Harley-Davidson Street

Harley-Davidson Street 750 and 500
Manufacturer Harley-Davidson and
Harley-Davidson India
Production 2014–present
Assembly Kansas City, Missouri, USA (US, Canada and Mexico)[1]
Bawal, India (rest of world)[1]
Predecessor Buell Blast
Class Cruiser
Engine 60° SOHC, water-cooled V-twin with balance shaft
Street 750: 749 cc
Street 500: 494 cc[1]
Bore / stroke Street 750: 85.0 mm × 66.0 mm
Street 500: 69.0 mm × 66.0 mm[1]
Compression ratio Street 750: 10.5:1[2]
Power 53 hp (40 kW) @ 8,000 rpm (Street 750)
Torque 6.62 kg·m (64.9 N·m; 47.9 lbf·ft) @ 4,000 rpm (Street 750)[3]
Transmission 6 speed, belt drive[1][3]
Frame type Steel[1]
Suspension Front: Telescopic forks
Rear: Dual shocks, box section swingarm[3]
Brakes Front: Single-caliper disc ×1[1][3]
Rear: Single-caliper disc[1]
Tires 100/80x17[2][3]
150/70x15,[3] 140/75R15[2]
Rake, trail 32°, 4.5 in (110 mm)[2]
Wheelbase 1511 mm[3]
Dimensions L: 2226 mm[3]
W: 815 mm[3]
H: 709 mm[3]
Seat height 25 in (640 mm)[4]
Weight 480 lb (220 kg) (claimed)[1][4] (wet)
Fuel capacity 3.5 US gal (13 L)[2]
Related Harley-Davidson VRSC

The Harley-Davidson Street motorcycle series was announced by Harley-Davidson at the 2013 EICMA show in Milan for 2014 introduction. It will comprise Harley's first all-new models in 13 years,[1][3] and Harley's first lightweight motorcycle since the 1974 Sprint.[5] The 750 is powered by a 749 cc displacement version of Harley's 60° SOHC V-twin, water-cooled Revolution engine dubbed the Revolution X. The Street 500 has a 494 cc narrower-bore but otherwise identical engine.[1] Production for sale in the United States and Canada is done at Harley's Kansas City facility; production for the rest of the world, including engines, is done at the Harley-Davidson India subsidiary in Bawal with indigenous components.[3][6] The Street series are positioned as Harley's entry-level models, with a price point that is the lowest for Harley's US lineup by over $1,200.[7]

Riders Edge program

The Street 500 replaced the Buell Blast in Harley-Davidson's rider training program.[4]

Reactions

Speculation about Harley "outsourcing" production of 500 and 750 cc models (called small-displacement in US press[8]) to India began at least as early as 2011, along with harsh criticism that by not offering smaller bikes there, Harley "doesn't understand emerging markets".[9]

After the Street announcement, one Indian commentator noted that expansion in the Asian market with medium-displacement models is key to Harley's economic success:

“ [A]ll the growth it [Harley-Davidson] needs to ensure survival is to get into markets where it has been absent for the better part of a century and that includes almost all of the South-East Asian markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, China and of course India, markets where commuters rule and even 500cc is considered big. ”
— Dinu Hazrat, Daily News and Analysis, November 6, 2013[10]

The New York Times also opined that Harley's move towards medium-displacement echoed that of other manufacturers for the developing world.

“ The midsize is becoming a point of convergence. Commuter motorcycles are getting larger and more complex; from the other direction, Harley-Davidson recently unveiled its lighter Street 500 and Street 750 models. ”
— Samanth Subramanian, The New York Times, January 3, 2014[11]

Strong growth of the Indian market led an American commentator to call this "The most important new Harley-Davidson in living memory",[12] and another to predict more bidirectional interaction between American and Indian manufacturers and consumers, naming the Harley Street along with other Indian-made or Indian-owned marques like Hero MotoCorp, KTM, and BMW:

“ [M]otorcycle manufacturers have either sought out Indian business partners or, as in the case of Harley-Davidson, established their own Indian production facilities. Harley-Davidson assembles in India nine out of the 12 models it currently sells in India, allowing it to keep prices competitive...However, it's not a one-way invasion of motorcycle manufacturers into the sub continent... India as a major player in the world of motorcycle manufacturers shouldn't be ignored. This year the U.S. could see the first Indian manufactured motorcycles on sale here. ”
— Tim Watson, RideApart, January 28, 2014[13]

References

Citations
Sources
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