Harley-Davidson Street 750 Cafe Racer
Daily Slideshow: The Harley-Davidson Street series of bikes are great as starter bikes or as small, agile daily commuters, but for the some, they are also great platforms for customizing. In Montana, Number 8 Wire Motorcycles took this one to the cafe.
Cafe Street
This may seem like a strange way to start off an article, but I've been told that I'm honest to a fault. While I'm not sure if that's really even possible, I'll be honest enough now to say that when Harley-Davidson announced the new Street 500 and 750 motorcycles, I didn't like them. When I went to a local dealer and saw them in person, I liked them even less. Between the import bike-style controls, the weird little engine and the overall styling, they just seemed "off" to me.
Maybe that's why I'm digging this 750 Cafe Racer built by Number 8 Wire Motorcycles in Montana...because they exploited the "off-ness" of the Street and, oddly enough, made it pretty damn cool.
Street 750
The stock Harley-Davidson Street motorcycles aren't necessarily bad bikes, but most H-D enthusiasts agree that the Motor Company missed the mark with them. However, the guys at Number 8 Wire Motorcycles in Philipsburg, Montana saw potential beauty in the Street 750, so they went to work on transforming one.
>>Join the conversation on Number 8 Wire Motorcycle's Street 750 right here in HDForums.
Heavy modification
The fabrication that went into this bike was nothing less than substantial, as you can see here. A custom-built gas tank gave the bike its cafe direction and the rest of the pieces were fabricated to match. The hours of labor that went into this build, to give it the look and feel that the guys at Number 8 Wire were shooting for, are not lost on this writer as the bike made its transformation from plain to insane.
>>Join the conversation on Number 8 Wire Motorcycle's Street 750 right here in HDForums.
Finishing touches
The earth tone colors of tan and brown are a must-have in the cowboy country of Montana and on this bike, they work exceptionally well. Small details like the custom-built seat and the shop name, hand-laid in pinstriping, on the side cover are indicative of the craftsmanship that took this bike to the next level.
>>Join the conversation on Number 8 Wire Motorcycle's Street 750 right here in HDForums.
A total transformation
This Street 750 got a total transformation with heavy emphasis on transform. The stock Street series bikes have a rather dull, hokey-pokey look about them. But this one looks like it is going 110 mph while it's sitting still. It begs to be ridden and ridden fast.
>>Join the conversation on Number 8 Wire Motorcycle's Street 750 right here in HDForums.
Realizing the potential
The one thing I failed to mention, early on in this write-up, was the performance of the Street series of engines. While I've referred to it as a "weird little engine", it's actually a very good performer, which is probably why Harley-Davidson is selling so many of these bikes. It's a great powerplant for a reliable, fast, and nimble custom-built machine like the one you see here.
>>Join the conversation on Number 8 Wire Motorcycle's Street 750 right here in HDForums.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
When I first heard that the MoCo was releasing a new "entry-level" bike, I got excited to see what it might be...I was picturing what I knew of H-D's smaller-framed lineup (the Dyna and Sportster families, specifically). When I saw the Streets, they were so different than the Harley-Davidson's that I knew, that I felt let down.
I must admit (being honest again), that I failed to see the potential in that little machine. The guys at Number 8 Wire Motorcycles saw the potential in them, though, and they have proven that there really is beauty in the Streets.
>>Join the conversation on Number 8 Wire Motorcycle's Street 750 right here in HDForums.
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