Hello Everyone!
Just a quick background, I am 23, M and 5'10 190lbs. I have very limited riding experience and have been trapped on an island in the pacific the last 3 years of my life with little freedom due to being a hospital corpsman attached to U.S. Marines.
I thought it would be exciting to try out the new street 750 and will pay it off with cash very soon.
I am set to rotate back to San Antonio Texas in January 2015 and will have a brand new Street 750 waiting for me.
When I tell people what I am purchasing I have heard some comment about the bike. Hearing things along the line of its not a "real" Harley or it's designed for women. Other things I hear are I will get bored with it after a few months of riding and want to upgrade to a larger bike therefore losing the money I invested on a new Street 750 opposed to a used sportster or softail.
Sorry for the long intro. Anyone else out there get similar feed back?
First of all welcome to the forum. You certainly came to the right place with your questions.
A little quick background so you know where I'm coming from. I'm 5'9", weigh in at about 200 lbs, I'm a Sportster owner that also purchased a Street 750. The Street is obviously smaller but both motorcycles are equal when it comes to how well they fit me.
No, the Street 500/750 were not designed for "women" but were designed for the 18-30 demographic and are suitable for individuals of both genders. It was like the misplaced moniker that Sportsters were a "woman's" motorcycle. It's pure BS in both cases. The motorcycle doesn't really care if you're a man or a woman.
I've been a Harley rider for many years and I purchased the first Street 750 at my local dealer. I've taken it there many, many times as well as riding it extensively (before tearing it down to build a chopper out of it) and not once have I heard any disparaging comments from other Harley riders about it. There was some resistance when the V-Rod was introduced over a decade ago by the old air-cooled Harley crowd but over time that resistance has all but disappeared. Today a "Harley is a Harley is a Harley" and it doesn't matter if it's the air-cooled Harley, the V-Rod or the Street Harley.
The Street 750, and the Street 500, are both excellent motorcycles that have more than enough power and performance to last a lifetime. Don't get sucked into the "displacement inflation" mindset because these are both top of the line motorcycles from a historical perspective. It is a nimble and exceptionally fun large (from a historical perspective) motorcycle to ride. Yes, you can go "bigger" but you do so by sacrificing performance from a riding perspective. My Sportster, while also an excellent motorcycle, doesn't corner as quite as well as the Street (both corner very well of course) and for someone that loves the curves the Street is a pleasure for me to ride.
Someday you might want a larger motorcycle to use for other purposes and that's fine. I like my Sportster for long road trips that I take every year for example. I really preferred the Street 750 for day trips riding the many mountain backroads we have here in the NW (I live near Seattle).
Now comes the "real test" of being a biker (Harley riders are bikers while those that ride other brands are typically "motorcyclists" LOL). If you do want another Harley for other purposes someday in the future you won't sell the Street, you'll just buy another Harley. There is the Harley owners credo.
If you have space in your garage then you need another motorcycle.
If you don't have space in your garage you need another garage.
Bbally goes one step beyond this believing if he has space in his living room he needs another motorcycle but that goes beyond the standard Harley owners credo and there is nothing wrong with that. LOL