[amitkb]

What I Like:

It’s a good looking bike. I like the blacked-out look with chrome shocks only.


The blacked-out look.

What I don’t like:

• 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.

What this review is:

This is review straight from the heart. I do not have a technical bend of mind, so will not speak so much about numbers as I will about feel. Let me make it clear at the outset that I am giving the Street 750 a 1-star review. That is my personal opinion.

I am a very intensely private person and this is my first review on Team-Bhp, which I have put up after great deliberation and agonizing. I request HD fan-boys to please refrain from taking potshots at me or my review for whatever shortcomings that are sure to be found given my newbie-ness at both biking and reviewing.

The reason I have taken the courage to put this review out is that all the other reviews of the Street 750 out there are basically eulogies and do not point out the flaws in the bike that I have found only after spending good money and owning the bike. It may also not seem that way, but a lot of thought went behind my purchase of the Street 750. I read the official review, youtube reviews, as well as all the ownership reviews on Street 750, most notably rakesh_S’ in which he had mentioned the bad braking in the previous year’s model as a major flaw in the motorcycle . The article, Riding Harley-Davidsons in Japan - Street 750, Forty-Eight and Iron 883, mentioned that the braking problem has been resolved, so I thought all was well with the bike. However, the brakes aren’t the only problem with the Street 750.

Again, all the ownership reviews I read praised the Street 750 and effectively gave it a 5-star rating. I agonized for long before putting up this not-so-flattering review on Team-Bhp. This review is my small, and in all probability inadequate, contribution to this wonderful site. If you are reading this before buying the Street 750, my solace will be that at the very least I have given you an alternate view.

My Bike Story:

I am a half-bald, 39-year-old and what does a half-bald, middle aged man do? He buys a bike, and so I bought a bike too.

I had sold my HH Splendor in 2000 when I bought my first car, a Daewoo Matiz. I still remember the look of glee on the face of the buyer as he drove off with my immaculately-maintained beauty. Cut to 2015 and the argument I was giving myself was that I have to drive my Passat even to buy a loaf of bread (don’t ask why I cannot walk the 3 km round trip). “So buy an Activa,” said my wife and I agreed. I even went into an Activa showroom nearby, stood at their reception counter for 15 minutes without being attended to by anybody, and walked right out. Then I drove myself to a Yamaha showroom to check out the Fascino. I test drove the Fascino and was appalled by the poor build quality. It did not look well put together, looked flimsy, like the TVS Jupiter, and did not like it would last the distance, so ruled that out. Then, I said why not up the budget a bit and check out the Bullet? Soon enough, I found myself at the RE showroom and test drove the TB 500. I was riding a motorcycle after 15 years, so had no expectations. I was not blown away by the experience, but thought, what the hell? If I had to buy a two-wheeler, why not buy a Bullet! Well, technically, it’s not a bullet, but lets not split hairs. I went ahead and booked a TB 500 pronto. Then the waiting started. That waiting period actually worked against RE because in that wait period, it seemed like everybody and their brother was riding a Bullet. That was a major deal breaker for me. Now, I did not want a bike that was too commonly seen on the roads. I wanted a little exclusivity. So I canceled the TB 500 booking in favor of the HD Street 750. In retrospect, I have to chide myself a little bit. I had gone from buying the common Activa to a lesser common Bullet. At least I had not blown up a pretty packet yet. I should have bought the Activa, or at worst the TB 500. But, as GTO points out, its foresight that counts, and I fell short.

I reasoned you live only once and decided to splurge on a HD Street 750 simply because the other HD bikes were out of budget. The rest is not history, its still my-story of regret. As things stand today, I am trying to sell the Street 750 and it’s not even a buyer’s market; there’s simply no market unless you are willing to sell for two-thirds of the original price within 2 months of buying the bike. And I am not all that desperate.

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.

Booking and delivery experience:

I had walked into the dealership already having made up my mind to buy the Street 750. I bought the Street 750 from Two Rivers Harley in Amanora Mall, Hadapsar, Pune; the only dealership. Probably because the dealership is located in a mall and also doubles as an apparel store, when I walked into the dealership, I wasn’t immediately attended to. I was left to browse for about 15 minutes before I went to the reception and asked them, “Where are you serving lunch?” They got the joke a bit late. A salesman then asked me which bike and I replied Street 750. I asked for a test ride and after taking my license card and signing the customary forms, I was given a test ride only on the private road encircling the mall. I circumnavigated the mall twice and could not hide my excitement. It was an all-too-easy sale for the dealership. I had already decided to buy the bike. Since it was December 2015, I decided to wait until January 2016 to register the bike. I asked the sales manager if they were offering any discounts to book the bike in December and was refused any discounts. So the bike was eventually registered in the first week of January 2016.

That is not to say that my dealings with the dealership were smooth. Far from it. I had a very simple job, to pay them money, which I did with admirable efficiency. Its the dealership that created hurdles and stumbled at all of them while delivering the bike, TNTC (too numerous to count). Lets just say you must be very patient in dealing with the dealership.


Me at delivery.

On-road price, accessories, extended warranty, and discounts:

The on-road price for the bike is Rs. 540,000. I bought the engine guard and the seat back-rest (Rs. ~50000) as accessories. There were no discounts offered. I also bought the extended warranty (2-year standard plus 2-year extended warranty) for about Rs. 14500.

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. The Two Rivers staff will discourage this by saying the test ride on the main roads is only available by advance booking, on weekends, etc. I encourage you to persevere and go through that process. Do not buy the bike after the test ride inside the mall premises like I did. Why? Because you will then see that in about 4 to 5 kilometers or 15 to 20 minutes of idling in traffic, the engine gets super hot and it starts to become very uncomfortable between your legs. After about half an hour, it’s simply unbearably hot if you are stuck in heavy traffic. Once the bike is moving, the problem eases a bit , but as soon as you stop, it’s like a burning red hot tandoor between your legs. Therefore, I would rule this bike out as a city bike (although that’s what they call it) in Indian major-city traffic conditions.

I think Two Rivers knows that the percentage of buyers who buy the bikes after the short ride around the mall is higher than those who test the bikes in real-world, city traffic conditions, which is why they discourage longer test rides. I fell for the ploy, you please don’t.

Two weeks after I bought the bike, I went to pick up my wife from the airport one evening. Her flight was landing at 8 p.m. and I live about 8 kms from the airport, so I figured I would have enough time if I left by 7:30 even with the peak traffic. I was wrong. Traffic was a beast that day. It took me more than 45 minutes to get to the airport. It was not a good day to be collecting wives from airports on a Street 750. After collecting said waiting, fuming wife from the airport, we got stuck in traffic in Viman Nagar just a kilometer from the airport. I was fully kitted out ; helmet, gloves, jacket, shoes, the works. Even though I was shielding her from the worst of the heat, she could still feel it. When the bike was moving, she could feel the heat from the engine on her legs. To say that she was cross would be an understatement. The only reason, she said later, she did not give me the full treatment I deserved was because she knew I was suffering more than her. That was the third and last time she ever sat on that bike.

Safety and related equipment:

Safety is a joke. No ABS + bad tires = Quick fishtailing and a life hazard. I had two bad scares when the bike was no faster than 40 kmph. Each time, I had to brake in a hurry and the bike fishtailed. I did not fall. Another problem is when you are riding on a smooth surface and you suddenly come upon either gravel/mud or water (a common occurrence on our roads), the bike loses grip and its very scary. You feel as if you’ve lost control of the bike and the bike wobbles. All this happens at low speeds too (< 40 kmph).

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.

Comments on the exterior styling & design:

The bike is eye candy for sure. In a market where most of the bikes on the road are utility bikes, this bike stands out, in an understated manner. 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. He asked me if I would “rent” it to him for a few days so he could go to his village and show people he’s arrived. That was cute. I am not very good with words, so cannot say more about the styling than “eye candy.”

Features vs. Pricing:

The Street 750 is terribly overpriced for the (lack of) features. I mean, yes, I understand it’s a Harley and all, but for the price I paid for it, would it be unreasonable to expect a tachometer, a fuel gauge, ABS, and good tires?

As I said before, I do not have a technical bend of mind, so when I say the technology is rudimentary, I mean that from a feel perspective. The handle bar vibrates, there’s no ABS, no technological goodies to make you feel good about having bought the bike. I can’t specify what technological goodies, HD, surprise me! For example, in my car, I have auto AC, auto headlights, auto this, auto that. After having spent almost 6 lakhs on a bike, I see no such goodies on this bike. In fact, there are too many baddies.

As an example, the mirror stems are so short that without a jacket on, 50% of the mirror area is obscured by your shoulders. With the jacket on, its 90% obscurement. Is it too expensive to put in longer stems? No. But HD wants you to buy “mirror extenders” for Rs. 5000. What if you don’t buy said accessory? Well, you’ll probably die, but Harley could not care less. How about ABS as an accessory? Sorry, that’s not available. Looks like Harley definitely wants to see dead people.

As another example, the headlights are weak. By now, you know the spiel. The headlights are weak for a reason. It’s so you can buy Daymakers for Rs. 40000. This is criminal. Had I been the HD business owner, I would have made sure my customers have the best bike that their money can buy the day they buy it. No compromise on safety. Obviously, Harley does not think that way.

Anecdotally, HD India prices its accessories/parts at 3x its listed dollar price on the US parts website. Even if that were not universally the case, the parts and accessories are still prohibitively expensive. 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.

My contention is that if you must buy a Harley, buy one of the better spec’d models. The models that have ABS, better tires, better mirror stems. Not the Street 750, unless the specifications improve.

It’s called the staircase wit or elevator wit. It’s the wit you get long after it’s too late to look smart. I will get staircase wit days after I have posted this on Team-Bhp but by then it will be too late to edit this post. So I will post any staircase wit in subsequent updates.

Lastly, sorry for the lack of pictures. I am not much of a photographer.




My garage.


Amit

[batterylow]

Hey Amit,

Your review might be short but its very well written.

I don't know what would help at this stage but perhaps you can try for a better set of tires to help the bike grip better.

Happy riding.

[Engine_Roars]

A well written review Sir. It is always good to have different perspectives. I am sure with few customization here and there, you should definitely be able to enjoy your ride and make peace with your decision.

P.S.: I will pray for your safety from the Big Harley Boys.

[DragonHawk]

Congrats Amit for buying the new ride!!

By far this is the most honest review I have read so far and I certainly agree with most of your points. In simple words street 750 is selling only because it is from the HD stable. Anyways congrats once again and wish a safe ride ahead.

[stanjohn123]

Thank you for your honest review. Not many would have had the guts to do it after spending more than 5 Lakhs on a bike they chose wrongly.

This review could save others hard earned money departing to HD stores.

[sathya.bhat]

I bow my head to you sir! I can understand your feelings. I bought TVS Jupiter last year suddenly one evening and it was not suitable wheels for me. Somehow managed it with for months before passing it on to my sister. Now, I am happy on a Suzuki Gixxer. My Jupiter costed me 60k and I was very sad. But you have spent 5L.
Sometimes the bike/car is good one but might not be good for the person.

A request to TeamBhp: There are no proper/neutral/detailed bike review forum in India. Considering how costly the bikes are becoming now and marquee brands entering India, this could be great time for starting official bike reviews on TeamBhp.

[GTO]

Damn, sorry to hear about your experience with the Street 750. This thread has some solid information for potential owners of the Harley and I hope it helps them make a better decision.

That said, I have to disagree with your calling this a 'review'. It reads more like a rant - for instance, in the likes & dislikes at the start, couldn't you have spoken about the engine? What's good is good, what's bad is bad. I'm not a biker, but liked the quick & torquey engine. Being biased against a product is perhaps as bad as being biased in favour of a product. On Team-BHP, we encourage calling a spade a spade (both, good & bad).

Again, I think you've done a great job of listing all the disadvantages. But for your review to be a truly fair one, you should have listed the positives too.

From our official review:

Originally Posted by n_aditya

What you'll like:

• A good looking 749cc Harley at an attainable price point
• Fast & smooth engine. Oodles of torque throughout the revv range
• Competent handling & road behaviour
• Comfortable riding position with sound ergonomics
• Lots of options to customize the bike (paint schemes, bigger seat, exhaust muffler & more)
• Robust build & adequate ground clearance for Indian road conditions

What you won't:

• Brakes lacking in bite & feedback. ABS is sorely missed
• Harley-Davidson's classic Potato-Potato engine sound is absent
• Rough edges (exposed wiring, cheap switchgear etc.) have no place on a 4+ lakh motorcycle
• Smooth gearbox, but it can protest against upshifts
• Wide handlebar, big turning radius & 222 kilo weight in crowded urban conditions
• Niceties missing (fuel gauge, DTE, tachometer, headlight pass switch, adjustable levers, kickstand warning)

[Snehal Sekhar]

Congratulations on your new purchase Amit!

From one street owner to another, the bike you purchased is not meant to be ridden on our city roads as you've already found out. It's best suited for the highways, where you can potter around the entire day at decent speeds. It's not the best of bikes and there are major issues as you rightly mentioned. but all these issues have a work around if the pockets are deep. Harley will never address these flaws and will expect you to pay their Harely tax to modify and improve your bike and that's a given.

Your review was frank and even though you did all your research, you still went by your gut feeling to own the most affordable bike from the Harley stable. Don't regret it. It will serve you well, as mine has, as long as you know the bike's limits and strengths.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by GTO

That said, I have to disagree with your calling this a 'review'. It reads more like a rant - for instance, in the likes & dislikes at the start, couldn't you have spoken about the engine? What's good is good, what's bad is bad...

+1 on that. Even though the S750 is not my cup of tea, and just like amitkb , if I keep aside this-is-a-Harley-it-is-supposed-to-be-like-that stuff, I have always felt that the S750 is what is a brilliant motor stuck in a completely wrong chassis. That motor stuck in a neutral street bike like chassis (No! The low slung, long wheel base chassis is not at all for the streets) will pull my heart strings and make me high! Oh, and I am not even attempting to describe about the brakes because I am not good at describing non-existent stuffs!

Originally Posted by amitkb

...
The Street 750 is terribly overpriced for the (lack of) features. I mean, yes, I understand it’s a Harley and all, but for the price I paid for it, would it be unreasonable to expect a tachometer, a fuel gauge, ABS, and good tires?

..For example, in my car, I have auto AC, auto headlights, auto this, auto that. After having spent almost 6 lakhs on a bike, I see no such goodies on this bike. In fact, there are too many baddies.

As much as I respect your views and empathise with you, the above mentioned things could have been easily verified before purchase. I am sure you would have noticed these missing features since you have already done a lot of research before your purchase. Now, what did I miss?

[amitkb]

Originally Posted by GTO

... That said, I have to disagree with your calling this a 'review'. It reads more like a rant - for instance, in the likes & dislikes at the start, couldn't you have spoken about the engine? What's good is good, what's bad is bad. .... On Team-BHP, we encourage calling a spade a spade (both, good & bad).

Again, I think you've done a great job of listing all the disadvantages. But for your review to be a truly fair one, you should have listed the positives too.

From our official review:

GTO, if this sounds like a rant, I request you to please delete this "review." The TBHP official review is the last word on the issue. Why would I want to repeat those points again in my review? This is supposed to be 'my review,' isn't it?

Also, I have stated very early on that I am a non-technical person, I am all feel, so when I cannot authoritatively expound on "torque and handling," why should I be a poseur?

My only interest is in informing people about the downsides in my own small way. I could have been much more flowery in my prose, but I chose to write simply and from the heart. I also know I have probably shot the resale value down, but if at least one person does not make the mistake I have made, then I am redeemed. After all, that is what TBHP is all about, right?

Again, if you do not feel this is a proper review, please take it off the forum.

Amit

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

As much as I respect your views and empathise with you, the above mentioned things could have been easily verified before purchase. I am sure you would have noticed these missing features since you have already done a lot of research before your purchase. Now, what did I miss?

I bought a bike 15 years after my last one. Before buying the bike, I did not know I would miss these 'goodies' that badly. It is for my fellow TBHPians that I am writing this, so they can at least ask the right questions before they buy the bike.

As the previous posters have noted, it really took a lot of guts to put this out there, but after reading GTO's post and your question, I am really beginning to wonder if it was worth it...

Amit

[GTO]

Originally Posted by amitkb

Again, if you do not feel this is a proper review, please take it off the forum.

We'll never take a frank opinion off the forum and your report does have facts, so thank you for sharing .

My only point is:

I am a non-technical person, I am all feel, so when I cannot authoritatively expound on "torque and handling,"

You don't need to be technical to appreciate a good engine. Heck, you probably know 10 times more about bikes than I do, but I still liked the Street 750's motor.

Have renamed your thread suitably.

Enough of the off-topic stuff. Now, lets get back to your bike.

[bblost]

@amitkb:

Most high capacity bikes can't really manage the heat from traffic.
You have no choice but to live with it.

Now having said that there are a couple of things you can do.

1. Do not use the bike in traffic.
I know it sounds very funny but what I mean is to use it as a holiday-getaway bike. Use google maps to find alternate roads.

2. Brakes
Practice usually helps. Anticipate and ride cautiously

3. Heat
Invest in riding gear that is specially made for this problem.

[amitkb]

Originally Posted by bblost

1. Do not use the bike in traffic.
I know it sounds very funny but what I mean is to use it as a holiday-getaway bike. Use google maps to find alternate roads.
2. Brakes
Practice usually helps. Anticipate and ride cautiously
3. Heat
Invest in riding gear that is specially made for this problem.

Thanks for the tips, Bblost. Yes, I have practiced and become better at braking. Had I known as explicitly that this is a "holiday-getaway bike" from other reviewers before, I wouldn't have bought the bike.

The upside is that new buyers will hopefully now know this and that's my two cents...

Amit

[bblost]

Originally Posted by amitkb

The upside is that new buyers will hopefully now know this and that's my two cents...

Amit

That is true.
And a lot of thanks for creating this thread.


This is the most important line from your thread.

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.

Its true not just for this bike. But for everything in this world. Always and I repeat always do as much research as possible.
But then again...as a guy who loves bikes, I know when the heart starts beating the brain literally stops working.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by amitkb

As the previous posters have noted, it really took a lot of guts to put this out there, but after reading GTO's post and your question, I am really beginning to wonder if it was worth it...

amitkb dada while I understand your situation and what you have been through, there's no denying if this was an impulsive buy from your side as you've said you did enough research before buying this motorcycle. It is always important to define one's purpose and need/want of buying a motorcycle, car, yacht, plane, etc. I am sure you must have done so while buying your VW Passat too.

If I were you then I would either get used to the motorcycle or sell it off and define my purpose and need/want before buying another one. There are many options in the price range of HD Street 750 that you could've considered. Next time you can post your requirements on this forum and I am sure people will be there to help you make a rational choice based on your requirements.