Roaring through the street, Bob!

With various customisation options, every Harley Davidson Street Bob is unique

Ever seen a typical American movie set in the countryside, or on the vast tracts of desert and shrubbery dotting the US South-West?

Seen a scene involving a two-wheeled monster dominate its way forward on a lonely road, across an open expanse, often with a bearded, black-jacketed giant astride? How can anyone watch such a sequence and not identify the monster.

One of the greatest bikes of all time, cruiser personified, a machine for men, its roar is enough to know it has arrived or it’s approaching – Har! Har! Harley! Harley! Harley! Harley! Harley Davidson!

Harley Davidson, or call it just Harley, the name evokes awe and respect. It has been ‘The Bike’ for many. People across the globe have fancied buying one and those lucky enough to own one of these big guns have treasured it forever.

The Harley story

It is worth giving an introduction of the famous brand. Based out of the state of Wisconsin, USA, Harley Davidson is a heavyweight in the cruiser motorcycle category since 1901.

Known for its choppers and bobbers, apart from the most popular cruisers, since its inception more than 110 years now, HD has received a cult status all over the world and is appreciated for its deep throaty vocals (exhaust sound), which can never be aped by any other manufacturer. One can recognise an HD from over a few hundred metres.

After finding its way into many global markets, Harley Davidson finally forayed into Indian shores around 2009, with hand-picked showrooms selling CBU’s (Completely built units) for a few customers and enthusiasts who adored the cult classic motorcycles.

Among the many babies from the Harley stable sold in India, Tusker Harley dealership on Lavelle Road, Bangalore, has now added two custom variants from the ‘Dyna’ family, ‘Street Bob’ and ‘Street Glide’, to its CKD (Completely Knocked-Dow) unit line-up.

As part of the CKD operations, a motorcycle is shipped completely dismantled from Wisconsin to the Haryana-based Harley Davidson plant in India, where it is assembled. This system helps reduce tax, in turn reducing the cost of these motorcycles by about 20-25 per cent.

I got a chance to test and tame one the mean machines, when Tusker offered me a ride on the Street Bob.

The Street Bob is powered by a ‘formidable’ 1585 cubic centimetre, twin cam, V-twin air-cooled engine roaring under the seat and is literally a force to reckon with.

The Street Bob is customisable, meaning each machine can be fitted with parts and accessories, making it unique in appearance, engine sound and having a different and an individual feel to it.

One can change its ergonomics and power components like the ‘screaming eagle’ exhaust pipes and air intakes to suit his thirst for power and torque, and of course, to go well with the thundering roar he wants to hear from the engine.

‘Evil’ as it gets, the Street Bob also features several specific changes made available in India, to the factory stock build, priced at Rs 12,07,000 (on-road Bangalore).

The changes include customised hand grips, handle bars, foot pegs, fuel tanks, number plates, the list goes on, and according to Tusker Harley, each bike’s price may go up based on the customisation ordered by the client. The customisation involving the paint job and engine upgradations needs to be sourced from abroad.     


Its a ‘Motorcycle’, not a bike

Motorcycling is an adventure and emotion that radiates me to don the jacket and feel the power of the motor under the seat. Bob brings a smile each time you realise being on it and there is always something new you can expect, as each Harley ride is an experience.
The legendary cult motorcycle is the father of all cruisers and all you need is a never-ending road and you can effortlessly cruise all the way up to ‘Mars’. 

The Bob that I rode had a specially customised paint job, of the sorts from the 2007 Nicholas Cage flick ‘Ghost Rider’, with skulls on the fuel tank and an aluminium skull for the fuel hatch. Oh yes! It also had an LED light fuel indicator shaped like a skull. Now that’s evil!

  The customised handle bars, though stylish, were not very comfortable for a person with an average Indian height, especially while dodging traffic and so were the foot pegs, which were far too wide for a 5-foot-9er like me.

No complaints though, as you don’t buy a Harley Davidson and ride it like a maniac around city traffic, make your way through footpaths or the motocross terrain to reach office in half hour. It is more for that Sunday ride on the highway, when you have reached Mysore even before you realised it!

Fasten your seat belt

The Street Bob derives its name from the ‘Bobbers era’ of the 1940s and 50s, where they used to ‘Bob the mud guards’ or make them smaller and when extra parts like mirrors, extra long handle bars and long mud guards were removed to make the motorcycle lighter. This Bob definitively had all the qualities of a Bobber, but weighed in more than 300 kilos of massive aura.

Around 125 Newton meter of torque (you add a 20 more for this Screaming Eagle customised version) throws your rear off the saddle, with every twist of the throttle. Seat height from the ground is just right for a comfortable ride.

The customised fuel tank, handle bars and Screaming Eagles on the machine always remind you of the raw power of the V-twin.

These are not for the faint-hearted or the ones who wheelie around town on modified ‘bikes’. They are made for the ardent motorcycle fanatics, who understand the meaning of ‘Torque’ and its application.

Emotions turn awry while you are on the Bob. It’s a mysterious feeling. You get scared from the roaring air intakes while revving up and at the same time, you feel the adrenaline rush through your brain and pop out when you accelerate.

The torque builds a hungry excitement in your stomach. The heat produced by the air cooled 1585 cc engine keeps you hot even at -10 degrees! It is a fantastic experience that can only emanate from a Harley Davidson.

I liked the ‘Screaming Eagle’ air intakes which deceive you for a supercharged Mustang or a Camaro. It sounds lovely! The heart-stopping ride on the beast had an everlasting impression.  The song ‘Born to be wild’ by Steppenwolf lingered in my head even a few days later following the ride. My Bullet 500 did a bit to suffice the need for torque to match the Bob, but the power and feel just could not be matched.

CKD assembly

HD started CKD assembly operations from January last year and has been assembling three motorcycles namely the ‘Superflow’, ‘Iron 883’ and ‘Forty-Eight’ from Haryana. With the Street Bob and its chromed and flashy brother, Super Glide’s addition to its CKD line-up, Harley now assembles five motorcycles out of its 15 variants sold in India.

HD is the global leader in touring motorcycles. There is an old saying by Harley owners who believe that “Rock and Roll and Harley Davidson will never die”.

Harley Davidson sells motorcycles in more than 70 countries and also has an esteemed group of cult followers called HOG (Harley owners Group) in all these countries. Besides, it offers a wide range of HD motorcycles parts, merchandise, accessories, riding gear and apparel which have become cult in their own right and stand up for the bikes themselves.

(With inputs from Hrithik Kiran Bagade)