Reworked Harley-Davidson Street 750 Is Better Than Stock in Every Way That Matters

Customers weren’t too keen on the model’s build quality, nor did they find its character (or lack thereof) appealing in any particular way. The Street’s production run finally met its end in 2021, but the legacy it left behind isn’t a dishonorable one in all respects. Interestingly enough, Harley’s unloved child got a fair bit of positive attention in the custom bike community, and we’ve seen many one-off exemplars that were anything but boring.

Take, for instance, this rad Street 750 from Missoula, Montana. It is the work of Colin Cornberg, a Kiwi expat who’d moved to the U.S. in 2013 and currently operates as Number 8 Wire Moto. Although regular motorcycle maintenance may be his bread and butter, Colin will often indulge in fully-fledged custom projects to spice things up.

The one you’re seeing here started with a 2015 variant of the Street 750 lineup – or XG750, if alphanumeric nomenclature is your thing. As this was a personal endeavor rather than a client commission, the author was free to go about it however he saw fit. Having worked with the XG750 platform on two previous occasions, Colin had a pretty good idea of what he was up against.

Once he’d decided upon a stylistic direction for this build, the Street 750 got taken apart and the real fun was ready to begin. First things first, the donor’s original subframe had to go, and a much sportier bespoke alternative was fitted in its stead. The suspension hardware was revised to suit this new arrangement, with a premium pair of aftermarket shock absorbers replacing the factory modules. They feature adjustable preload and piggyback reservoirs.

At the front, the suspension-related work is no less intriguing, as Sir Cornberg ditched the stock forks in favor of a 2007 Suzuki GSX-R750's inverted items. These were thoroughly rebuilt prior to installation, and the very same Gixxer also donated one of its Tokico brake calipers. It’s been mated to the standard XG750 disc, but custom spacers were required to make the new forks work with the OEM hoop.

Up top, the front suspension is held in place via billet aluminum triple clamps from Cognito Moto, and the wheels wear grippy Michelin rubber on both ends. As cool as the aforementioned mods might be, the biggest highlight on this machine is the handmade bodywork. Its centerpiece is a three-gallon (11.4-liter) fuel tank meticulously shaped out of aluminum, with visual influences taken from Harley’s XR750 and XR1000.

Moving rearward, we come across a handsome tail section with three circular LEDs inserted into its southernmost tip. Above it lies a black leather saddle upholstered by New Church Moto, while the custom-built box placed underneath is home to a coolant overflow tank, a compact lithium-ion battery, and most of the electronics.

Colin’s Street 750 wears a slim front fender, as well, holding it in place by way of tailor-made brackets. The fresh garments have radically altered the motorcycle’s presence, but our protagonist still had a lot of work to do before calling it a day. In the cockpit, you will now see a chromed handlebar sitting on bespoke risers, which also create a mounting point for LED warning lights and a digital Motogadget dial.

The factory switchgear has been retained, though it is presently joined by Biltwell grips, a Magura HC1 brake master cylinder, and bar-end turn signals. Rounding out the ergonomic package are CNC-machined aluminum foot pegs, and the swingarm-mounted license plate bracket is yet another neat little touch. Now, the Revolution X engine may be internally unchanged, but Colin wasn’t going to let it get away without some tasteful tweaks.

On the intake side of the equation, he fitted an aftermarket air cleaner complete with a custom-made cover. The whole ordeal got even saucier when it came to the exhaust, as the mastermind at No. 8 Wire fabricated a two-into-one setup out of stainless-steel. Ultimately, he topped it off with a reverse megaphone muffler from Cone Engineering, mounted in close proximity to the license plate holder.

Fuel mapping has been optimized by means of a Vance & Hines Fuelpak FP3 control unit, so as to make the most out of the fresh breathing equipment. For the specimen’s paint job, Colin enrolled the help of Action Auto Body Shop to achieve the best possible result. The guys used a light shade of blue as the base color, along with a darker tone for the lateral detailing and grey for a contrasting stripe found up top.