The Harley faithful really got their knickers in a twist after the launch of the Street. Built for the US market in Kansas City, Missouri, it’s pitched at the budget-conscious—and learner riders who would be crushed on their first attempt to U-turn a Road Glide.
As with most motorcycles built down to a budget, looks and performance aren’t the Street’s strong suit. But this almost road-legal flat tracker from See See Motorcycles is one of the best-looking Harleys we’ve ever seen. Period.
The man to thank is for this transformation is See See’s Thor Drake, a hugely accomplished bike builder and racer, and he likes the XG750—as it’s known to Harley’s bean counters.
“Buried underneath a bunch of government-mandated features, frumpy parts and plastic farkles is a pretty great motorcycle,” he reckons. “The motor itself is based on the Harley firing pattern we all know and love. The six-speed transmission means, well, it simply it has one more gear!”
For bike builders, the Street 750 is easy meat. You can remove the engine by unplugging about six electrical connectors and six other easy-to-access bolts. (That’s with the injectors still attached.)
So that’s exactly what Thor and his crew did. They took the motor out, and redesigned the rest.
“The stock engine is just fine,” says Thor. “There’s enough power to cruise at 90+ mph. So we bolted on a high flow air cleaner, and built a state-of-the-art exhaust system that uncorks a few extra horses.” They also gave the ECU the Harley Stage 1 flash, increasing the fuel delivery and changing the ignition mapping.
This Street 750 was built for the Super Hooligan flat track class, which means no major frame mods. You can’t change the head rake or trail, so Thor worked with motorsport legend Sandy Kosman to build adjustable triples.
“This alone pulled the front forks back by a lot. The stock triples are very close together, stopping a proper flat track tire fitting without rubbing,” Thor explains.
The suspension has been heavily reworked. “The stock front forks are really good—for sticking in the corner of your shop to collect dust,” says Thor. “We replaced them with mid-90s Yamaha YZF-R6 forks, a flat track standard.”
“The rear shocks also suck, so we called up the best—Fox Racing—for long, adjustable 13-inch shocks to level the bike out. This bike is now one of the best handling machines I have ever ridden.”
Most of the frame brackets were (“un-carefully”) removed to shed around 20 pounds of dead weight. The subframe was tweaked to take a flat track seat, and also hide most of the electronics.
There are no restrictions around swingarms, so See See have modified the XG750 to take a 19” rim and tire. “Basically, you need to hollow out the axle holes so the tire can sit further back,” says Thor. “Easy with a die grinder!”
Braking is simple: A small, free-hanging Brembo on a rear rotor. “The rotor is made from cast iron,” says Thor. “It rusts if you let it, but it has the best memory in red hot conditions. So when you are trailing it in the corner, it won’t warp and rub.” The front brake ran away from home, and was never seen or heard of again.
On the bodywork side, See See sent the stock fuel tank back to the dealership, fitted an old Sportster tank from the late 70s or early 80s. “The same teardrop tank everyone was taking off H-Ds back then,” says Thor. “Ironic? Maybe. Better? Hell yes!”
Everything was going swimmingly until it came to the wheels and the chain conversion. “This is where most of the headaches are found,” says Thor wryly. “First off, we made our own hubs from a big ol’ piece of aluminum.”
See See are using a 520 chain on this bike, so that they could use Barnes-style quick change sprockets. “Using a 520 chain means you need to find a 520 or 525 countershaft sprocket.” Hot tip: A Ducati countershaft sprocket fits the splines.
The stock foot controls are not up to the rigors of the track, so they’ve been switched out for foldable Bates controls. Hot tip #2: the shifter shaft fits some old Honda shifters. (See See grabbed one from a 1986 CR250.)
Thor wanted to keep the Street 750 street legal, so he’s added some LED lights, with discreet mini controls to turn them off and on. “Our goal was to make a Harley that could be released to the general public. My guess is it would be accepted a bit more than what is currently offered.” Of course, the front brake would need to go back on …
Despite the undeniably pretty look of this XG750, it’s more about the go than the show. Thor has ridden the bike in several Super Hooligan flat track races already, and won the majority of them—including the Las Vegas Superprestigio, the Day in the Dirt, and the Return to Del Mar.
If you want to see the bike in the metal, head over to The One Moto Show in Portland, Oregon, this weekend. And on Sunday, Thor will be racing the XG750 at the associated One Show Pro flat track race at Salem Indoor Speedway.
Our money’s on another win for the tall guy.
See See Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Studio images by Ray Gordon | Action shots by Preston Burroughs
