Harley Davidson Street 500 & Street 750 Revealed At EICMA

By Ganesh

Updated: Thursday, December 12, 2013, 10:54 [IST]

Harley Davidson has taken a huge step forward with the launch of two of its smallest bikes ever. Street 750 and Street 500. The bikes were revealed at the ongoing EICMA show in Milan, Italy and they will head to India early next year.

Its not just the launch of the small displacement bikes that is significant. Just as significant is HD's true entry into a country outside of the U.S. The Street 750 & Street 500 are the first Harleys developed specifically keeping in mind a market other than the U.S. Harley Davidson has not released the full technical details about either of the bikes yet. Here are the few things that we know as of now.

More Exciting News From EICMA 2013

Both the Street 750 and the Street 500 are cruiser style bikes characterized by tear drop shaped fuel tanks, elongated body, rounded bikini fairing and V-twin engines. In essence, these bikes are every bit a classic Harley Davidson. Seen in Image is theStreet 500.

According to Harley, the new Street series were developed from the ground up based on inputs received from thousands of youngsters from around the world.

Yet, the Street 750 and Street 500 are being called the first truly new bikes coming from Harley in 13 years. This is because both bikes are built on an entirely new platform.

The Street 750 and Street 500 feature an all black styling language Harley refers to as ‘Dark Custom'. The bikes sport blacked out engine and covers, black pullback handlebars, black fork gaiters and lowers.

Lastly, the bikes also feature all-black exhaust, the first on a Harley since the original Café Racer motorcycle from the 70's.

The V-twin engines, called ‘Revolution X' by Harley are liquid cooled. Some hardcore Harley fans might consider this sacrilege, but it was a necessary step taken by Harley and a very bold one at that.

While technical details about the engine are yet to be released we can expect the engines to deliver high low end grunt for quick acceleration. Naturally, these bikes will be ideal for cruising over large distance as well.

The rear tyres will be driven by a 6 speed transmission via a belt drive, something that's common with Harley Davidson. Belt drive is also a better choice than chain drive in a country like India.

There will be plenty of choices when it comes to customization in the form of official accessories, as has always been the case with Harley Davidson.

As for the launch, Harley Davidson will only introduce one of the bikes in India initially. It will most likely be the HD Street 750.

The Street 750 and Street 500 will be manufactured in Bawal, Haryana catering to India and neighbouring markets. HD's plant in Kansas, USA will manufacture the bikes for local markets.

Pricing details for the Street 750 and Street 500 have not been revealed. According to estimates the 500 should retail for a little more than INR 4 lakhs and the 750 for about Rs 50,000 more.