Davidson company, this symbol of greatness has its own name - shark nose, that is, “shark nose”.

But on the Street, the fairing traditionally lives on the steering wheel and the headlight is round. This front form factor is called batwing, that is, “bat wing”. Here's a couple, Shark and Batman. And you say “dolphin and mermaid”...

Both are designed for big guys. Gigantic platform steps, placed somewhere in the direction of Arizona, a sofa seat that can easily accommodate an XXXL captain on board (the passenger is entitled to half the area - blatant sexism!). Except that the Mouse’s steering wheel is a little closer to the driver than the Shark’s.

Does this mean that short (small, frail, not corpulent) owners will be uncomfortable? Yes, but rather mentally: arms and legs spread far to the sides will only emphasize the modest dimensions of a brand adherent.

This couple is so imbued with the American spirit that you can recognize the brand even if they put you on the seat tied up and with a bag on your head. The Milwaukee-Eight 107 engine, that is, the “eight-valve engine from Milwaukee” with a volume of about two liters (1745 cm³, or 107 cubic inches), gurgles busily and slowly operates the valve lifter rods. The camshaft is the lower one, the only one. Progress, however, has reached this fossil. No, they don’t provide traction control or variable ignition maps, but each cylinder has two spark plugs and four valves. And also - oh sacrilege! — there is a balancer shaft, which really reduces proprietary vibrations. All this wealth is cooled by air, and the output is 90 hp. - sparsely for leviathans with almost 400 kg of curb weight.

However, where is the rush for “tourists”? This more powerful “114” engine with combined liquid-air cooling and an increased compression ratio allows you to ignite. And with the “107th” engine you have to live in the moment, fortunately here it is a good 150 Nm already at 3250 rpm, almost completely accessible from 2000 rpm. You drive like on a highway tractor. At 70 km/h, I put the six-speed gearbox into top gear, enjoying at the same time the signature sound of a pump-action shotgun being twitched, and relaxed: there was plenty of traction. Cruise control, effective wind protection... Life is good! You can turn the throttle even inside out - the acceleration will not become more intense, and after 130 km/h you will feel completely at peace. This is not a rice grinder, as Harleyists disparagingly call any Japanese sportbike.

If you continue to insist, you can count on 180 km/h on the speedometer. But I guess only journalists ride these motorcycles like that.

You can feel the “extra” 12 kilograms hanging on the shark nose of the Road Glide version. But to do this, you would have to move to the limit, cutting off the mighty pegs in every turn and testing your luck on a motorcycle for the price of a good crossover. But why? Here is a trio of 300 mm brake discs with four-piston calipers of the same opinion: in normal modes this potential is enough, but once you start “performing”, overheating will not be long in coming.

The perforated metal mesh on the brake calipers is designed to be decorative without interfering with cooling. There are problems with the second task on hard braking

The suspension surprisingly combines impressiveness with short travel. Moreover, the latter does not mean sharp handling: both devices shift with noticeable laziness, as befits heavy machines of this class. Is it shaking? On poor surfaces - yes. But these monsters iron good asphalt with the equanimity of aircraft carriers surrounded by fragile mini-cars.

The similarity with long-range tractors of the mid-80s (Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack) is also enhanced by the instruments - classic glasses scattered with a generous hand in chrome frames. The only thing that stands out from the image is the Boom!Box 6.5GT multimedia system with a six-and-a-half-inch diagonal touch display, and you can shamelessly “push” the picture even with gloves on. The system understands six languages, including the great and mighty, and has finally acquired navigation that works in our native land. It is also capable of recognizing voice commands, but I have not tested it: I have never been a supporter of a headset in a helmet.

How does the audio system sound? Loud. Even for my unassuming ear, this is the best definition, and a well-known audiophile in narrow circles would not have lasted even a couple of seconds. What to do: motorcycles with high-quality audio equipment straight from the factory are almost fantastic - in my memory it was only the Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide for a cosmic 3.5 million rubles. In all other cases, expensive modification with a file is required.

However, it is almost impossible to see a Harley that has not undergone a merciless upgrade: each owner tries to stand out, to give maximum individuality to his favorite, because they obviously do not buy these for the last few dollars. Factory tuning catalogs are larger than the heaviest tomes, and once those who fall into the sect disappear in it forever, giving up everything and everyone, including their souls, for the sake of chrome accessories.

By the way, in the overall sales portfolio of the Harley brand in Russia, the Touring series makes up about 30%. So we will definitely see the characteristic outline of a heavy “tourist” on our roads - despite the fact that the price of the Street Glide only starts at 2 million 200 thousand rubles, and the Road Glide is another 150 thousand more expensive.

What about the competitors? All the big “Japanese” cars of this class have long left our market, only the American-Italian couple remains in this format: the Indian Chieftain, which is very similar in characteristics and philosophy, costs from 2 million 293 thousand rubles, and the technologically advanced Moto Guzzi MGX-21 Flying Fortress is noticeably cheaper - 1 million 919 thousand. But this duo, even between them, has sold less than 20 copies, while Harley sold almost three hundred of its baggers last year.

Street 750 as a city cruiser

Harley Davidson advertises the Street 750 as a city cruiser and it really is great for the big city. It moves quickly between traffic lights, is nimble enough for heavy traffic, and turns with minimal effort. He drives quickly and smoothly. The control levers are quite high, which makes it possible to “put” the motorcycle at a fairly acute angle when turning. The only downside to its ground clearance is that its exhaust pipe is lower than the running boards. Overall the bike is compact and light with surprisingly comfortable suspension, especially for guys my size.

Regarding the 749cc liquid-cooled Revolution X V-Twin engine, a friend of mine said:

When you grab the right handle well, you first get the lower limit of torque, which then moves into the middle range. The power then levels out just before the rev limiter engages.

On the stand he said:

The Street 750 produces a respectable 52.89 hp. at 7,900 rpm and 53.36 Nm at 6,400 rpm, however, the torque curve was remaining flat all the way through the varied rev range.

The Street 750's engine is quite fiery. Fuel is supplied via a 38mm Mikuni throttle body. The Revolution X V-Twin engine is very well mounted and balanced. Engine vibration is small. It has a chain drive. If you periodically give the engine a large number of revolutions and drive all day, even with frequent stops, the rear cylinder head will begin to release heat into the space between the seat and the tank. The 6-speed gearbox and motor are mounted side by side, which gives the bike the right center of gravity and also makes the transmission perform very well.

I was surprised by the gearbox. Shifting on the Harley Davidson Street 750 is smooth and quiet. The gear ratio is well taken into account. The clutch performance is also good. It interacts with the gearbox without unnecessary fuss and noise.

Another area that surprised me about the Street 750 was its suspension. When I got on the bike with a friend of my size, I figured it would "fatigue" the shock absorbers. But the reality turned out to be completely opposite. Thanks to the motorcycle's suspension, our ride was comfortable. At the rear there are two shock absorbers with adjustable spring preload, and at the front there is a 37 mm telescopic fork. They cushion well.

Regarding the comfort of the driver's seat on the motorcycle, my friend said that his knees were higher than the low tank and that he had the impression that he was sitting on top of the motorcycle, and not on it. He called the distance to the instruments quite acceptable. And, summing up, he put it this way:

To put it simply, the Street 750 looks big, but it really isn't.

I also agree with him on this, since for people of the same build as me the motorcycle is not very comfortable. I also sat on it somehow too high. When driving at high speeds on the motorway, the Café-Racer-style windscreen vibrates unpleasantly.

Previously, all press releases always wrote that “Harley-Davidson produces heavy motorcycles in the custom, cruiser, and touring classes...” But it’s been a year since they stopped. And all because the first lightweight model appeared in the branded line - Street 750.

The ergonomics of this motorcycle are designed more for a teenager or a fragile girl, but it is too small for me. “Like a bear on a fence!” - my friend joked. But if we had made a flat saddle here instead of a molded one, then we could have moved further away from the steering wheel and everything would have been fine. And so I have to move back almost to the “hump” of the passenger side of the seat. Not critical, but somehow unstable, or something. And I would like the steering wheel to be a little wider (or the shoulders narrower?), otherwise I was never able to adjust the mirrors correctly

I am often asked, is it difficult to constantly change from one motorcycle model to another? You won't believe it, but the most difficult thing is to adapt to... direction indicators! Having become accustomed to turning on the left turn signal with the thumb of the left hand, and the right one with the right (this is historically the custom with Harley-Davidson), on all “Germans”, “Japanese” and other Chinese”, where a single switch on the left remote control is responsible for this simple procedure , the first time you inevitably get confused. And vice versa.

This time, just leaving the gates of the press park on the brand new Harley-Davidson Street 750, at the very first turn I purely automatically pointed my right thumb into the void and became thoughtful. No, this, of course, is also a “Harley”, but if you do not take into account the nameplates, then the typical Harley features are rare here. You don't even have to bend your fingers: a two-cylinder V-twin engine and a belt drive connecting it to the rear wheel. Everything else is here... I almost wrote “Asian”, but in time I remembered that I swore that I would not call the Street an Indian motorcycle. Yes, it really is made in India. The only one from the entire Harley-Davidson model line. But they do it for the whole world and, above all, for Europe. Therefore, all ergonomics, all controls here are also average, globalistic. Like Big Macs in McDonald's around the world.

However, marketers who dictate their will to engineers in the modern world rarely make mistakes. The target audience, and we are talking about young users who bought their first Harley, will most likely like this. Later, as adults, they will learn to appreciate the sound of the engine, the unparalleled vibrations of the V-Twin rigidly mounted in the frame and the characteristic “cruising” landing with legs extended forward. Everything has its time. In the meantime, here's a motorcycle that is surprisingly light and easy to ride, rides very well and, in addition, carries a legendary, universally respected brand on the sparkling side of the gas tank. And the turn signals (and why am I hooked on them?) can be switched like on the scooter they rode before.

TEMPERAMENT? EAT!

And the Street drives really great. Having become accustomed to “large-liter” motorcycles, I, frankly, did not expect such agility from a 750 cc engine. As always, no one says anything about its power, but the acceleration is brisk - just click through the gears, and it only subsides around 120-130 km/h. The 150 km/h mark is already difficult for the motorcycle. But leaving the traffic light first is not a problem. And I judge this solely from my personal experience. And it’s hard to classify me as the target audience for this motorcycle. I alone weigh 120 kg. That's about the same as a young aspiring motorcyclist with his girlfriend in the back seat!

True, I would advise you to be careful and not get carried away with sudden acceleration. Apparently, in order to reduce the cost of the design, only one brake disc was installed at the front. And this is clearly not enough. A couple of times I stopped literally a few centimeters from the bumper of a car that suddenly braked.

By the way, the struggle for price is felt not only in this. The developers even saved money on the fuel level indicator! It’s good that they left a light that lights up when the gasoline is running low.

But the suspension is good without any reservations. It really works and holds even on broken primer. And even below me. For the sake of mischief, I tried to ride through a field overgrown with grass. It's coming!

I think that the Harley-Davidson Street would make a good scrambler - a motorcycle adapted for riding on bad roads. He has all the data for this. The only thing that needs to be done is to install sharper tires and protect the radiator with something. Street in general can be perceived as an excellent preparation for all kinds of tuning. Young buyers will also like this. Fact! What scope for self-realization. If only it were a little cheaper."

Disadvantages of the Harley Davidson Street 750

What about the brakes? A friend of mine said that the braking system is a disadvantage of the Harley Davidson Street 750. I had the same impression. The 11.5-inch front and 10.25-inch rear brake discs are quite small. The front brake is sticky and stops slowly. The rear caliper clamps a little better and faster, but its strength is not enough. When you apply the rear brake, the 2-piston floating calipers lock the wheel, but the bike doesn't stop quickly, despite leaving long black streaks of rubber on the asphalt behind.

The last note will be addressed to the motorcycle exhaust. The black 2-into-1 exhaust pipes produce a more subdued rumble than expected, revvy and clean without being rumbly. This will certainly please CARB and EPA agents, but it's not the exhaust sound that everyone will recognize as a Harley.

Test drive: How the legendary Harley-Davidson has changed

EG.RU tested the Harley-Davidson Street Rod city motorcycle

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What is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle? A lot of chrome, a lot of weight, a lot of money - a lot of motorcycle. If we draw analogies with car brands, then this is the Bentley Flying Spur in terms of price, Cadillac Escalade in terms of the amount of chrome and Toyota Century in terms of old-school quality in one bottle. But the world is changing, and now KTM is releasing the younger Duke 200 and 390, followed by BMW with its G310. Everything is made in India. The Americans are not lagging behind and in 2014 they are launching a cheap (relative to other brand models) 750 cc Harley-Davidson Street, also produced in the country of rajahs and programmers. After 3 years, we are presented with the Street Rod - “added” in the technology and design of the Street. Entering the world of Harley has become more pleasant and comfortable.

Technique

Baby Harley finally got two brake discs at the front, so necessary for a city dweller (if only in Milwaukee they heard the prayers of Softail owners and installed two discs on them too). Beginners, who are most likely the main target audience, will also appreciate the presence of ABS.

The new engine - HighOutput RevolutionX, compared to the regular Street 750, has added a little in maximum power and torque.

Appearance

It’s unlikely that anyone could ever have any complaints about the design of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Street Rod was no exception. You can recognize the corporate style and continuity in it, and even if such a bike rushes past at a speed of 100 km/h, you will undoubtedly recognize it as a Harley-Davidson.

The color scheme adds brutality. You can choose from black, dark gray and military olive. No chrome or decoration, everything is stern and to the point.

Behind the wheel

From the first approach you feel the unexpected lightness of the motorcycle. The curb weight of the Harley-Davidson Street Rod is only 238 kg. Surely most owners of modern neoclassical and sport bikes are now grunting at our “everything” - for them, a weight of more than 200 kg with a 750 cc engine is “heavy cast iron,” but, within the framework of the genre in which Street Rod performs, this weight is not bad at all. The same goes for the low seat height and low center of gravity. For people with short stature, everything is great; pulling a heavy bike in a parking lot in the heat is still a blessing.

There was nothing on the dashboard except a speedometer and a small screen on which you can see the mileage, daily mileage and engine speed in order. The fuel level must be monitored independently; the motorcycle will only indicate with a light that it has reached the reserve level.

The first obvious drawback of the Street Rod, which cannot be ignored, is the location of the mirrors at the ends of the handle. While you look from the outside, it’s beautiful and stylish, but in traffic jams, between the rows, you get a false sense of unreal width. You brake, checking - but no, we pass with a reserve. Of course, the feeling of size is a matter of habit, which is difficult to develop in a week of test ride.

Another ergonomic flaw is the location of the exhaust pipe. A powerful heat source is located near the right leg and actively fries it to a “grilled leg” state. When stopping at traffic lights, you have to control yourself and put your foot further away, otherwise burns cannot be avoided. For those whose height is 190 cm and above, the problem looks funny, but they will have another nuance: the motorcycle is very small in height and dimensions, and with a height of more than 190 it will be uncomfortable to sit, and you will look like a hooligan who took away a child’s bicycle.

I was a little confused by the stiff suspension - any bumps and unevenness in the road are felt quite strongly. Getting into a pothole can result in a painful blow to the spine. In addition, the vibrations on the steering wheel are strong - after an hour or two behind the wheel, your hands become dry.

Dynamics

749 cc engine cm produces 65 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm. Not to say that this is a lot, but if you move within the limits of traffic rules, then you will not experience a lack of engine. The low end of the engine does not impress with its “locomotive” quality, but starting from a standstill does not require a significant opening of the throttle.

The dynamics up to 100 from a standstill are higher than most road cars, so there is no particular inconvenience when starting in traffic; you can watch the traffic exclusively in the rear-view mirrors.

I would also like to note the velvety sound of the exhaust - you don’t expect anything special from a small and cheap 750, but it seems that the engineers have worked a little on the sound.

The handling of the motorcycle is also in perfect order - it is responsive to the driver’s commands, stable in long turns and when braking. Girls will be pleased with the soft clutch - everything switches without any extra effort. The steering angle is large, so coupled with the low weight and low center of gravity, maneuvering at low speeds and in tight parking conditions does not cause any inconvenience.

Price

The cost of a motorcycle in classic black color starts from 660 thousand rubles. For a bike in a different color you will have to pay another 20 thousand. Whether it is expensive or not - everyone decides for himself. For those who have already fallen ill with the Harley virus and want to try something simpler first, this is just right.

Nastin Sergey

motorcycles male gaze

Potential

As mentioned at the outset, Harley had a very active presence at this year's X Games with the release of its Street 750. The company asked ESPN to add a flat race track, where the Street 750 ended up showing its full potential. Racer and AMA Pro Flat Track champion Brad Baker helped Harley with this promotion, while the company itself made some amazing custom Street 750s for the event.

The Harley Davidson Street 750 motorcycles have demonstrated the potential for customization. They were fitted with new exhaust pipes, air intakes, single seats, shock absorbers and improved brakes. Harley Davidson has now made over 100 aftermarket parts and accessories to customize the Street 750 yourself.

The Harley Street 750 is lightweight and very comfortable to ride in heavy traffic, easy to ride and quite powerful. It also has great potential for customization and is fairly inexpensive.