I received my Street 750 4 weeks back and has been 1200 kms of pure fun till now.
Prologue
I bought Royal Enfield Thunderbird in 2009. It has served me well for many road trips but with the road conditions improving all around Bangalore, urge for something powerful started growing.
I never had any inclination towards sportsbike. So Harley seemed to be the logical upgrade. Checked superlow, finance options seemed good.
But then heard the news of Triumph launch. This is when I started spending lot of time reading motorcycle on internet and the more I read, more I was moving towards Triumph(Bonneville vs Superlow war started). But Triumph kept on delaying plans and I was even skeptical about launch. And I had more time to read. Finally on one fateful day, Triumph finally launched.
But now there was one more twist. Photos of an unidentified cruiser being tested in India surfaced. This had some of Harley traits and wait further continued.
Then Harley launched Street 750, a made in India, made for Indian streets that too a new liquid cooled , 6 speed derived from V-Rod (you get rear seat, foot peg and lockable gas cap for free
). Pricing was the icing on cake. Finally decided that this is the time to buy without any more wait. There were 3 contenders
1. Triumph bonneville
2. Street 750
3. Kawasaki Ninja 650
First took test ride of Bonneville. Loved the bike. Seating position was exactly same as my Royal enfield, felt very comfortable and at home . Power was good, nothing scary. Suspension was ok, nothing great. Brakes were excellent. Overall a very good package
Next was Street 750 test ride. First thing you notice is bike looks short and your knees go over tank but there is ample ground clearance. Bike felt powerful, even more than Bonneville. Bike felt very smooth, no vibrations at all very much unHarleyish. I was at triple digits and realized only on looking at odometer. Suspensions are very good and does its job efficiently, soaks all the undulations on road. Only negative feeling after test ride was about the brakes, very spongy and lacks bite.
And finally ninja 650, proven engine and a good tourer. I was worried about ninja blowing me away from the other nakeds but somehow, I didn't like the ride on Ninja. Power was there but I felt uncomfortable sitting on it, feet position seemed weird and back slightly bent and suspension also stiff. I realized this is not meant for me.
Between Street and Bonneville, it was Street. Only advantage of Bonneville over Street was the brakes, tyres and finishing but Street was more comfortable. also Street is 2 lakhs cheaper.
Delivery and initial experience
After a painful wait of 4 months received my Denim street on 1st of September. Bike is a bliss to ride in open roads. It has lot of power but currently speeds are restricted due to run in. Windblast is more compared to the other bikes I have ridden (enfield, duke, dyna). Maybe because bike is shorter and larger part of your upper torso is exposed. A good windshield might do the trick.Handling is spot on, lean angle is good. Suspension is set at softest setting by factory. I have changed it to mid settings, now I can go over all the great Bangalore speed breakers without worry (even with pillion).
Positives
-Awesome engine, nice power
-Very good suspension
-Handles very well, leans nicely and is very stable around corners
Negatives
-Brakes should have been better. Both front and rear brakes are very spongy and lack necessary stopping power.
-Foot pegs could have been of better quality and more rigid. My trousers get caught up when riding during slow moving traffic.
-Mud guards should have been longer. Radiator is exposed to all the dirt and water on road
Accessories
-Only accessory installed is back rest and luggage rack. I am still waiting for crash guard but it might take another month or so.
-Other accessory that I will go for is tail bag and windshield (National Cycle has a nice one).
-Not interested in exhaust. From past experience, noisy exhaust becomes irritating on long rides and adds to fatigue. I like the current stealth mode.
-Braided lines and brake pad (SBS)
-Security system
Issues observed
-Found the rear brakes leaking from bleed valve. It was not tightened properly.
-Front brake cable shakes slightly every time I apply brakes. Maybe it should be bled. Will try to resolve during first service.
-Denim requires lot of care
Prologue
I bought Royal Enfield Thunderbird in 2009. It has served me well for many road trips but with the road conditions improving all around Bangalore, urge for something powerful started growing.
I never had any inclination towards sportsbike. So Harley seemed to be the logical upgrade. Checked superlow, finance options seemed good.
But then heard the news of Triumph launch. This is when I started spending lot of time reading motorcycle on internet and the more I read, more I was moving towards Triumph(Bonneville vs Superlow war started). But Triumph kept on delaying plans and I was even skeptical about launch. And I had more time to read. Finally on one fateful day, Triumph finally launched.
But now there was one more twist. Photos of an unidentified cruiser being tested in India surfaced. This had some of Harley traits and wait further continued.
Then Harley launched Street 750, a made in India, made for Indian streets that too a new liquid cooled , 6 speed derived from V-Rod (you get rear seat, foot peg and lockable gas cap for free
). Pricing was the icing on cake. Finally decided that this is the time to buy without any more wait. There were 3 contenders1. Triumph bonneville
2. Street 750
3. Kawasaki Ninja 650
First took test ride of Bonneville. Loved the bike. Seating position was exactly same as my Royal enfield, felt very comfortable and at home . Power was good, nothing scary. Suspension was ok, nothing great. Brakes were excellent. Overall a very good package
Next was Street 750 test ride. First thing you notice is bike looks short and your knees go over tank but there is ample ground clearance. Bike felt powerful, even more than Bonneville. Bike felt very smooth, no vibrations at all very much unHarleyish. I was at triple digits and realized only on looking at odometer. Suspensions are very good and does its job efficiently, soaks all the undulations on road. Only negative feeling after test ride was about the brakes, very spongy and lacks bite.
And finally ninja 650, proven engine and a good tourer. I was worried about ninja blowing me away from the other nakeds but somehow, I didn't like the ride on Ninja. Power was there but I felt uncomfortable sitting on it, feet position seemed weird and back slightly bent and suspension also stiff. I realized this is not meant for me.
Between Street and Bonneville, it was Street. Only advantage of Bonneville over Street was the brakes, tyres and finishing but Street was more comfortable. also Street is 2 lakhs cheaper.
Delivery and initial experience
After a painful wait of 4 months received my Denim street on 1st of September. Bike is a bliss to ride in open roads. It has lot of power but currently speeds are restricted due to run in. Windblast is more compared to the other bikes I have ridden (enfield, duke, dyna). Maybe because bike is shorter and larger part of your upper torso is exposed. A good windshield might do the trick.Handling is spot on, lean angle is good. Suspension is set at softest setting by factory. I have changed it to mid settings, now I can go over all the great Bangalore speed breakers without worry (even with pillion).
Positives
-Awesome engine, nice power
-Very good suspension
-Handles very well, leans nicely and is very stable around corners
Negatives
-Brakes should have been better. Both front and rear brakes are very spongy and lack necessary stopping power.
-Foot pegs could have been of better quality and more rigid. My trousers get caught up when riding during slow moving traffic.
-Mud guards should have been longer. Radiator is exposed to all the dirt and water on road
Accessories
-Only accessory installed is back rest and luggage rack. I am still waiting for crash guard but it might take another month or so.
-Other accessory that I will go for is tail bag and windshield (National Cycle has a nice one).
-Not interested in exhaust. From past experience, noisy exhaust becomes irritating on long rides and adds to fatigue. I like the current stealth mode.
-Braided lines and brake pad (SBS)
-Security system
Issues observed
-Found the rear brakes leaking from bleed valve. It was not tightened properly.
-Front brake cable shakes slightly every time I apply brakes. Maybe it should be bled. Will try to resolve during first service.
-Denim requires lot of care
