Revisit: Harley-Davidson Street 500

Harley-Davidson has built its reputation on big motorcycles. The header ‘Subtlety’ has never been on the whiteboard at product planning meetings in the Motor Company’s Milwaukee bunker. No, it’s always been about masculine heft, shiny stuff and noise.

That meant that H-D really owned the big cruiser market. For a very long time, if you wanted a big V-twin, there was only one real option—especially if your ego was a little fragile.

Enter the Street 500. Landing Down Under in February 2015, the whole idea was to grab a decent market share of the growing sectors of LAMs (Learner Approved Motorcycles) and its global equivalents, along with returning riders who may not throw a leg as easily as they once did. Indeed, there was a market ready made. The fact that the bike has become the top-selling Harley-Davidson offering on the Australian market would suggest the H-D team has nailed it.
STREET 500 IN BIKE SHOWROOM

Yes, the Street 500 is all about accessibility. The low seat height of 709mm has helped draw customers who may have found the idea of a big American V-Twin just a little intimidating. Add in the competitive price of $9995 rideaway and it’s clear to see why those newcomers are lining up for Harley’s entry level 500.

Harley-Davidson’s PR and advertising honcho in Australia, David Turney, suggests that demand is indeed overtaking supply, but there is not a big wait for a bike. That’s just about the perfect setup when dealing with the domestic bike market and the H-D Oz crew is thrilled with the response to the bike locally.

“We are looking to move about 1500 units this year and we are right on track for that to take place,” he says.

So, enough of where the bike is situated, let’s hit the road on the smallest Hog.

First impressions are that the seating position is neutral and quite comfortable, certainly appealing to those that may not be used to muscling a big bike around, but the mid-mount pegs, while placed well while on the move (Harley reckons it did much research on peg placement and that this represents the optimum for stop/start urban running) interfere when placing feet on the ground at stops. More than once I found myself catching a calf when stopping at lights and the like.

The bike is powered by the brand’s all new Revolution X 494cc fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, 60-degree V-twin. Harley-Davison boffins reckon the smoothness offered by liquid cooling was the way to go to make things easier for newcomers. I reckon they are right.

Power is steady rather than startling. 36hp (27kW) does the job, hitting peak power at a pretty high 7100rpm, and getting ahead of the traffic is really pretty easy. If you like it relaxed and entirely predictable, the Street’s easy linear power will appeal. Of course, you are not looking to greet the flag first at Assen if you are in the market for a bike in this sector, and the highlight in regard to this engine is its delivery of 40Nm of torque at a nicely low 3500rpm. People talk of horsepower as the holy grail of performance measurement for a motorcycle. Well, you can get ahead of the game by being aware that, for daily on-road applications, torque is where it’s at, and getting away from traffic, overtaking and sharp response from low revs is all about torque. This one’s good in that area.

Handling doesn't throw up any surprises, but the front-end is a little vague. Feedback is muffled by the Street’s geometry, but it's nicely light and unsurprising. The bike seems reluctant to fall into an early lean when entering corners, but once over it’s all pretty sure-footed. The bike holds its line and allows early application of power on exiting corners and, of course, the payback here is straight line stability, an area in which it shines. The experienced rider will be touching hardware on the tarmac fairly regularly, with only 28.5-degree lean angles possible on both sides.

The gearbox is silky smooth. Those familiar with Harley-Davidsons will know the renowned clunky ‘bag-o’-spanners nature of the H-D transmission. Happily, The Street is not so afflicted and offers a very precise and smooth change. Again, we see the newcomer and the sort of user-friendliness that he/she will appreciate coming into play.

The single disc and twin piston caliper never risk overpowering the bike, so unintended front-end lockups are unlikely. Cruisers are often considered a little underbraked and less often actually are. The reason for this is pretty simple. The front-end geometry of a rake of 32 degrees and trail of 115mm sees the bike ‘raked-out’. This means that the angle of the forks from headstock to the ground is less steep than those of a sports bike, and massive stopping power will ‘push’ a bike with those numbers. The setup has taken all that nicely into account, and braking is perfect for a bike of this ilk.

Fuel capacity is 13.1 litres. While that’s not a huge tank, stopping reasonably regularly is good for the older and newer rider alike. One for bladder attention and the other for posing. After all, who doesn’t like Mr and Mrs Citizen with their caravan in tow ogling your new ride? Range is pretty reasonable, with the factory claiming 3.7lt/100km. While I’m a little skeptical that the bike is that frugal when it comes to consumption, 300km between stops should be easily possible.

Finish is only reasonable. Paintwork is lustrous, the analogue speedo-only dial housing two trip meters and warning lights neat and easy to read. Where the bike is lacking is in the finer details and overall neatness in regard to ancillary plumbing and electrics and there is a deal of exposed wiring around the headstock. The bike is indeed built to a price, but all this could be a little tidier for mine. The 500 is made in India and this is a delicate area for Harley-Davidson, especially in its home market. The locals stateside are very conscious of the ‘Made in the USA’ phenomenon, and let’s face it, H-D has been trading on that patriotic brand alliance since 1903. I’m not sure that the 500’s fit and finish is really helping the brand’s premium status, but again, at that price you are not going to get a Road King.

The Street 500 is well priced, providing an entry into the whole Harley-Davidson marketplace for those on a budget. It offers a neat liquid-cooled new engine package and does what it says on the tin. For those looking to buy into the incredible phenomenon and lifestyle that Harley-Davison ownership brings without having to take out a second mortgage or wrestle a dirty big Hog, the bike hits the mark in a big way. The Street 500 is finding buyers hand over fist with the local marketplace snapping the bike up, and it’s pretty easy to see why.

What we liked…
User-friendly
Linear power delivery
Good price

Not so much...
Fit and finish a little down
Front-end vagueness
Peg placement interferes

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 36.2hp (36.7ps/27kW) at 7100rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 40Nm at 3500rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed
Final drive: Belt

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 222kg
Rake: 32 degrees
Trail: 115mm
Seat height: 709mm
Wheelbase: 1534mm
Fuel capacity: 13.1 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $9995 rideaway
Colours: Black
Bike supplied by: Harley-Davidson Australia, harley-davidson.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres