2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 unveiled
Harley-Davidson has finally taken the wraps off of the all new Pan America 1250. It is Harley’s first foray into the world of ADV bikes and we have been waiting to see what the American company has come up with ever since we first got a glimpse of the Pan America 1250 back at EICMA in 2019. From the looks of things, the wait definitely seems to have been worth it. Let’s take a closer look at the Pan America 1250.
The looks of it all
The Pan America 1250 is a bold and unique looking ADV and is definitely polarizing to say the least. The bike definitely has cues that make it unmistakably Harley, things like the wide front end that is reminiscent of the company’s cruiser bikes. The standard Pan America 1250 is available in two colour finishes – Vivid Black and River Rock Gray with Medallion while the Pan America 1250 is available in the Vivid Black, Gauntlet Gray Metallic, Deadwood Green and a two-tone Baja Orange and Stone Washed White Pearl finish. All the finishes in the Special variant get split graphics that help identify it from the standard variant.
Powering the adventure
The Pan America 1250 is powered by an all-new bespoke engine that Harley is calling the ‘Revolution Max 1250’. It’s a 1250cc V-Twin and unlike the typical lazy V-Twin you’d find in Harley-Davidson cruisers, the Revolution Max 1250 has a 9500rpm redline. The engine is good for 148bhp of power and meaty 127Nm of pure V-twin torque. In an effort to keep weight down, the engine is a stressed member of the chassis. The ADV is also bestowed with modern electronics in form of riding modes with the Special variant getting an extra two user customizable modes. There is an IMU on board that handles cornering ABS, electronic braking, cornering traction control and hill hold control. Cruise control also comes as standard on both variants of the Pan America.
Keeping it together
The HD Pan America 1250’s frame comprises three major elements – a front frame, mid frame and the rear frame and since the engine is a stress member, the three frames bolt on to the engine directly. The Pan America 1250 uses a traditional ADV 19-inch front and 17-inch rear cast aluminum wheel setup shod in Michelin’s Scorcher Adventure rubber. If you wish for your off-road excursions to be more serious, Harley-Davidson will offer spoked wheels and a more purpose-built Michelin Anakee Wild tyres with a knobby tread as factory fit options. Braking is handled by radially mounted Brembo calipers chomping on dual 320mm front rotors and a 280mm rotor setup at the rear.
Suspension duties on the standard variant are handled by 47mm Showa USDs upfront and a Showa piggyback reservoir monoshock at the rear on the standard variant. Both the front and rear are adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping. Suspension travel on both ends is a healthy 190mm. The Pan America 1250 gets 210mm of ground clearance. The more premium Pan America 1250 Special variant gets a semi-active Showa suspension setup and works in tandem with the riding modes. It also has a Vehicle loading control feature that sets the rear preload based on the rider’s and luggage weight. The Special variant also benefits from an optional feature called ‘Adaptive Ride Height’ and it uses the semi-active suspension to reduce the seat height by 1-2 inches when the bike is at a standstill, helping the rider to mount and dismount the bike or even flatfoot the bike to get better control.
The rider can interact with the Pan America using the 6.8-inch TFT touchscreen instrument cluster. The display can connect to the rider’s phone via Bluetooth for navigation, call and media control.
Pan America 1250 Special
As mentioned earlier, the Pan America 1250 Special gets different colour finishes and the semi-active suspension setup. But the changes don’t end there. The Special gets a lot more kit as standard including a tyre pressure monitoring system, a centre stand, heated grips, steering damper, an aluminum skid plate, adaptive LED headlamps and a multi position rear brake pedal. The Special also gets optional extras like the Adaptive Ride Height feature and tubeless spoked wheels. All the extra equipment does come at the expense of a heavier wet weight at 253.5kg whereas the standard variant tips the scales at 242kg, wet.
Along with the Pan America 1250, Harley is also offering a plethora of accessories for the bike and they have also collaborated with riding apparel company REV’IT to make riding gear and apparel for Pan America 1250 riders.
The Pan America 1250 has all the makings of a proper ADV bike and a good one at it. But whether or not the bike has what it takes to take the fight to the super competitive segment remains to be seen. After announcing to leave the Indian market last year, Harley-Davidson announced a partnership with Hero MotoCorp to support its operations in the country. The Pan America could have takers in an ADV-friendly market like India, but we’re going to have to wait and watch to see what Harley’s plans for India are.
