44 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDERand shorty fender is the perfect fi nish to
a stylish, modern and Harley-esque bike.
The 500 comes in either gloss black or
a burgundy colour that reminded me of a
Camry. I put that ugly thought out of my
mind and by the end of the day I found
it quite a ractive. My only concerns with
the build quality are some messy cables
and bare electrical wire couplings that
should be tidied up. Other than that, it
fi ts Harley’s usual build standards.
However, when you turn it on and
let it idle, it doesn’t sound or feel like a
Harley as there is no initial thump and
virtually no vibe from the water-cooled
Revolution X engine while the stock
pipes are almost mute. If you like your
bikes quiet, then you’ll be pleased with
the lack of mechanical engine noise,
so transmission clunk and the quiet-
running, maintenance-free belt drive.
One of the test bikes was fi ed with
various accessories such as a windscreen
and Screamin’ Eagles and I’m pleased to
report that the a ermarket pipes give it
quite a juicy note. Click it into gear and
again it doesn’t sound like a Harley as
there is only a snick, not a massive clunk.
Let the clutch out and it romps away,with 50Nm of Harley-style torque pulling
the lightweight 218kg bike swi ly off the
starting line in the traffi c-light derby.
Once we gave it some revs and a
few gear changes, even the bikes with
standard-issue pipes started to reveal a
variety of acceptable choruses. Liberated
with be er-breathing air fi lter and pipes
for a decent suck and blow, it should
produce quite a pleasant motorcycle
opus.
Around town it rides confi dently over
Sydney’s broken concrete, thanks to its
17in front wheel and 15in rear wheel, a
good set of rear shocks and sturdy forks.
With the rear preload on its so est
se ing, the ride is plush without feeling
sloppy. There are still plenty of clicks le
to adjust for a pillion and some luggage.
Steering is moderately precise and
stable. I targeted a few longitudinal
gouges in the road but it didn’t want to
follow the cracks, so Melbourne riders
should have some joy over their tricky
tram tracks. Thanks to the wet roads all
the way to Scarborough and back, it was
diffi cult to assess the full extent of its
handling when pushed hard, but it coped
quite well in these conditions.Hit the brakes and they lack some
initial bite and feel a bit spongy, so you
have to pull the lever and push the wide
rubber brake pedal fi rmly. However, it
does have eff ective stopping power and
the lack of initial bite makes it safer in
the wet. The Street 500 is now the only
bike in the Harley fl eet without ABS, but
the Michelin Scorchers have good wet-
stopping grip.
Fuelling via the single 38mm Mikuni
thro le body is very smooth which
makes slow and tight manoeuvres easy.
Together with the light clutch pull and
smooth and refi ned transmission, it will
be a competent and happy commuter.
It is powered by the new water-cooled
Revolution X engine with about 40kW
of power and 50Nm of torque, but only
218kg in running order which is 33kg less
than a Sportster 883 Iron. It’s not enough
to stretch your arms, but it’s enough to
keep you out of trouble in the traffi c-
light derby.
The Revolution X engine revs up
quickly without much inertia resistance,
but it soon runs out of breath before the
8000-rev redline. For the best results, you
need to work the gears a li le more thanr Colour options are limited, but we are tipping black will be a favouriteARR112_040-046_HD Street 500.indd 44ARR112_040-046_HD Street 500.indd 44 2/3/2015 9:49:37 AM2/3/2015 9:49:37 AM