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2021 Harley Pan-America 1250

Neat but pricey. I think I read in the CycleWorld piece that it's a $1,000 option...

If you have short legs I bet the price will not bother most buyers.
Both of us paid $1,000 for the ABS option on our 1991 K75S bikes.
 
Just got back from the local Harley dealer, they said they will call me when they get one in the shop around June. They just ordered one for someone.
 
Serious threat to GS

If the Pan America 1250 is as good as the spec sheet suggests, I think the GS/GSA is facing it's biggest threat ever here in the US. It's also competitively priced and has huge dealer network here. Heck, it might be a decent threat overseas. I hope it is. Competition is always good.
 
Looking at the specs I was surprised to see the R1250 has more torque.
The Adaptive Ride Height that lowers the bike at a stop is a neat option.

Lowering the seat like a kneeling metro bus sounds like a gateway drug to one of those trike-thingys.
 
If the Pan America 1250 is as good as the spec sheet suggests, I think the GS/GSA is facing it's biggest threat ever here in the US. It's also competitively priced and has huge dealer network here. Heck, it might be a decent threat overseas. I hope it is. Competition is always good.

Eh, I don't thing it is a huge threat. There will be some lost sales from BMW to Harley, but with all the completion from the Japanese big four I don't think anyone is terribly nervous about it.

The problem as I see it is the typical Harley rider doesn't want and adventure bike, and if they did they would own one already. The typical adventure bike rider doesn't even look at Harley. Sure, some riders will buy them, but I don't think anyone needs to worry about getting trampled at the door into the HD dealership by riders running in to buy a Pan Am. My bet it will not sell as well as the V-Rod.
 
The problem as I see it is the typical Harley rider doesn't want and adventure bike, and if they did they would own one already.

I don't think this new bike is aimed at the typical Harley rider, just as the typical rider doesn't want an 850+ lb. Harley cruiser. The new bike is there to attract new riders to the Harley brand.

BMW's problem with R12GS and GSAs is BMW, and their lack of dealerships.

Harry
 
I don't think this new bike is aimed at the typical Harley rider, just as the typical rider doesn't want an 850+ lb. Harley cruiser. The new bike is there to attract new riders to the Harley brand.

BMW's problem with R12GS and GSAs is BMW, and their lack of dealerships.

Harry

Having a dealership close by is not high on everyone's list. I used to think that way, but got over it very quickly.

I don't think the average BMW riders cares about dealer accessibility, if they did they wouldn't buy one. Living 200 miles from the closest dealer didn't stop me from buying a R1200RT.

I ride a Harley too and could care less if a dealer nearby, I rarely need them. Any of them will ship parts. The last time I needed a dealer while traveling on my Harley the dealer couldn't get it in anyway so I end up renting a car to get home and went back later to get my bike.
 
I don't think this new bike is aimed at the typical Harley rider, just as the typical rider doesn't want an 850+ lb. Harley cruiser. The new bike is there to attract new riders to the Harley brand.

Exactly--just like the Buell wasn't targeted toward traditional HD buyers, nor the V-Rod. Dealers were ambivalent about the Buells and most couldn't break out of their traditional marketing and figure out how to sell to a new breed of buyers. With the V-Rod, neither the motorcycling public nor the dealers ever seemed to quite figure out what the bike was aimed at. Was it a test bed for a new updated engine design that would spread through the lineup? If so, why packaged in what was for HD such an unusual format? Or was it an outreach to prospective buyers of a new-to-HD genre of motorcycling, and if so--why confuse the design by also introducing a new engine? The Pan-America is much more clearly targeted, and as bike sales have declined dealers are likely to be favorable to anything that turns a profit as it moves across the showroom floor, and the draws more people in to make that happen

HD customers looking for a traditional HD still have their lineup from which to choose; this bike is geared toward conquest sales from other marques.

BMW's problem with R12GS and GSAs is BMW, and their lack of dealerships.

Harry

Uummm.... yeah. New bikes sitting in dealer warehouses or showrooms under "do not sell" orders until brake calipers can be fixed, similar to a situation from a couple of years ago.

And having a dealer close by is a definite consideration for a lot of people, especially during the warranty period and in light of the fact that as motorcycles get more and more technical there are fewer and fewer owners with the skills, tools, or desire to maintain their own bikes. HD seems to have done a number of things really right with this bike--hydraulic valve lifters reduce or eliminate the need for periodic dealer visits for clearance checks. The VVT system HD has put in play on this bike is simple and is a variant of technology already proven in a number of car engines and other motorcycle marques. The automatic lowering of suspension/seat height at a stop will be appreciated by anyone with an inseam under 34". The bike is being introduced with a full line of luggage and other accessories, and the bike is priced very competitively--especially when long-term ownership costs like maintenance are factored in (have you priced a desmo valve check or a full service on a KTM recently??) So considering the full range of factors that go into buyer decisions, I expect to see a lot of interest from buyers in general but from the GS crowd in particular. I recall reading once in the BMWON that the two most popular "other" marques owned by BMW owners were HD and Ducati--this may be the bike that expands the HD side of that relationship.

Now, if they can just do something about that front end...

DeVern
 
The front end thing is kind of funny, we all had a good laugh about my beak at the H-D dealer. Very nice group of folks working there. And I think I remember BMW people shocked when the G/S came out in 80. My problem is I like everything with wheels. Good luck to all with their predictions of doom and bets of failure. I hope this bike really takes off.
 
I'm on another thread on this topic on ADV, plenty of discussion everywhere about it. It is going to be interesting to see what happens when it hits the market.
 
If the PA is 75% of all the hype, the HD dealer network will move a lot of buyers. If I didn't live 30 minutes from my BMW dealer I would not have bought my GSA.
 
Here is Kevin Cameron's take on the Pan America.

I think if the market can live with the looks, people are going to like this bike. Automatic lowering option, hydraulic adjusted valves.

https://www.cycleworld.com/story/bi...XR-1GoqSz-1c-wrAw-1c-1GowQF-l5kbmRsrlx-1Jf1MK

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI
#71,449

I read Kevin Cameron's article. As usual, Kevin is excellent. This is, on paper, an extremely sophisticated motorcycle. It will not appeal to very many KLR riders. It is almost shocking that HD engineers designed a motorcycle with this much technology and apparent sophistication but it is easy to hire a whole crew of bright young engineers for a project like this. Maybe they raided NASA. Which leads to a concern that this level of technological innovation will overwhelm a large number of traditional old-school technicians in the dealerships. HD certainly has its technician training tasks cut out for itself.

I assume that there will be some early "teething" glitches with the technology and programming. BMW, too, has had its share. But I also suspect that this bike will come with shocks that work, brake calipers that don't leak, and sidestands that don't break and fall off.
 
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I was wondering if the fasteners are metric on this bike.

OMG! That's hilarious!

Guy rides to H-D on a bike other than H-D, looks over the PA. Sits down to talk financing.
"Wait, this thing uses English tools, not metric? You mean I gotta buy a whole set of tools just for this bike?"
 
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