Harley Davidson 1585 Dyna Street Bob – Review and Pictures

[Radar]

The trouble with riding a Harley Davidson, any Harley Davidson is that you are not merely riding a motorbike. You are in fact trundling around on a brand, an image and to sound a little clichéd, an icon

So I had to try and put all this to one side when I rode a 2014 1585 Dyna Street Bob recently, and see just how good a motorcycle it is (or isn’t!). Well to my mild surprise it emerged pretty well. I like the stripped back minimalist looks, the more stuff that HD pile on a bike the worse they look in my opinion.

Yours truly at the helm, the bike was still on standard pipes at this point

To ride the Dyna Street Bob puts the grunt of the 1585cc motor to good use, especially when spiced up with the official stage II tuning kit and rather rorty pipes, as this example has been. This meant 97 bhp was on offer as well as big fat dollop of torque every time the throttle was opened. So as a result the big HD can cover ground surprisingly quickly. Any traffic encountered can be disdainfully picked off with a flick of the wrist, and the crescendo of sound from the pipes always seems to make drivers jump! Very juvenile and terribly addictive!

What the HD is all about

The brakes can just about deal with the performance on offer to haul over 300kg of motorcycle to a standstill. Ground clearance is an issue, especially on the right hand side where even moderate enthusiasm could get the sparks flying. But as I said the bike can be punted along at a quite surprisingly lick. The guy who owns the old girl can really shift on it and can live with people on bikes that are considered more conventionally quick. However the front can feel a little wayward too, and the bike can be jolted off line so concentration is a must. However overall the Dyna is a fun ride especially when you turn down the wick a notch, revel in the noise and torque and sweep majestically past slower moving traffic.

All the while the HD feels like the real deal, authentic: leather rather than vinyl, Coke rather than budget cola, silk rather nylon. This is a direct result of a solid, quality feel, an area where HD have really improved over the last decade or so. There are some cool design touches too, the neat multi function clocks, the combined tail/turn/stop lamp.

All of this makes for compelling enjoyable bike and one that has genuinely surprised me. I can see the appeal of this genre of bike now, something that has eluded me over the years. So buy, enjoy and please do not add too much tinsel and ruin the whole thing!

[HippoDrones]

I like them, but don’t want one. The engine on a standard 1200 is lovely but you def need the norty pipes as out the box it is pitifully quiet

[Radar]

I like them, but don’t want one. The engine on a standard 1200 is lovely but you def need the norty pipes as out the box it is pitifully quiet

I still wouldn’t buy one, but I did finally get where this type of bike has an appeal

[Radar]

Ridden this bike another couple of time since, most recently coming back from Shelsley Walsh to home, a lovely 15 mile ride that meanders through some of the most beautiful countryside you could hope to see. I have to say I really enjoyed myself, just cruising along the HD the perfect partner for a chilled ride. 

[HippoDrones]

I have been and continue to be tempted by the brand, I think from the end of the year on though the appeal of a new Harley will diminsh as they are being strangled by Euro4 emission rules and I think will be going LC from now on. I don’t think it will be Harley’s deathbed but it will bloody hurt them as they will become what the Jap bike manufacturers have been building but worse as they have not had the time to re-invent the wheel like they have.

[Radar]

I have been and continue to be tempted by the brand, I think from the end of the year on though the appeal of a new Harley will diminsh as they are being strangled by Euro4 emission rules and I think will be going LC from now on. I don’t think it will be Harley’s deathbed but it will bloody hurt them as they will become what the Jap bike manufacturers have been building but worse as they have not had the time to re-invent the wheel like they have.

Interesting points. Have you tried an Indian or a Victory?

[HippoDrones]

I don’t like the Victory bikes at all, they look cheap and nasty in comparison to the Harley Davidsons, The Indian bikes don’t float my boat either and finding a dealer is harder than getting a demo on an MT-10 lol

[Author]

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