The bottom line is: Ride what you love.
That said, you will face certain constraints when riding a Harley instead of a large dualsport-ish bike like the BMW GS:
* You will avoid the dirt and malpaved roads more than you would otherwise. Ground clearance makes a huge difference.
* Topes will be significantly more irritating. On a GS with a well-behaved passenger (who stands up when you do) you should be able to hit topes barely slowing down.
* You should be more concerned about locking the bike up. There's a huge aftermarket for Harley parts so they're easy to strip and sell. Not so much for KTMs or BMWs.
Don't accept anyone's anecdotal reports of the reliability of the bikes; Harleys and BMWs both fail with enough frequency to provide plenty of fun stories on advrider. You will have problems, it's just part of the experience. If you're in a hurry take an airplane!
Personally I would not go south without a dualsport because the backroads are WAY MORE FUN. I can't comment on South America, but if you stick to major highways you miss out on 90% of the experience of Central America.
Jeff
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