[fkystreet]

Wanted to start a series of facts that maybe harder to find about the HD Street. Everyone is encouraged to join in and add their rare or interesting facts about the HD Street or about HD in general.



Did you know that the Harley Davidson Street 500 and 750 are built on brand new platforms? The last time Harley Davidson came out with an all new platform was 14 years ago!

 

[Livin On]

did you know they're building them in india now too...

 

[harleyhoonigan]

did you know they're building them in india now too...

I wonder if Indian's would appreciate having an american built harley instead of one built in their homeland. Usually people appreciate things being built in their home market.

 

[fkystreet]

They only only building them in India for the Indian market.

Well I will continue to facts:

The rumored HP and Torque figures for the HD Street:

54 hp at 7,500 rpm, with 44 pound-feet of peak torque arriving at an unspecified rpm

 

[Livin On]

I wonder if Indian's would appreciate having an american built harley instead of one built in their homeland. Usually people appreciate things being built in their home market.

definitely not with the associated cost increase from protective tariffs...

 

[fkystreet]

Another factoid for you Street fans!

The Street 750 and Street 500 are very similar from a engine standpoint

The difference is the BORE.
The 750 bore is at 85mm where as the 500 is only 69mm.

That is it!

 

[Desert Tortoise]

Some of us might argue that the Street's real predecessor is the mid 1970's Harley Davidson OHC 1100 prototype.

 

[Desert Tortoise]

Here is the left side view of the 1100 OHC.

 

[harleyhoonigan]

Just looking at that alone reminds me a lot of the street.back in those days i remember them having a lot of lower CC bikes. At least there's some historic value in the new streets.

 

[Desert Tortoise]

Look carefully. Like the new Street, each cylinder has it's cam chain and spark plug on opposite sides. The rear head is just the front head rotated 180 degrees. It is a 60 degree SOHC V-Twin like the Street with the final drive on the left. Even the wheels are of the same general style. The biggest difference is the 1100 OHC prototypes were air cooled.

Some will say an engineer left Harley on less than amicable terms and brought this design and that of the Nova V-4 to his new employer, Yamaha, where they became the Virago and V-Max respectively. This prototype considerably predates the Virago and the resemblance is apparent, right down to which side of the head each cylinder's cams are driven from, plug locations and the mounting of the starter.

 

[Livin On]

Look carefully. Like the new Street, each cylinder has it's cam chain and spark plug on opposite sides. The rear head is just the front head rotated 180 degrees. It is a 60 degree SOHC V-Twin like the Street with the final drive on the left. Even the wheels are of the same general style. The biggest difference is the 1100 OHC prototypes were air cooled.

Some will say an engineer left Harley on less than amicable terms and brought this design and that of the Nova V-4 to his new employer, Yamaha, where they became the Virago and V-Max respectively. This prototype considerably predates the Virago and the resemblance is apparent, right down to which side of the head each cylinder's cams are driven from, plug locations and the mounting of the starter.

thats quite the story, why do you think Harley waited so long to resurrect the concept?

 

[Desert Tortoise]

thats quite the story, why do you think Harley waited so long to resurrect the concept?

Resistance from the, I will be polite here, traditionalists. Do you remember the howls of outrage at the FXR? The frame was claimed to look "too Japanese". Ditto when the Evolution engines arrived. Resistance to the appearance of the FXR frame was so great Harley had to sacrifice frame stiffness and thus handling to sell the more traditional looking Dyna Superglide. Well, pretty soon the only rides the HD traditionalist will be pimping will be their walkers and now HD needs tack that appeals to a new generation of buyers (who cares if they ride as long they buy, right?)

Same thing with the 1979 Sportster, which featured a triangulated frame from the XLCR. Oh the horror, the cries of outrage. Function? Can't have that! By 1982 Harley had a new frame that didn't show the triangulation necessary to make a good handling bike.

Just me, but I wish old Vaughn Beals had put the company's money in the 1100 OHC and Nova rather than the Evo twins. I had cash saved for a new Nova by 1983 but the project was cancelled. I bought a BMW instead, but every time I look at the images of the faired Nova at the Harley museum I say to myself I would buy one today if Harley would just make it.

 

[fkystreet]

Any photos of this Nova you speak of?