The Harley Pan American
 

Recently I saw the introduction video of the Harley-Davidson Pan American.
They build it as a real BMW competitor and with a completely new engine, liquid cooled, adaptive suspension etc I think they have an interesting bike.

It is a bike I never can afford but I would love to do a testride on it.

But I don't like that they lie in the video. They told it was the first American build big adventure bike but they forgot the Buell Ulysses. I did a testride on that one and liked it very much. It is a pitty Harley Davidson discontinued Buell. (Maybe they lie because they feel guilty :innocent: )

I wonder what you think of it.

The P/A seems to have turned out better than I thought it might. Not really my kind of bike - far too big, heavy, and expensive - but I would be willing to borrow one for a test ride.

Here in Canada there is a very limited number of BMW dealers, most of those in Southern Ontario are Automotive dealers that leave me feeling they begrudgingly sell motorcycles.

I rode HD's for 30+ yrs before buying a R1200 GSA, I can honestly say that I miss being a part of the HD community and how well you're taken care of at a HD dealership, especially if you are on a road trip.....you go the first of the service line.

Being told at a BMW dealership, that it will take 4-6 weeks to get your required part from the Fatherland gets a little old as well.

The PA is priced competitively, service free motor, (no valve clearance checks) and has some innovative ideas such as suspension lowering when stopped.

If their frame is properly designed, and the handling is good, I can see it being a good seller despite its hideous looks

brian

Not my thing. I think Brian is spot on, its a way to leverage the North American dealer network.

The love-child of a Cylon and a toaster styling though is just insane IMHO. Your mates might laugh at the cock and balls motif a GS headlight makes, but turn up on toasty-toaster making potato noises and they'll be buying you get-back whips and stick on village people/porn moustaches. Hardly the way to slip into a new market where the average age doesn't preclude riding. Why not use existing parts and go for a Himalayan style look?

Andy

If you asked bike designers in the 1980's to sketch how motorcycles would look like 40 years into the future - this is what they would come up with.

Harley is really struggling. The psychographics and demographics that is their bread and butter is thinning out fast. They are in a desperate hurry to renew themselves. I think it is a smart move of HD to show that they are more than choppers, chrome and black leather, by making something which has zero resemblance to the old. But this bike?

Maybe this bike is an aquired taste - like all finer things in life? Maybe we will all come to like it after having been exposed to it enough? Personally I think it is the ugliest bike I have seen since Buell RR 1000 Battletwin (from the 80's).

I do see how someone could like the design though.

It's just not for me...

Ok I've only seen it in videos and a few stills, and beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but the styling couldn't be more US industrial normal if it came with a free statue of liberty and an exhaust tuned to sing battle hymn of the republic. Styling seems to have settled into three big blocks of late - Euro scaffolding, Japanese plastic blandness and U.S. redneck. Four I suppose if you count Indian modern retro (= retro retro for the Himmy). If you can strip it down and extend the forks it'll sell well to the core believers.

Back when I was a callow youth (!) taking my first tentative two wheel steps I bought into Japanese modernism. On balance that was probably a sensible way to go - at least I'm not sitting here now remembering the good times I had pushing my BSA Golden Flash (or whatever they were called) home in the rain. But the one thing that seriously annoyed me was how long it took to get spare parts. Six weeks, three months, longer sometimes to get a simple spare, and even then I had to drive 30 miles mostly through London to get it. Most of the bits for the BSA I didn't have were available off the shelf just down the road.

I cut the Japanese some slack as they were new to exporting and new to the UK and still, back then, a minority choice. But there's zero excuse for any mainstream manufacturer to not be able to supply just about any part in a few days now. So if it does take 4-6 weeks to get BMW bike bits to your local dealer in Canada that's totally and utterly unacceptable. It doesn't happen with cars - just about any make of car - and it shouldn't happen with bikes. Harley may be the BSA of the 21st century but at least you can still chugg along waving the flag. That's more than you can do if your BMW is sidelined with a missing spacer or bolt or whatever.

Even if the styling does look like they've got a 'styling house' involved (anyone with a v e r y long memory might remember the original 'ray gun' look on BSA's and Triumph's that went down like a lead balloon) there does seem to be some good ideas. The adjustable ride height seems like a great idea. I presume it works like those busses that lower themselves to kerb level at bus stops - there's a load of hissing and steam and stuff comes out and it gradually settles down. I'd guess it's something to attract regular Harley riders who may find their 'flexibility' causes a few problems with a high seat height. With a bit of luck the Japanese will take the idea on board and engineer a version that works. An Africa Twin that I could get on without needing a ladder - it's an ill wind that doesn't blow somebody some good.

ECAS on a bus uses air in rubber bags that replace steel springs . We don't let them have steam they'd hurt themselves :innocent::rofl:

This will be a variation on ESAC. A motor controls what those of us with conventional shocks would call a longer travel pre-load ring and gravity does the rest. No need for an additional fluid, compressors, pumps etc.

Andy

The air bag set up is what's on the back of my old Land Rover. The bags seem to last about 6yrs before they spring a leak - just long enough so you've forgotten how you did the job last time. :rofl: I replaced one last week and found it was very easy. The hardest part was the effort of getting the jacks and various other tools out of the back of the garage. As a part for a 20yr old car it was available off the shelf and arrived in two days - at about half the price I remember paying last time.

When I set it to pump itself back up it did, except it didn't stop. The bag went up to full extension, with the pump still running and the car at a 20 degree list. One height sensor had snapped from plastic fatigue. That also arrived in two days and I've just fitted it this afternoon. I may have to buy more LR parts than I really want to but at least they're easy to get. If it was even more unreliable the local independent would same day deliver. Good job it's not a BMW :rofl:

Will wait till I see it in the flesh . It had some good tech ideas and if the price is right and its reliable then it could be a popular bike . Just reading the mcn article on it .... after using it to soak up some dropped oil first .
If its comfy , has big mile services and rides well then I could b tempted , hd residuals are high in this country so it could get me away from the new v4 mutley . Will b having a very close look when it's in the showroom .
Does a gs headlight really look like a meat and two veg :helpsmilie:

https://i.postimg.cc/Bbsxtj4t/01-045-5093-0-i-04.jpg

The cast of Bridgerton episodes 7 and 8 are off to the right :rofl:

Andy

jeiger:thumbup1: bloody hell Andy . I'll never look at a gs in the same light again

First time I saw the Pan America I couldn't help thinking of this, and how badly it was panned for it's looks:

I quite like the look of it - apart from the headlight which, whilst consistent with other H-D, is ugly - the other H-D with similar headlights are, IMHO, also ugly. what I like about the rest of the bike is that it is uncluttered and there is simplicity and solidity to the design. But that headlight is fugly.

I think they already have it.
They partnered with REV’IT!, for Adventure Touring clothing and with SW-MOTECH for aluminum luggage. Beside that, they offer soft saddlebags and Sport Side Cases, a tankbag and much more.

If the bike is a succes, I am sure companies like Touratech and others will jump in too.

Unfortunately, it is much to expensive for me :( but never mind, I like my trusty BMW R850R very much.:mchappy: