Harley-Davidson Street Bob

Harley- Davidson is an iconic brand that invokes memories of powerful engines, wide open highways, the wind in your face and mile munching in total and absolute glorious freedom on 2 wheels. Founded in Milwaukee,Wisconsin in 1903 this legendary manufacturer has kept the spirit of American motorcycling alive with its pathbreaking products. Known for the distinctive 'potato potato' sound courtesy their potent large capacity V-twin engines these bikes have made many a motorcyclist drool with the sheer auditory delight. Harley- Davidson comes with a lot of history and prestige and it is precisely this which has inspired a cult following in products sold worldwide under this brand name.

As of today, the current product line-up has been categorised under the following categories - Sportster, Dyna, Softail, V-Rod and Touring. The 'Dyna' range features custom styling with unmatched big twin performance which is ably embodied by the Dyna Street Bob.

Powered by the famed Air cooled Twin Cam 96 V-twin unit displacing 1,585 cc the Dyna Street Bob is every bit special as it seems to be. Featuring a bore X stroke ratio of 95.3 X 111.1 mm and a compression ratio of 9.2:1 this ESPFI (Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection) engine manages to crank out a mighty 124 NM of torque @ 3250 rpm. Harley- Davidson has always been known not to reveal actual peak power output, merely torque. But then this unit is all about torque and oodles of it courtesy the lightweight pistons which keep the refinement levels quite high without stressing out the engine. Slotting it into a higher gear at low speeds will not stall the engine, that's how this has been engineered.

The super torquey engine is mated to a 6 speed 'cruise drive' transmission that helps keep the engine speeds and wheel speeds in constant balance ensuring that power and torque are available throughout the rev range as and when required depending on the road and riding conditions. Cruising at triple digit speeds at low engine rpms is made possible due to this perfect match between engine and gearbox. This also ensures that engine internals are also not subject to unnecessary wear and tear thus helping the engine in the long run and also keeping routine service and maintenance expenses low at the same time keeping service intervals pretty far apart.

Mileage claims made by manufacturers always vary from actual figures since riding conditions, engine condition and riding style differ from person to person. The Dyna Street Bob returns an overall 18 kmpl under standard conditions. Users can expect between 12-15 kmpl in the city with highway runs returning 17-19 kmpl.

V twins are known to be very distinctive in terms of their method of delivering output and transferring it to the road in an easy and comfortable manner. The Dyna Street Bob is no exception here either. That said, this is no slouch and the bike pulls away with definite ease. It piles on speed with surprising potency all thanks to the wonderfully linear torque curve. Bobbers have always been stripped down custom variants keeping the weight low and the performance high so you can imagine what a delight the Dyna Street Bob can be like. The 305 kg kerb weight does not feel like much and the bike falls into corners with surprising ease. Bear in mind though that this is a cruiser and not a sportbike so lean in too hard and you risk grounding the pegs or the exhaust.

Having said that, the lean angles at 30 degrees on the right and 31 degrees on the left are not too bad either with a 1,630 mm wheelbase. Vibrations on the handlebars are also reduced due to the rubber mounted mini ape hanger setup that makes it a pleasure to handle on long rides. The suspension is adjustable for preload helping keep the setup free to suit individual choices. The custom Michelin tyres provide ample grip and aid handling sufficiently. Featuring a 100/90 front on a 19 inch wheel and rear 160-70 on a 17 inch wheel, the handling gains immensely. Braking duties are taken care of via a 4-piston fixed front and 2-piston torque-free floating rear brake system featuring ABS as standard.