As we get closer to the debut of the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 for the 2021 model year, information about this adventure bike is making its way into Harley-Davidson’s various channels, which means it’s making its way into the ears of our Bothan spies.
First reported on the Brap Talk motorcycle podcast, our initial news is that the Pan America will debut at a fairly affordable price for the category, starting around the $17,000 mark.
With all the bells and whistles installed, the bike is still expected to be a sub-$20,000 machine, which makes it one of the more affordable luxury ADV bikes on the market.
Accordingly, these price points put the 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 in line with its European counterparts, especially since we can expect the typical luxury items at the top of the price point, like electronic suspension, navigation, and various rider aids, which are common on the Euro bikes.
Harley-Davidson is playing a coy game with its performance figures for the Pan America, lowballing us with its “more than” 145hp / 90 lbs•ft of torque figures.
We have seen this before from the Bar & Shield brand though, and can expect the final engine specs to be a bit higher – in the 155hp / 160hp range, likely with the help of some sort of variable valve timing system to keep the high torque figure down low, and the big horsepower figure up high.
Again, this jibes pretty well as it keeps the Pan America close in performance spec to bikes like the KTM 1290 Adventure S and Ducati Multistrada V4.
The benchmark in the class though is the BMW R1250GS, so we can expect Harley-Davidson’s marching orders are to surpass the German bike in every element.
This would include the curb weight as well, which means we can expect the Pan America 1250 to be under the 550 lbs mark when fully fueled and ready to go. All things being equal though, we would expect the bike to be closer to the 500 lbs weight.
Of course the most important element about the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 can’t be found on its spec sheet.
It’s no secret that the Bar & Shield brand has failed time and time again at selling anything from its dealer network but a heritage styled cruiser.
So, how will the Pan America be any different from the machines from Buell? The Porsche-designed V-Rod? Or, the Livewire?
Will riders previously not indoctrinated in the Harley-Davidson accept this hog for their adventuring needs? Will Harley-Davidson stalwarts, including the brand’s dealerships, be able to resonate with these new riders?
As we are fond of saying, time will tell.
Source: Brap Talk Motorcycle Podcast
Comments