H-D PAN AMERICA 1250

By Mitch Boehm

In late February, Harley-Davidson finally and officially announced details of its muchanticipated Pan America 1250 adventure tourer to the world. Available in both Standard and Special versions (the latter featuring a host of exclusive features including semi-active front and rear suspension), the clean-sheet Pan Am will compete in an already crowded category that includes such notable machines as BMW’s R1250GS, Honda’s Africa Twin, KTM’s 1290 Adventure and several other high-function adventure bikes.

The Pan Am is significant for a number of reasons, most notably the fact that it’s arguably the first non-cruiser-category motorcycle to come from Milwaukee in decades – Buells, LiveWires and VR1000 homologation specials notwithstanding. So this is totally new territory for Harley-Davidson…although if you’re historically oriented you realize it’s really not, as all motorcycles produced from the beginning of the 20th century through WWII were very much offroad, adventure-style motorcycles by nature and by need. And of course Harley-Davidson was a dominant player there from the very beginning. So, characterizing the Pan America 1250 as a ‘return to Harley-Davidson’s roots’ makes a lot of sense, and it’s a theme you’re going to hear a lot during the next few months as the bikes debut in the flesh to media, dealers and customers.

Powering the Pan Am party is Milwaukee’s all-new Revolution Max 1250 engine, a liquid-cooled, 60-degree, DOHC V-twin with four-valve heads, fuel injection, variable valve timing and a claimed 150 crankshaft horsepower. This totally new engine – which will be used in other, non-adventure motorcycles in the coming years – is a stressed member of the chassis, with engineers and designers stressing that the Pan Am was designed from the engine out – meaning they weren’t hamstrung by any previous engine designs in the company’s portfolio and, most importantly, were free to develop whichever design meshed best with their adventure-tourer concept.

Instead of a traditional frame the Pan America uses three separate frame units, front, mid and tail, along with an alloy swingarm, all of which bolt directly to the engine. Harley says the design saves weight and claims a wet weight of 534 pounds. Other features include Brembo triple discs with radial calipers up front, Showa suspension front and rear, a 6.8inch touchscreen display, ABS, linked brakes and traction control, selectable ride modes and much more. The Special model adds active suspension, tirepressure monitoring, a centerstand, heated grips, optional Adaptive Ride Height technology and other top-shelf accoutrements.

Harley-Davidson will also offer a complete line of accessories for the Pan Am, including three different luggage systems and a full line of technical riding gear for men and women designed in collaboration with high-end Euro apparel specialist REV’IT!

Like Honda and its late-to-the-party Africa Twin, Harley-Davidson is entering a crowded category that’s stacked with

super-capable motorcycles. But the company has clearly done its homework here, and from what folks who’ve ridden the bike are saying, the Pan Am’s functionality puts it right in the thick of the fight, and in some areas it’s got a bit of an edge. And given the competition in this category, that’s saying a lot. Pricing, which ranges from $17,400 (std. model) to $19,999 (Special), is right in line with the competition.

In its video rollout to the world in late February, Harley-Davidson said something like this about adventure motorcycling: This is our game. We’ve always played here. It’s how our founders used motorcycles. It’s part of us. It’s in our DNA. All true, and all signs point to the Pan America punching up in the category. Bikes will be arriving in dealers shortly, so we shall know how the Pan Am stacks up very soon.