HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET BOB (2006-on) Review

2014 streetbob 4 months old and already going rusty, I have had problem with brake lever not returning properly, blown bulbs I keep the bike in garage all the time , cleaned all the time , Harley uk are not interested , local dealer say well you shouldn't really ride Harleys in the winter.I am absolutely disgusted overpriced , and poor quality.I have been riding for 30 years and this is the poorest quality bike I have ridden.

I have never owned a Harley, but have worked for Harley Davidson as a mechanic and have had a wee go of most Harley's hundreds of times. The Street Bob is one of my favorite Harley's. Its got the real bad boy look in the mat black and with a few blacked out bits and a sidey number plate looks the dogs balloons. The engine is reliable and strong and everything about Harley's is solid. I find the DYNA range spot on. Bigger and badder than sportsters but without the outrageous weight of the bigger bikes. Not much more to buy the a 1200 sportser either. They really do need forward controls like the early models had standard. The bars should line up with the forks from a side view but some people put them forward for look, but this makes it harder than it already is to control at slow speeds or around town (unless you've got arms like a giraffes neck). The Systems Relays blow on all modern fuel injection harley's all the time so keep a few spare, the ignition will come on and you won't hear the fuel and the bike won't start. Voltage regulators need to kept as out of rain as poss, stupid that they are right behind the front wheel. Over all cool harley

Mean looks, acceptable handling (for what it is)and full V&H exhaust system is what old style biking is all about. The brakes at rubbish, the suspension not much better, but hey who cares. Surprisingly fast at cruising on the motorway and has "reasonably" build quality. Really love it though.

Jumping off a Z750 to Harley Bob was a bit of a shock at first. It would be even worse doing it from a sports bike. It takes time to get to know a Harley, know how to ride it, know how to stop it and most of all know how to enjoy it. You need to forget preconceptions and "get" the Harley thing. Forget the owners group preconceptions forget the slow tractor stuff and takke time to appreciate what it really is. Harleys have soul. If you had bikes before the onslaught of the Japanese, you'll know what I mean. Not that there is anything wrong with Japanese biukes - they're just a different concept. If you are not sure - go hire a Harley for a weekend, but have a mission in mind - go some place special and then see if you "get" it.

I've been riding for 21 years, before this I owned 4 honda's and a 2 yamaha, all street bikes. I love this bike, big breaks make stopping easy with a passenger (unlike my honda shadow), nothing rattles when you go over bumbs, paint is high quality, lots of torque means I don't shift down. The mini ape handle bars add to the handling in that the require extremely small input for turning. I love the way this bike looks, it has a comfortable seat that my 35 year old bum can handle for 400 miles without complaining. A set of slip ons and new air filter and I don't shift down at highway speeds anymore. This has the 6 speed transmission. I average 50 mpg mixed driving. It is heavy enough that 20mph crosswinds don't send me leaning to the ground. My only complaint is harley's maintenance plan which is expensive and overkill (changing gear fluid every 5k miles?? plllease) But while I hate the maint. plan, I love this bike. I hope to keep it for a long time.

My first "new" Harley, an 07 gloss black Street Bob, great looks, fun to ride, very comfy but, quality is poor, several parts went rusty within weeks, steering stem at the base of the bottom yolk, footrest shims, wheel bearings and exhaust ends are the obvious ones, the engine fin machining is so sharp I was cut twice when cleaning it, the front brake is very poor, no shock adjustment tool is supplied with a £9k bike ! after 2 months the headlight rivets gave up, this is the one item they were interested to sort out under warranty. The dealer has been good but the Harley rep blamed the wet weather for the rust and has admitted that HD HQ dont listen to complaints. For a few "cents" this bike would be a lot better. Other than those few things the bike is a lot of fun to ride.

Bought my Street Bob in March 07 after 3 years of Sportster ownership (Another great bike) Loved it from the moment it arrived, looks good and feels good. Some minor changes since purchase which include, Vance and Hines slip ons, smoked lenses, Kuryakyn rear light, lay down plate etc. Most of my riding is on A and B roads and the Bob does just fine here. Okay it’s never going to beat a race rep round the twisties, but for a feel good feeling it’s hard to match. Bike cruises happily at 70-80 and the 1584 engine is quite happy to go much faster, but with those ape hangers and no wind protection it’s hard to sustain speeds above 90 for any length of time, but then again why would you? Thjat’s not what the Street Bob’s about. I find the seat can get uncomfortable after 100 miles (but that may be my ageing body rather than anything wrong with the seat) and fuel consumption isn’t great at around 40mpg. I have done a few 3-400 mile trips in a day and as long as you stop to stretch your legs now and then it’s fine. I may change the mid-controls/bars/seat just to see if I can find a more comfortable position, however this will be done slowly as I changed the bars and seat on the Sportster and whilst it looked great it was awful for long distance riding. Will I change it for something else? Probably not in the near future as I love every mile, but should my body continue to deteriorate in this way (damn all that hard living!) a bagger may be in line for the future. So if you are considering a Harley the Street Bob is great value for money and also a great base if you’re into customising. Aren’t all Harley owners into this? One thing I will say is that after 28 years of riding, the Harleys have given me more fun than any of the Italian or Japanese bikes I have ridden and I have also done more miles on them than I did on any of my other bikes in years and that I think speaks for itself… The bike is only 4 months old and I have done 3,800 miles already and I don't commute due to my work. So every mile has been stolen and even my wife dosn't mind... as she loves the bike too. In fact it has inspired her so much that she is now taking her CBT. Might also be the fact that the Bob only has a single seat and she don't trust me on my own! Whatever it is I'm sure she'll have her own HD once she passes her test.

already done 6000 miles found it to be a great tourer with lots of comfort for the miles