Four bikes, from Harley’s Softail Series will be coming to India – the Fat Boy, Fat Bob, Street Bob and Heritage Classic. Of the four, the Street Bob is one bike you should seriously consider.
Introduction
The Street Bob is a bike that’s always been designed with a minimalistic approach. The bike retains the 19/17-inch front/rear wheel sizes from the previous bike. The well-integrated monoshock rear suspension, blacked-out mechanical bits and gaiters on the front suspension give it the air of an old-school stripped-down bobber. Instead of the tank-mounted console, there’s now a tiny, all-LCD instrument panel integrated into the handlebar mount. The round, single-pod headlight unit also features LEDs, like all the other 2018 Softails, and there’s a LED daytime running light (DRL) ring around the main light.
On the road
The basic hardware of this bike is the same – it continues to feature a 1,745cc V-twin motor that revs quickly and produces a healthy 144Nm. This engine is quite responsive too. While acceleration isn’t scary by any means, the bike offers enough grunt. You can even ride at low speeds in higher gears quite comfortably. The suspension has seen a massive update as well.
The bike features a single-seat, with rearward-set foot pegs and tall, mini-ape-hanger handlebars. The foot pegs also add a higher degree of control to the motorcycle, while the wide handlebars aid control on tight turns.
The Street Bob is a testament to just how brilliant a handler this bike is. The brakes are almost unchanged but provide much better stopping power, aided by the improved suspension that better tyres.
Price
Harley will launch the new Street Bob in India in mid-October. The current Street Bob costs ₹11 lakh (ex-showroom India), so you can expect it to be priced around ₹12 lakh.
