Harley-Davidson is the most recognizable motorcycle brand in the world. They've manufactured some of the most popular bikes of all time, like the Road King, the Fat Boy, the Low Rider, the Dyna, the Street Glide, and the Road Glide. And then there's the Street 750.

The what?

Exactly.

For a lot of riders, Harley is the brand they jump to once they've got enough riding experience and confidence under their belts to something a little more impressive and higher-quality than the cheap Honda they got off Facebook Marketplace a couple of years prior. But much like its competitors, Harley-Davidson also produced an entry-level bike for first-time riders. The Street 750 just happened to be that very bike.

Along with its smaller sibling, the Street 500, the Street 750 stayed in production from 2014 to 2021 guiding beginners by the hand into the big and adventurous world of motorcycling. But just like any other model that had a limited run, the Street 750 wasn't without its flaws. Some saw it as a bike only for novice riders, and couldn't see it doing much outside of putting around the neighborhood. Others saw it as a drag on the Harley brand. White it did have its time in the sun, no one should have been surprised by its short life expectancy.

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Riders Would Outgrow The Street 750 Too Quickly

In brief, Harley's Street 750 was the ultimate entry-level bike the manufacturer ever produced. It was light, had very user-friendly handling, and anyone with zero riding experience would be able to gain the confidence to want to go out riding more frequently. While this bike would shine in suburban neighborhoods and in the big city where shifting wouldn't go beyond the third gear, and speed wouldn't be that high of a priority. Anywhere else, it would fall short. Riding for hours would prove to be exhausting, and any attempt of riding on the highway would be a big "no-no."

There's a reason why this bike is so often used in Harley's Riding Academy classes. It's compact, not too powerful, and easy to handle. But once you've covered the basics, there isn't much else this bike had to offer. Once you hit that ceiling, you'll be hungry for a bigger motorcycle. For a lot of former Street 750 owners, they hit that ceiling within a few months of ownership. Now they have to go through the buying process for a bigger bike all over again.

The Street 750 Left Many Riders Unimpressed

Whether you are a beginner rider or a veteran rider, everyone's experience on Harley's Street 750 was essentially the same. Yes, it covered the fundamentals. But in terms of room for growth, there was only so much it could do. Even though its 750cc liquid-cooled Revolution X engine did offer some decent power, very rarely would the owner of this bike find themselves pushing it to its absolute limits. Most of its riders would use it to take an easy cruise around town, and use it as a simple A-to-B vehicle. No one was looking to do anything crazy like do burnouts in a parking lot or crank the throttle to its fifth gear. This was just a bike meant for the bunny slopes. Just something to cover the basics of the basics, as well as serve as a thermostat to determine whether motorcycling is the right thing for you. Because if it isn't, then you may have just saved yourself a lot of spare time and money. Maybe there's another hobby to your liking, like archery or pickleball!

The Street 750's size is what also made it very popular among women and shorter riders. But anyone that is above-average height would find themselves feeling very uncomfortable very fast. If your height was 5-foot 8-inches or higher, you would look and feel like a circus bear on a unicycle. In a learning environment, this would be acceptable. But out in the real world, it is a blow to your self-image. And Harley seemed to understand that it wouldn't be missing out on much of their primary demographic by letting this bike go.

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For A Harley It Was "Meh"

People tend of have certain expectations when it comes to owning a Harley-Davidson. Whether it's their first or fifth Harley, they expect it to be powerful, cool, and badass. Basically, all the kind of qualities they would like to have associated with themselves. Models like the Fat Boy, Road King, and Road Glide are perfect examples of that. Unfortunately for the Street 750, it didn't have that same "wow" factor to keep it in the mix. Sure, the blacked-out engine is cool, and lots of newer motorcycles these days are adopting this look over shiny chrome. But it isn't enough to make someone at a meet to break out their phone and take a picture.

Its reputation isn't known for being a powerful, comfortable, or customizable bike. It wouldn't turn heads at any motorcycle rally, and it didn't sow any seeds of jealousy among other riders. It was just a dead giveaway that says "I'm a newbie." Granted it may have been the right motorcycle for some people. But not enough riders saw a part of themselves in this bike that would keep it in production. If anything, Harley probably allowed this bike to stay in production for seven years just to stock up on learner bikes for its Riding Academy classes, instead of putting them on display at dealerships.

And if someone willingly purchased a Street 750, it would be because they were too scared of a slightly-larger bike like an Iron 883 or 1200, or it was the only bike that felt comfortable, or it was the cheapest bike for sale.

There Were Better Options Available

If you purchased a motorcycle, rode it for a few months, and then return to the dealership to buy a bigger bike, you probably would have wished that you bought the bigger bike in the first place. This was a fairly common experience many former Street 750 riders shared. Many would confess to outgrowing the bike too quickly and desired more power, size, and comfort in a bike they would want to own for the long-term like the Iron 1200 and Street Bob. Because so many Street 750 owners held onto the bike for the short-term, or held onto the bike but only rode it a handful of times per year, it didn't really capture the hearts and minds of other Harley riders. If anything, it was more of a waste of time for when they could have been riding the motorcycle they actually wanted, instead of the motorcycle that their wallet wanted.

Many riders would lump it in with other entry-level bikes like the Honda Shadow, Kawasaki Vulcan, or Honda Rebel 500. Just something very affordable and easy to ride, but definitely not permanent. For many Harley riders, they will stick with their favorite model until death. Some will forever stay hardcore Road Glide riders. Others will forever stay loyal to the Fat Boy. But you will be hard-pressed to find anyone that is as passionate about the Street 750.