Entering a very crowded adventure-touring motorcycle segment is the 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America and higher-spec Pan America Special. This pair of motorcycles represent Harley-Davidson’s (H-D) first foray into a market niche dominated by the likes of the Ducati 1260 Multistrada, KTM Super Adventure 1290, Triumph Tiger 1200 and the gold standard for the market, the BMW Motorrad R 1250 GS.
Including the recently updated Suzuki
V-Strom and Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin, there is no shortage of options for the
rider who wants to tackle mixed surface riding, or at least look the part. On
paper, the specifications for the Pan America tick the right boxes.
Powered by the H-D Revolution Max 1250
V-twin, the Pan America gets 150 hp and 127 Nm of torque from the 1,250 cc mill
which revs to a peak of 9,500 rpm. This is achieved with liquid-cooling,
four-valves per cylinder, twin-plug heads and variable valve timing with power going
through a six-speed gearbox, which, in a departure for H-D, is now combined
with the engine in a unit construction instead of being in a separate housing.
There are two variants of the Pan America
offered, the base model Pan America 1250, and the Pan America 1250 Special,
which comes with semi-active electronic suspension. Weight for the Pan America
is brought into the norm for this market, tipping the scales at 242 kg wet –
the Special weighs 254 kg wet – and 21.2-litres of fuel carried in the tank. Braking
is done by Brembo, with radial-mounted four-piston monoblock calliper on the
front wheel on twin floating brake discs while the rear end. For wheel sizing,
the Pan America 1250 rolls on a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear, shod on 120/70
and 170/60 Michelin Scorcher rubber.
For suspension, no brand names are
mentioned but the front end of the Pan America is suspended with a 47 mm
upside-down fork, fully-adjustable for the Pan America, electronic for the
Special. The rear uses a monoshock, again, fully-adjustable for the base model,
electronic for the Special, with adjustable ride height being an option. Inside
the cockpit, things take a turn for high tech with a 6.8-inch TFT-LCD
full-colour display that includes Bluetooth connectivity to the rider’s
smartphone. Led lighting is used throughout including an LED headlight that
comes with six-element cornering lighting.
The 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250
is scheduled for market release in March 2021. As for pricing, in the UK, the
Pan America 1250 is tagged at 14,000 pounds sterling while the Pan
America 1250 Special goes for 15,500 pounds sterling, with final
pricing depending on model options and accessories selected.
