Riding a Pan America

[timmythecop]

A spent a day riding a Harley Davidson Pan America at a motor company sponsored comparison event. If you thought it was bad, your wrong. If you thought it would be OK, your wrong. If you thought it would be great, your almost there.  It is light, comfortable and feels instantly familiar. The ride modes are distinct and easy to use. Sport mode turns it into a rocketship. Huge power. It claims 534 lbs full of fuel. But that cant be true as it feels at leadt 100 pounds lighter. The semi active ride hieght option will lower the bike 2 inches when it comes to a stop. It does that so seamlessly you cant feel it happening. This feature, like everything else on yhr bike is adjustable a thousand diffetent ways. 20 out of 10. Not does it only meadure up to thr competition, it is plainly better. It will be the new benchmark. It is that good.

I know. I cant belive it either

[timmythecop]

No one was pleased when I showed up on my ratty GS




sare jahan se accha lyrics in hindi

[Dirk_S]

No one was pleased when I showed up on my ratty GS.

If they were looking at it the right way, they should be ecstatic to see a BMW rider checking out their new bike.

You’re the first I’ve read of who’s test-ridden the bike. Good to see it was a positive experience!

[Perazzimx14]

I got to see the PA in person the other day and overall I think Harley did an excellent job especially for the 1st try. Even the butt ugly headlight isn't so bad in person. Then rest of the bike look great with a few oddities like the huge radiator and regulator that will get blasted with front wheel wash. Also the grips look more like X-box controllers with what I can only assume is to operate all the electronic wizardry.

Overall the bike was way nicer than expected. It seems as thought Harley took this pretty seriously and made the bike everyone thought they wouldn't/couldn't. I have never been a Harley fanboy but this is a bit of a game changer.

[JJ]

Interesting perspective and opinion...

I am sure I romps right down the road,, but it just looks a little...."heavy", good looking bike overall, however. 

MSRP starting at $19,999




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[45thparallelguzzi]

I don't doubt that the Pan America will be a great bike but I'll admit I'm a bit dubious on H-D's commitment to the platform after they abandoned the Bronx.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I dont find the cosmetics appealing at all... but compared to the weird looking 'adventure' shite KTM and BMW sell like hotcakes, I dont think that will be the issue.  Glad to hear it's a nice ride tho. I cant see myself being interested, that would mean I'd have to go to a Harley Dealership and interact with their sales team at least once lol

[Dave Swanson]

I don't doubt that the Pan America will be a great bike but I'll admit I'm a bit dubious on H-D's commitment to the platform after they abandoned the Bronx.

HD has a lot more pinned on the success of this bike vs. the Bronx.  I think they are very committed to it. 

[Kev m]

A spent a day riding a Harley Davidson Pan America at a motor company sponsored comparison event. If you thought it was bad, your wrong. If you thought it would be OK, your wrong. If you thought it would be great, your almost there.  It is light, comfortable and feels instantly familiar. The ride modes are distinct and easy to use. Sport mode turns it into a rocketship. Huge power. It claims 534 lbs full of fuel. But that cant be true as it feels at leadt 100 pounds lighter. The semi active ride hieght option will lower the bike 2 inches when it comes to a stop. It does that so seamlessly you cant feel it happening. This feature, like everything else on yhr bike is adjustable a thousand diffetent ways. 20 out of 10. Not does it only meadure up to thr competition, it is plainly better. It will be the new benchmark. It is that good.

I know. I cant belive it either

 

AWESOME

 

[Kev m]

If they were looking at it the right way, they should be ecstatic to see a BMW rider checking out their new bike.

You’re the first I’ve read of who’s test-ridden the bike. Good to see it was a positive experience!

I've never had anything but a warm welcome on any of my Guzzis at any Harley dealer or EVEN the Harley Factory in York.

Last time I had one of the demo guys asking me all sorts of questions and complementing the V7.

I don't doubt that the Pan America will be a great bike but I'll admit I'm a bit dubious on H-D's commitment to the platform after they abandoned the Bronx.

Why does everyone keep saying that. The press did a lousy job. Harley has NOT said it is cancelled, they simply said it was put on hold. Presumably to see how well this does and/or to take it a slightly different direction.

But keep in mind they just re-trademarked "Nightster" in Europe and there's a lot of thought that something like the Bronx is going to become the next Sportster with that name.

Stay tuned, and open-minded.

[45thparallelguzzi]

I'll freely admit that I have some preconceived notions about H-D as a brand as well. My favorite one was a very unpleasant time trying to get a salesman to give me the time of day when I was looking at buying a brand new iron 1200. My dealership experience with them hasn't been great to this point but the European and Japanese dealers have been much better overall.

[tommy2cyl]

I agree Dirk.  Anytime somebody rides into a HD dealership on a BMW GS, Triumph Tiger Explorer,  Yamaha Super Tenere, KTM 1290 or Africa Twin the staff should leap to their feet and show them what they now have to offer.  I have always had less than zero interest in what HD had to offer, just not my niche.  But now, I would like to see an American Company compete in this segment.  I truly wish them well with this and hope a 700 to 800 cc offering is in their future as well.  Wonder how long before Indian jumps in?  They have the motor, just need the bike.

[Kev m]

I'll freely admit that I have some preconceived notions about H-D as a brand as well. My favorite one was a very unpleasant time trying to get a salesman to give me the time of day when I was looking at buying a brand new iron 1200. My dealership experience with them hasn't been great to this point but the European and Japanese dealers have been much better overall.

I've had good and bad experiences with dealers of all types and brands.

I've had Harley dealers who gave me lifetime free state inspections for ALL my rides (Harley or not) and have seen the techs fight over who gets to test ride the Guzzi. I've seen dealers come out and ask me about my Guzzi, or Ducati. I've also seen some who won't look at you or give you the time of day when you're ready to spend.

We just bought a Land Rover last year - fu!@%#%^ng worst dealer experience ever. If they'd had taken a piss on the vehicle before handing it over I wouldn't have been surprised. Went to a Lexus dealer just shopping before that, they took our kids to a playroom and BAKED THEM FRESH COOKIES while we test drove a couple of vehicles.

You just never know.

But the lion's share of my experiences with most brands have been positive. Maybe it's my cheery disposition (I always start out that way at least lol).

[oldbike54]

 Another motorbike that requires the rider to stand on the pegs to ride 

 Dusty

[Dirk_S]

Another motorbike that requires the rider to stand on the pegs to ride 

Funny you say that, because while watching the marketing video, I noticed that it appears the tank isn’t in a prime location to grip with the knees when standing. Curious to see real-world thoughts on that.

[Bulldog9]

Like most ADV bikes, I can't get past the looks, but this is great news. I hope Harley does well with them.

[blackcat]

I'm glad that HD has developed this bike, they are at least putting out a new bike in an attempt to siphon off sales from the BMW GS.  That is more that I can say about Guzzi who just put out a fuzzy photo of some kind of bike that is probably powered by a lump they developed in the 80's. 

[45thparallelguzzi]

I've had good and bad experiences with dealers of all types and brands.

I've had Harley dealers who gave me lifetime free state inspections for ALL my rides (Harley or not) and have seen the techs fight over who gets to test ride the Guzzi. I've seen dealers come out and ask me about my Guzzi, or Ducati. I've also seen some who won't look at you or give you the time of day when you're ready to spend.

We just bought a Land Rover last year - fu!@%#%^ng worst dealer experience ever. If they'd had taken a piss on the vehicle before handing it over I wouldn't have been surprised. Went to a Lexus dealer just shopping before that, they took our kids to a playroom and BAKED THEM FRESH COOKIES while we test drove a couple of vehicles.

You just never know.

But the lion's share of my experiences with most brands have been positive. Maybe it's my cheery disposition (I always start out that way at least lol).

Cheery disposition eh? I'll have to give that one a go! I do hope that this bike does well for H-D though, I'd love for them to get some money from it to prove that people are willing to buy their bikes if they are willing to make more than just their heritage bikes. (Looking at you too, Guzzi. I want that liquid cooled engine!)

[LowRyter]

I'm sure she has a great personality........

[oldbike54]

Funny you say that, because while watching the marketing video, I noticed that it appears the tank isn’t in a prime location to grip with the knees when standing. Curious to see real-world thoughts on that.

 I've watched riders of large dual sport bikes stand up while riding one of the paved roads in the park where we have the Wild Guzzi rally . No , not a Guzzi rider 

 Dusty

[Bulldog9]

I'm glad that HD has developed this bike, they are at least putting out a new bike in an attempt to siphon off sales from the BMW GS.  That is more that I can say about Guzzi who just put out a fuzzy photo of some kind of bike that is probably powered by a lump they developed in the 80's.

Will be interesting to see if the current HD crowd embraces this. I know that 50% of the FJR owners I knew and rode with went to the S10 when it came out. Not apples to apples, but the ADV segment is very popular, and people like to stick with brands they trust. Most of my buddies who went to the Tenere haven't taken their bikes off road, but they love them, and weren't interested in the BMW.

I look forward to riding one of these new Harleys. Price is prohibitive to ever own one new, and the Cylon Storm Trooper look leaves me cold, but IMO the more the merrier.  I can't wait to see one of these in all Chrome with a pulsing red LED strip above the headlight......

[Dirk_S]

I've watched riders of large dual sport bikes stand up while riding one of the paved roads in the park where we have the Wild Guzzi rally . No , not a Guzzi rider 

 Dusty

It’s fun to play on bikes. I stand sometimes when riding. Not showing off, just playing and testing out nuances in positioning. The moves practiced on the road can help with the moves we make on the dirt (not discounting the change in terrain and the positional adjustments that go along with it, of course). Hopefully the bloke who was doing so at the rally was just playing and not peacocking.

Play on playa.

[timmythecop]

I too wondered about the fact that while this bikecwas being delivered, the market leaned more to middlewieghts. I dont think it will matter. I have ridden all the current ADV bikes ant the Pan America feels as feathery as a Tiger 800. In my own humble opinion, this thing is better than any other ADV bike. It is that good.

As to the Bronx......  HD was in a bit of a pickle during Bronx/Pan Am development. Thier solution was to pull back and make fewer models (and fewer of all models) they dont know what to do with the sportster as it is seriously antiquated and diesnt meet euro5 standards. This us why the Bronx was put aside for now.

Also I should have clarified, it wasnt the fact that I was on a BMW, it was the state of the poor thing, and its urban assault vehicle appearance.

With no fear of overstating, this new bike is a mavel. One of the best bikes I have ever ridden, and I have ridden litterally thousands.

Now to figure out how to afford it. (I aint selling any of my bikes!!)

[Shorty]

Like Kev said, look for further uses of the new mill.      https://www.cycleworld.com/story/motorcycle-news/harley-davidson-to-revive-nightster/

[Ncdan]

I stand on the pegs rarely but occasionally while at slow speeds, like going through a town while on a long ride. The only reasons for this riding position is to either cool and relieve my butt, stretch my legs, or pull my britches legs back down. I could care less if it impresses or offends anyone else as long as it fix’s my issues at the time.
As far as the PA HD I’ll definitely take a serious look at them in June when my local dealer says they’ll be out.

[timmythecop]

https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/inside-harley-davidsons-new-dohc-revolution-max-1250-v-twin/

[45thparallelguzzi]

Like Kev said, look for further uses of the new mill.      https://www.cycleworld.com/story/motorcycle-news/harley-davidson-to-revive-nightster/

I still can't believe that H-D would put brakes that anemic looking on a bike with the stomp that that engine can put out.

[inditx]

Well I had a Buell that would rattle your teeth out. Hope that’s not the experience with the PanAm.
I guess I'm getting too old in that I don’t like all the electronic wizardry.

And with HD, it’s like children, it’s not the initial cost, it’s the upkeep.
Too rich for my blood.
But good on them for taking a leap.

Now remove the atrocious dual headlight monstrosity please!
My .02
inditx

[Kev m]

And with HD, it’s like children, it’s not the initial cost, it’s the upkeep.
Too rich for my blood.
But good on them for taking a leap.

WTF?!?

The upkeep?

You mean changing oil, filters, and tires?

Cause that's all most of my Harleys have ever needed.

Most of my Guzzis have been MUCH NEEDIER!

[Ncdan]

WTF?!?

The upkeep?

You mean changing oil, filters, and tires?

Cause that's all most of my Harleys have ever needed.

Most of my Guzzis have been MUCH NEEDIER!

Absolutely correct 👍