Harley-Davidson Street 750 (2015-2021) Motorcycle Review - MCN

Highlights

• An H-D to bring people into the brand
• Liquid-cooled engine is very smooth
• Cheap for a Harley-Davidson

At a glance

Prices

Overall rating

Meet the Harley-Davidson Street 750. With modern-day performance from an all-new liquid-cooled engine and an incredibly attractive price tag, Harley have worked hard to open up another area in the motorcycle market for themselves.

With its minimal café racer styling, the Street is a cruiser motorbike that's a blank canvas for customisation. Ultimately, it’s everything Harley said it would be; it’s affordable, handles well and is surprisingly agile.

During 2016 MCN ran a H-D Street 750 for a long-term test as a long-term test. Our reviewer Alison Silcox found it slightly uncomfortable until she began bolting on the modifications. She covered over 8000 miles on the bike, so is in a great position to comment on its durability.

The bike got ABS in 2016 before finally going off sale in 2021.

Ride quality & brakes

The engine is incredibly smooth and a joy to blast between traffic lights or corners using the generous spread of power. On motorways it begins to feel a little breathless, and sixth gear is more like an overdrive. It’ll happily sit at 75mph, but push to 80mph and vibes start to creep through the bars. The headlight cowl does little to keep the wind off at higher speeds, and in stop-start town riding the water cooled engine emits quite a bit of heat. It’s not as bad as an air-cooled bike, but you’ll want to spread your legs out away from the engine after a while.

The lack of ABS is strange, especially considering all new bikes (over 125cc) will be required by European law to have ABS as standard from 2016. The front Brembo caliper grabs the single front disc well and brings the 229kg Street smartly to a stop. The rear brake is strong as well, but if you’re hard on the front brake then it’s all too easy to lock the rear wheel as there’s a lack of feel at the pedal. Good for skids, but possibly surprising for the new riders Harley-Davidson is hoping to attract.

Engine

While the handling and agility of the Street are both impressive, the real star of the show is the new liquid-cooled Revolution X engine. It’s nothing like the conventional air-cooled engines Harley are known for. It doesn’t oscillate like a jackhammer at idle and it needs to be revved to get the best from it, uncharacteristic for a Harley motor. Peak torque of 44ftlb is reached at 4000rpm – it’s not a monstrous amount of torque, but it propels the Street at a good pace.

Reliability & build quality

With its low retail price, it’s not surprising to find that the Street 750 is built on a budget and while the bike is designed in the US, it’s actually made in India. Thankfully it feels very well put together. It’s too early at the moment to comment on the reliability of the machine but it’s been on sale in Europe for 10 months already, allowing for any initial niggles with the model to be ironed out before the model gets to the UK.

Our Harley-Davidson Street 750 owners' reviews show a handful of build quality and reliability issues. We'd suggest you read these before taking the plunge.

Value vs rivals

The Street is good value. You don’t get masses of toys for your money but what you do get is well made. Despite the low price, there are also a couple of nice touches, such as the Harley emblem on the headstock and the neat, tidy positioning of the ignition barrel under the clock, which keeps the lines smooth and clean around the cockpit area.

Rivals for the Harley-Davidson Street 750 include the smaller, cheaper Honda Rebel 500, the more premium Ducati Scrambler 800 and H-D's own Iron 883.

Equipment

The switchgear and the dash are both basic – the dash only shows speed and a choice of odometer or two trips counters. On a bare-bones, simple cruiser like this you don’t really need anything else. It certainly doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles attached but that isn’t the point of it.

It's available in four colours: Vivid Black, Black Denim, Superior Blue and Velocity Red Sunglo.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750 for sale with MCN

• STREET 750 (2017/67) £3,490 Worcestershire
• STREET 750 (2016/16) £3,495 Merseyside
• STREET 750 (2016/16) £3,590 Leicestershire
• STREET 750 (2016/16) £3,790 Worcestershire
• STREET 750 (2018/68) £3,890 Cheshire

Model history & versions

Model history

• 2015: Model introduced.
• 2021: Bike goes off sale.

MCN Long term test reports

MCN Fleet: Life in the HOG lane

Here I am after just a couple of weeks into riding the Harley-Davidson Street 750 and I’ve discussed it more with passers-by than I’ve chatted about other bikes in a whole year. Is this going to be how owning a Harley-Davidson is? Related: Full Harley-Davidson Street 750 review I’ve been welcomed …

Owners' reviews for the HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750 (2015 - 2021)

13 owners have reviewed their HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750 (2015 - 2021) and rated it in a number of areas. Read what they have to say and what they like and dislike about the bike below.

Review your HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750 (2015 - 2021)

Version: High performance

Year: 2019

Top speed is way more than 105 mph and I run a custom exhaust by yours truly. I also run a 200/55/17 Dunlop rear tire

Year: 2017

You can wreck this thing and it just keeps going. Great power in mid and high rpms

Year: 2019

It was my entry bike into Harley Davidson. I have had it for 2 years-no issues, reliable and it is nice and simple to ride and suits my needs.

Expensive

Accessories fitted passenger back rest, crash bars and screen. Would like adjustable clutch lever as it to reduce distance of pull. (Small hands)

Buying experience: Dealer - Riders Bridgewater - they were excellent.

Version: Street Rod 750

Year: 2019

Annual servicing cost: £500

A flawed but endearing bike with an underrated motor and booming soundtrack with the right exhaust mods. Roundly disliked by Harley purists as it’s made in India, and disliked by every other biker because it’s a Harley. It’s the ideal bike for anyone wanting to socially distance at a bike meet....which makes it all the more appealing to me!

Underrated and characterful engine that does suffer from slightly lumpy fuelling at low speeds....this is not a typical Harley motor. In terms of power delivery, things get interesting at the point in the Rev range where traditional Harley motors run out of steam!

Reasonable build....just reasonable. Not bad, not top end either.

Harley dealer servicing prices are hilarious....beware Harley dealer attitudes to this bike. It’s the cheapest bike they sell and the dealer I used for service had a devil may care attitude to customer care that I don’t think would be applied to riders of more expensive models.

Everything you need and nothing you don’t. But ditch the standard exhaust immediately

Version: Custom

Year: 2017

Purchased bike from Harley reading on 14/02/2020. As a one off custom.the day I picked it up it had just had half loom put in. After having it plugged into trickle charger, then unplugging it it still wouldn’t start. Off to Guilford Harley 08/07/2020. Only to be told the loom has burnt through in a few places. Now waiting for loom to arrive from USA . What poor build quality. Had 31 miles on it upon collection. Now has only 1800 miles . Poor very poor

Never buy another Harley davidson

Exhaust sound is exceptional from a 750

Buying experience: Great friendly staff but no after sales at all shocking from such a high profile brand

Version: Xg750a street rod

Year: 2017

Annual servicing cost: £300

Flexible engine willing to rev and pulls well, corners well, although extremely hot to ride, odd leg position (easy to get used to) fob sometimes plays up. In my opinion a top class machine.

After recall brakes inspire confidence

Alarm fob plays up and neutral sometimes difficult to find.

Revs well pulls cleanly right up to 9000rpm redline

Buying experience: I bought two, Warrs of Chelsea sold me my second street rod that I find better for my riding style than the 48 special I had

Year: 2016

Annual servicing cost: £200

The finish is poor.each individual have their own opinion On their choice of bike.

Need to stop about every 2 hours

Had to be recalled for the braking system

Had to buy longer mirrors as the standard size are too short

Version: ROD

Year: 2019

Great Ride and Great Value for Money

This bike is very solid on the road. The 750 Street Rod, has bigger inverted front forks and less rake angle than the standard 750, all that leads to a more postivie handling. The bigger front shocks, make it look meaner. The Rod has twin front disk brakes with ABS, stops as quick as it goes.....no complaints.

Its great the way the Harley Torque pick-up at very low revs, must lead to a longer engine life. If you rev it harder you can get 70BHP from the Engine. Engines starts and sound like a much bigger. The large wider tank, helps this feeling of a bigger bike.

The 750 Street Rod has the equipment you need. Even although the mirrors make it wider for filtering, the mirrors are pretty good. The straight bars give a positive ride. Everything being blacked out.......leads to more ride time and less time cleaning chrome (love that bit). I have order up a Dan-Moto exhaust, which give free shipping in Asai. Load Pipes do Save Lifes. Also order a Louder Bosch Horn.

Buying experience: Bought New from a dealer in (Saudi Arabia) at a bargain of 5000 GBP, yes with ABS and Security. The Harley-Davidson salesman did a great job and has promised to help sell the bike when I leave the country.

Version: Street 750

Year: 2016

Annual servicing cost: £250

In general fair value for money and an O.K bike. Its not going to set the world alight but having not ridden for a few years and being 5 foot 6 with short legs the low seat height and price was the thing that made me test ride this model. I also have a 80s ducati so was looking for something different.

Easy to ride with low seat height and good balance. Ground clearance is a bit lacking but with the seat height and being a town bike its not a back road scratchier. Would have liked a longer range but i do get about 110 mile to a tank so O.K for a town bike.

Would have liked more torque from a v twin and runs out of puff out the top end. Fueling needs to be looked at as it can cut out at low speed. A bit of clutch and a blip of the throttle when coming on the power in corners helps to smooth things out. Clutch can judder at low speed is a pain when filtering in traffic but proper and careful adjustment will sort this out. Just have to wait and see how the clutch lasts long term.

1000 miles clutch needs looking at and fueling also needs to be sorted.

Cost of 1st service

Just what i was looking for. No mess.

Buying experience: Brought new from a main dealer. O.K but bike was delivered with the wrong speedometer and i did have to have a few words with them 2 months later when the 1st service was due to get it swapped. I did feel a little bit like " we've had your money " and " well its the cheapest bike we sell so he can wait " Not a get advert for the brand as i was looking to up grade after a year so may have to rethink about that II'i just see what happens on that one.

Year: 2016

Annual servicing cost: £800

The build quality is quite simply shocking, but the main issue with this bike is the fuel delivery which makes this bike dangerous to ride. Earlier models were recalled for this issue but it has not been fixed, if you pull away with average urgency with low-ish fuel the engine looses all power. Additionally under heavy braking you are unable to blip the throttle (handy in urban traffic - which is the purpose of this bike) as you turn the throttle and nothing happens until it suddenly kicks in.

I have the full stage 1 fitted and the bike is adequate for the daily commute in terms of power, but the fuel delivery issue makes this bike unsafe and a death trap. As you pull away the engine looses all power after circa 2 meters when you have low fuel. I have reported this to HD Europe.

After only two months ownership the rear shocks have rusted, engine medallion fallen off and the baffle has 'fallen' out of Vance and Hines exhaust.

The bike is a false economy, yes, it is cheap but you truly get what you pay for

My bike is quite heavily modified as I was not a fan of the factory look, the R&G tail tidy in my opinion was the best mod

Buying experience: I bought the bike new from a dealer. The purchasing side was fantastic, the customisation aspect was a debacle, half of what I ordered was either not put on the bike, or ordered, or wouldn't fit this model and I was told until I continually chased and was then offered a refund for these bits.

Year: 2016

I am 5'9" with a 29" inseam. When I complained to my dealer that the stock mirrors cannot be adjusted so I can see directly behind me I was told the motorcycle was designed for a smaller person.

Stock seat becomes extremely uncomfortable after about 20 miles and the stopping capability is marginal -- I don't look forward to every having to bring this bike to an emergency stop.

A very strong mid-size engine with more-than-average power.

This is a relatively high performance motorcycle -- more than capable of exceeding 100 mph. Yet, the front break on this bike will not adequately stop this motorcycle.

Not even a small essential tool kit and no place to even put it.

Buying experience: The asking price was $9200+ and the interest offered was 15.6%. I walked out after more than an hour of haggling with $6700 and 3.99 % interest.

Year: 2016

Annual servicing cost: £473

I bought the bike new, luckily it's the bike I'm reviewing not the dealer, I've received better customer service buying beans in Tescos!! To the bike: I'm not a new rider nor trading up, I'm the opposite, down sizing, I've owned a Blackbird, Falco, ZXR600, GPZ600......GS250T, TS100ER...I was very, very and pleasantly surprised with the Street 750. It's the first Harley I've ridden and not what I expected. The engine is a peach, it handles, looks are OK, it appears fairly well put together. There are a few niggles: Mirrors are pointless, you can see your arms, nothing else. The seat is overly soft, bum wriggling commences after about 45 min or so. In traffic the engine chucks out a bit of heat, on a cold day great, when it's hot not so. I leave my bikes standard, which in the case of this Harley is just as well, as contrary to adverts, there is not a lot of custom parts out there for it.

It loses out on 5 stars because of the seat. Personally I find the brakes fine. The suspension is more than ok.

It really is great.

So far no issues.

Seems good on fuel, although the tank range is only about 100 miles or so.

What you get works. No headlight switch (it's on all the time) nor passing light switch, but you don't actually need them, do you? Ok a fuel gauge would be a nice to have, and the rubber foot pegs take some get used to, but still 5 stars.

Buying experience: Where do I start with the dealer.....they didn't even fill the small petrol tank. Offering a cup of coffee does not amount to good customer service. Best I can say, is they can only improve.

Year: 2015

Annual servicing cost: £800

An excellent starter bike; this bike is absolutely lovely around town and can handle trips on the highway no problem. The motor and transmission work well, though it feels like a 7th gear for highway trips is almost needed as around 70 mph it really starts to bog down. That being said, the low seat height requires the foot pegs up high for cornering, as a result my knees are over the top of the 3 gallon tank, and my leg often cramps after half an hour or so on the highway. The lack of wind protection forces you to lean into the bike, which the handlebars aren't set up for and just plain isn't comfortable.

Suspension is well sorted for one person and handles a passenger no problem, but the brakes don't slow this bike down very much, I rarely lock the front and have locked the rear twice in the last 4000 miles.

Absolutely smooth, good power and torque in any gear save for the top of 6th gear. It is very easy to select the right gear.

My rear brake completely failed after less than 4000 miles, and was replaced, still not working right. Left mirror mount was damaged from the dealer and has yet to be fixed. Many wires are exposed and upon a closer look, the bike's finish is noticeably rough.

Dealer charged $350 for it's first service, due back for 5k soon, likely about the same. I usually average 40-45 mpg around town and ripping on the throttle.

Get a new seat, pipes, headlight, and bars. The seat is mush after an hour and is not suited for longer rides, ideally one that scoots the rider back a few inches, throw on some clubmans or a drag bar to get ya to lean into it, and pipes as this thing sounds awesome once ya lose the stock muffler.

Buying experience: Have consistently had problems with the dealer from walking in to the show room to trying to screw me on servicing costs not to mention the horrible service department that had my bike for 2 weeks only to fix the the problem after I walked down their to pick it up without a rear brake and they "fixed it" later that day.

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