Harley-Davidson Street Rod

9th March 2017

2017 model | Liquid cooled | £6,745  | Specs

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£6,745. That's the asking price for the newly unveiled 2017 Harley-Davidson Street Rod™. Based upon the firm's current "High Output Revolution X™ 750cc V-twin" platform, this competitively priced mid-range fuel-injected street cruiser features a liquid-cooled, SOHC 8-valve 60-degree V-twin engine, a 43mm USD front fork, coil-over rear shock absorbers c/w an external reservoir, dual 300mm front discs, and 17-inch cast wheels front and rear (120/70 R17V & 160/60 R17V). And ABS, for the UK and European market at least, is mandatory.

So what's with the "High Output" stuff? Well, Harley-Davidson is talking about hot cams, high-compression cylinders, gas-flowed heads and a higher redline (8,000 to 9,000rpm). The power is variously quoted at around 70hp, which is said to be around 18 to 20 percent more than the standard Street 750. However, we've seen some conflicting information on the exact number. So if it's important to you, interrogate your local dealer. Peak power, we hear, kicks in at 8,750rpm. Peak torque of 47.2lb-ft (63Nm) of torque is delivered at 4,000rpm.

Handling-wise, the fork rake has been tightened from 32-degrees to a much faster 27-degrees. A slightly longer swinging-arm has been added to aid straight line stability. The lean-angle has been increased from 28.5-degrees left and right, to 37.3 degrees on the right and 40.2-degrees on the left. And the seat height has been hiked to 29.4 inches (up 3.7 inches from the Street 750).
 

Harley-Davidson Chief Engineer Mathew Weber, said: "It gets your attention. We wanted a chassis to match, sharp handling and aggressive, perfect for urban cut-and-thrust and canyon carving. Its attitude and the relationship between seat position, rear-set footpegs and wide handlebars puts the rider fully in control. The fact [that] the Street Rod looks so good – and [is] very close to our early sketches – gives us all a real charge too!"

Three colours are listed. Vivid Black, Charcoal Denim, and Olive Gold. And that earlier price tag of £6,745 is for the black version (we've no information on the price of the other colours). The overall theme, note, is an extension of Harley-Davidson's Dark Custom ethos (i.e. mean, moody, etc).

From where we're sat, it looks like a pretty good package. And just shy of seven grand (sterling) isn't a very high price to pay for a bona fide Harley-Davidson. No word yet regarding when this bike will be in the showrooms.

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