We published the first part of Owen Howells’ story and photos about riding the Trans Euro Trail in Albania in our Nov. 2022 Adventure Issue and on our website here. What follows is Part 2, which also appears in our July 2023 Adventure Issue. –Ed.
One of the last trails I rode on my way home was an old military road up to Fort Jafferau in the Italian Alps.
With the Albanian part of the Trans Euro Trail in my mirrors, there remained the small matter of getting my battle-hardened 1982 BMW R 80 G/ST back home to the U.K. Having ridden the Albanian TET from south to north, I ended up near the Montenegro border, and since the TET through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia goes north, it was a viable option for the ride home. I had been traveling for four weeks, and I had two weeks left before I had to be back at work.
Bosnian and Croatian Trans Euro Trail
The trails through Bosnia and Herzegovina were smoother and less challenging than what I’d faced in Albania, so I was able to ride faster and cover more ground in a day.
My heavily laden Airhead was surprisingly adept at a bit of mischief in the corners, skidding the back end with a good jab on the drum brake on entry and getting sideways with low-end grunt on the way out. Humps and bumps allowed a bit of airtime, though somewhat limited by the short-travel suspension bottoming out as the bike returned to terra firma.
I have no idea why my rear rack broke!
Incredibly, after a month of riding, with most days spent on the Trans Euro Trail, I had yet to meet another adventure rider, so I was chuffed when I pulled into Mostar and was greeted by three Germans.
“Are you also riding the TET?” they asked. I guess the shabby state of my bike, its knobby tires, and my overloaded luggage had given me away.
From then on, I encountered a steady stream of TET riders heading south – Germans, Austrians, Poles, and Estonians – on Honda Africa Twins, KTM 1190 Adventures, and BMW R 1250 GSs. But the flavor of the month was clearly the Yamaha Ténéré 700. It seemed every other bike on the trail was a T7, which is hardly a surprise. It’s a great looking, focused adventure bike with an engine capacity that makes a lot of sense for off-roading.
Buoyed by frequent chats with fellow trail enthusiasts, I rode at a spirited pace, but my 40-year-old BMW was a bit worse for wear. The top box hung awkwardly off the back after the rear rack had snapped in two places, and the rear brake was almost useless. I made a running repair on the rack with cable ties and duct tape and then limped to the beautiful Ramsko Lake for my overnight stop.
Repairs, Land Mines, and a Tit on the TET
I found a garage in the lakeside village, and while the mechanic took care of welding the rack, I investigated the rear wheel. The whole drum area was soaked in oil, caused by a few bolts in the bevel drive case working loose. I put thread locker on the bolts, retightened them, and cleaned the drum and shoes as well as I could.
After breakfast and coffee in Kupres, I rejoined the TET heading to Glamoc. A group of TET riders had warned me about impassable snow on this section, so I proceeded with caution. I rode for an hour into the hills before seeing the first patch of snow. Conditions seemed good, and I crested the highest point on the map with no problems.
Soft-arse Ténéré riders, I thought, remembering my challenges in Albania. They probably just rode off the showroom floor. They don’t know struggle!
After having the TET to myself in Albania, I met southbound riders in Bosnia and Herzegovia, many of whom were riding Yamaha Ténéré 700s.
As I began my descent, a wide blanket of snow covered the trail. It didn’t seem too bad, so I just eased off a little and prepared for less traction. Almost immediately the front wheel plunged into a foot of snow, abruptly halting my progress. The rear wheel dug a trench until it spun freely. I was facing downhill, but the bike wouldn’t budge.
I dismounted, surveyed the situation, and scouted ahead on foot. The impenetrable field of snow continued as far as I could be bothered to walk. It would be a long, arduous ride back the way I came, but pressing ahead was impossible.
My bike was impressively stuck, wedged in the deep snow. Retreating meant that I needed to get the BMW turned around. I tried pushing the bike to begin a three-point turn, but it held fast.
The advice on the TET website is clear: Never attempt the TET on your own. Of course, numpties like me disregard this advice, and moments like this demonstrate the folly of that decision. Considering my options, I shuddered at the thought of walking 10 miles back to civilization to get help to retrieve my bike, all the while hoping someone with strong friends wouldn’t steal it before I got back.
Times like these made me question my decision to ride solo.
I remembered the times in Wales when I’d become equally stuck in mud. One approach is to lean the bike to its side and use the cylinder head as a fulcrum to lever the wheels off the ground. Then, with much grunting and cursing, you can drag the bike out of the problem area. The levering worked, but even with the luggage removed, the BMW was too heavy to drag uphill. At least I was able to spin it around so it was pointing the right way.
When I tried to ride out, the boxer Twin’s wide cylinders sank into the snow, and the rear wheel again spun helplessly. I donned my winter gloves, dug out the snow around the bike, and created a ramp that I covered with fallen branches and sticks to help keep the tires afloat. Though surrounded by snow, I was hot and sweaty from my efforts. I fired up the bike, pushed with all my might, and dropped the clutch. The rear wheel dug into the slushy mud just enough to climb onto the carpet of sticks, and I made my way back to dry land.
I was relieved to have gotten out of a bad spot, but it was my cavalier attitude that got me into that situation. I take it all back, Mr. Ténéré. You were right, and I was definitely wrong!
With my tail between my legs, I trundled back down the hill, having wasted four hours and made it no closer to home. I found an alternate trail on the map and decided that, although it appeared to be harder going, it was preferable to doubling all the way back to the road. Exhaustion was setting in, and I dropped my bike again.
Soon I came across a sign that filled me with dread: a skull and crossbones on a red background with MИHE! (mine!) in big, bold letters. Even though the Yugoslav Wars ended more than two decades ago, war-torn buildings and houses riddled with bullet holes are still a common sight in the Balkans. Efforts have been made to clear land mines, but they are still a danger in some remote areas. The TET website warns riders not to go off the trail where land mine signs are present, and I was happy to heed the advice. But the trail I was on, which wasn’t part of the official TET, wasn’t clearly defined. After a very careful 21-point turn, I finally headed back to the main road.
Translation: MINE!
A Drag Race at an Abandoned Airbase
After a few tough days on the TET in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I followed faster paved roads to reach Zeljava, an abandoned airbase on the Bosnia/Croatia border. I wasn’t sure what to expect upon arrival, but there were no signs or gates to block access. I rode past a rusting Douglas C-47 transport plane and right onto the massive runway.
Zeljava was constructed in the late 1940s to be an indestructible Soviet airbase, with a labyrinth of huge interconnecting tunnels buried deep into the mountain capable of housing hundreds of fighter jets and protecting them from a nuclear blast. The base was partially destroyed during the Yugoslav Wars in the ’90s, and it has been abandoned ever since. Though technically off-limits, the local police got so tired of kicking people out that they no longer bother. Today the huge blast doors sit permanently open, inviting investigation by the curious.
The door to the underground hangar at the abandoned Zeljava airbase is shaped to allow airplane wings and tail sections to pass through.
I wasn’t the only one at Zeljava that day. With a kilometer-long runway, there were scores of other bikers competing in run-what-ya-brung drag races. My Airhead got thoroughly embarrassed by a BMW F 800, a Honda VFR800, and a Ducati Multistrada. Even with my belly on the tank, I barely scratched the ton!
The former Soviet military facility had a post-apocalyptic look and feel.
From there onwards, the Croatian TET was glorious, with winding woodland trails culminating in elevated views of the Adriatic Sea near the Slovenian border.
After riding through Slovenia and attending a friend’s wedding in Italy, I had only three days until I needed to be back at work, so the final jaunt was mostly a road-going affair. But it would’ve been rude to cross the Alps without sampling at least one off-road trail. For bragging rights, I wanted to summit the highest unpaved pass in Europe, but I’d heard it was too snowy at the top, and I didn’t want to repeat that mistake.
Instead, I opted for an unpaved military road built in the late 1800s that climbs up a 9,200-foot mountain in the Cottian Alps in northwestern Italy, near the French border. Perched near the top of the mountain is Fort Jafferau, which was completed in 1898 and used in both world wars.
A run-what-ya-brung drag race at Zeljava.
Compared to what I’d faced in Albania, the trail wasn’t a challenge, but the altitude sure was. In the thin air, my old Beemer wheezed like an asthmatic, barely able to power itself up the hill and frequently dropping to one cylinder.
Bike issues aside, the trail up to the fort was one of the highlights of my multiweek journey, though riding in a pitch-black, 876-meter-long tunnel through the mountain jangled my nerves. A half day spent in the hills meant I had a tougher, faster ride to catch the ferry, but it was entirely worth it.
The high alpine road to the fort passes through a dark, 876-meter-long tunnel with no lights.
The Final Push on the Trans Euro Trail
Crossing France in a heatwave via toll roads was torture on my old R 80. All I could do was drone on, squinting at the bright sun made hazy through a graveyard of insects on my faceshield while being blasted by hot air and vibrated into numbness by the knobbies. Fuel stops allowed a few minutes in air conditioning, but I had to pay through the nose for crummy ethanol-laced petrol.
You don’t hear much about this part of road trips. It’s all about Instagram moments of unforgettable experiences, incredible roads, and friends made along the way. But unless you have unlimited time, there comes a point where you’ve got to munch some serious miles, and rarely is it fun. At times like these, I dream about being on a big, smooth, modern sport-tourer – or even better, in a car with the A/C on full blast, a plethora of snacks to graze on, and a good podcast to pass the time.
A last-minute valve adjustment on my old Airhead before taking a ferry back to the U.K.
I wanted to push harder to get it over with, but the R 80’s engine had other ideas. The heat took its toll, and the bike began running rough. The next morning, I checked the valve clearances when the engine was cold. The exhaust valve on the right cylinder was tight, which was not surprising given the 5,000 miles I’d ridden since leaving home – and the going had been rough.
Most of the unpaved road around Fort Jafferau is above the treeline.
Thanks to the simplicity of the Airhead’s pushrods and rocker arms, the valve adjustment took only a few minutes, and I was soon back on the road with the engine running smooth.
As I sat in a quiet cafe in Ouistreham, France, waiting for my ferry to the U.K., I admired my R 80 G/ST parked across the road, with its patina of dents, scratches, rust, and dirt accumulated during my six-week journey. When I finished my ST-to-GS conversion, I’d created a beautiful and unique bike, one worthy of keeping pristine for posing at a town square or bike meet.
View of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the TET, which winds its way through the Dinaric Alps.
Has it lost potential resale value? Almost certainly, but the value of the memories is worth far more to me. Every scuff on the paint is a reminder of the adventures we’ve had together, and every scratch is a memento of the struggles we overcame on the trip of a lifetime.
Albania via the TET exceeded all my expectations; it’s truly an ADV riders’ paradise.
The seeds for my journey on the Trans Euro Trail were planted in 2015, when I toured Europe on my BMW R 100 CS. I had the briefest sample of Albania, an afternoon riding the most dramatic mountainous landscape on a pristine ribbon of tarmac. Smooth riding perfection soon turned into a perilous off-road trail that put my bike and me well out of our comfort zone. As snow fell and my extended sump rebounded off rocks, I made a rare sensible decision and turned back to Montenegro, vowing to return better prepared one day.
The author modified his 1982 BMW R 80 ST with late-’80s GS parts such as the tank, seat, fairing, bash plate, front wheel, and rear shock.
This time around I took my 1982 BMW R 80 ST. It’s not a true off-road bike, but modified with a wide handlebar, a 21-inch front wheel, a longer rear shock, and a bash plate, it’s more than capable of taking on tricky terrain. With countless days on Wales’ toughest greenlanes, plus an enduro race under my belt, I was ready to take on Albania properly.
Choosing a route was easy. The Trans Euro Trail is an incredible resource. With nearly 32,000 miles of off-road trails mapped across Europe, it’s a lifetime’s worth of riding. The Albania section covers 500 miles, which could be a day’s riding on tarmac but is a lot longer off-road. Free GPS routes are available at TransEuroTrail.org, and there’s even a TET app for Android phones that allows you to download all the routes.
The Trans Euro Trail is 500 miles of Albania’s toughest trails, stretching from beautiful beach resorts of the south to snowy mountains in the north.
Albania is inconveniently located nearly 2,000 road miles away from my home in Wales. No doubt there’s some spectacular riding on the direct route, but I’ve traveled its roads plenty of times before, and there are too many motorway miles that crush spirit and wear out knobby tires. Instead, I took the ferry to Santander, Spain, with further ferries taking me to Sardinia, Sicily, mainland Italy, and finally to Albania. It’s a great alternative route with fewer motorway miles, beautiful landscapes along the way, and overnight ferries costing not much more than a hotel room – and you can sleep while the boat does the work for you.
The route also gave me a chance to sample other sections of the TET and get a feel for what to expect from it.
When the ferry landed in sunny Santander, I headed south to join the TET at the nearest jumping-on point. As soon as my wheels left the tarmac, I hit thick, wet clay, and within 800 yards, I was on the ground and struggling to pick up the heavily loaded bike as my boots slipped in the slick clay. For a moment I just stood there, staring at my once-pristine bike wedged in the mud on its side. Maybe I wasn’t as ready for this as I thought.
Rain on the plain in Spain led to muddy sections of the TET.
Eventually I got the bike upright, and the next 10 miles was an arduous crawl through deeply rutted clay across unremarkable farmland. The Michelin Anakee Wilds, usually a very capable 50/50 tire, failed to get any real grip as the clay filled the tread, and I had to paddle my feet just to stay upright. The bike was caked in clay, filling every gap between wheels and frame and baking itself solid against the hot engine. I was dirty, hot, exhausted, and soaked with sweat.
Is this what the TET is about? I can fall off my bike in muddy fields back in Wales anytime I want.
As I made my way to Barcelona via the Pyrenees, I hopped on and off the TET at convenient points, using paved roads to make up some miles in between. Thankfully the riding improved in both trail quality and scenery, although I was occasionally hindered by deep snow in the higher ground.
Forty years on, the BMW Airhead is still many riders’ go-to machine for long distance adventures.
I rode a short section of the TET in Sardinia, fast gravelly trails over beautiful hills, and for the first time I could see the wheel tracks of other bikes.
In Sicily, I enjoyed a few easy days of touring and sightseeing before making a beeline for Brindisi on the southeast coast of Italy, where I boarded the overnight ferry to Vlorë in Albania.
My Welcome to Albania
On arrival in Albania, I realized my first mistake: I had my passport, motorcycle insurance, Covid pass, and international driving permit but no vehicle registration documents, which turned out to be vital for crossing borders in this part of the world. In the early hours of the morning, I woke my fiancée back home to email a PDF copy. The border guards were not overly impressed, but it was enough to get me through.
Albania’s troubled history lays in plain sight throughout the country, everything from huge monolithic war monuments to thousands of bunkers built during the 44-year reign of communist leader Enver Hoxha.
To join the TET, I took the most direct route, which seemed like a major road when looking at Google Maps. On arrival, that road turned out to be a stone military road built by the Italians during World War II – and barely maintained since. The frugal suspension travel on the stock ST fork made for a bumpy ride as I tried to pick the best line across the stones. As spectacular as the views were, it was tough going.
If this is just the road to the TET, how hard is the actual TET?!
When I joined the TET to make my way to the most southerly point of the route, I was surprised to find a smooth tarmac road that winded up in the hills past some spectacular monolithic war monuments before turning to dirt as it dropped down to the warm sunny coast. A spectacular ride, not too challenging, and I finished the day with a pannier-cooled beer on the beach watching the sun go down. A trail rider’s dream!
The grueling trails aren’t without reward.
The next day, I began making my way back north and inland, using tarmac roads to skip the section of the TET I’d already done. When I rejoined the dirt trails, they once again wound into the hills, passing tiny villages of makeshift homes, friendly farmers herding livestock, and rivers cutting their way through gorges and flowing under precarious bridges. One thing the TET has done is bring commerce to these faraway places that otherwise see very few tourists. Groups of trail-weary bikers buy drinks and food and camp in the fields – or in my case, take refuge in the basic B&Bs that cost next to nothing to stay in.
The Trans Euro Trail to Some; the Daily Commute to Others
It was my third day in Albania, but I’d already been away from home for 15 days. The trails had been spectacular, but I’d heard they were tough, and so far I hadn’t experienced too much of a challenge. That was about to change.
After an early-morning meal of a banana, cheese triangles, peanuts, and some unidentified tinned fish purchased at a small corner shop, I dropped down the mountain into the town of Gjebes where I saw a battered old Kawasaki 200 trail bike. Its owner soon appeared and introduced himself with well-spoken English. His name was Djem.
When I checked the GPS that morning, I noticed the TET offers two options: a straight(ish) 10-mile section or an alternative 40-mile detour into the hills labeled as “wet option.” The shorter section follows the river, so I asked Djem if it could be ridden this time of year.
A solitary donkey, hauling hay through a remote village … just another day in the Albanian hills.
“Sure, I’m going that way to work this morning. You can follow me, but I’m running late.”
Djem set off at a pace down the mountain trail, ably carving the best line at speed, which I tried to follow while taking liberties with the ST to keep up. So far on this trip, I’d ridden with a “this bike has to get me home” attitude, but that was thrown out the window.
During drier spells, the route along the river bed can save a major detour into the hills.
As advertised, we left the road and dropped onto the vast rocky riverbed. Djem weaved a line from bank to bank, bouncing over the stones and occasionally plowing through the river. As exciting as chasing Djem was, after five minutes, I thanked him and said farewell. He left me with one bit of advice: “When you see the second village, make an exit. After that the water is too deep.”
Realizing our last river crossing was rather photogenic, I decided to take the opportunity to take a much-needed rest and shoot a picture. I made the crossing several times until I was happy with the shot and continued on my journey – only to completely misjudge the climb up the riverbank that I’d just done five times over and topple into the river.
It only takes one moment like this to feel a long way from home.
My bike was upside down, and my phone mount fell off and went floating down the stream with the phone inside. Petrol was pouring out of both carbs, so I immediately shut off the taps. With the bike at an awkward angle on the riverbank, I couldn’t get it fully upright with the weight of all the luggage. I was forced to drag the bike to a more favorable position, which meant the whole bike was now in the river. After a lot of swearing and my new deadlift personal best, I got it back upright. Thankfully the bike suffered no damage, and I came out with just a nice lump on my shin as a prize. I managed to rescue my phone from farther down the river, but it was fully drowned and lifeless.
Fir of Hotova National Park.
After draining the carbs and a few nervous cranks of the starter motor, the ST spluttered back to life, belching a plume of damp, oily fumes as it cleared its left cylinder. With a dead phone and no GPS to follow, there was just the small matter of navigation. I could see where other vehicles had traveled for the most part, but in sections the pathway seemed to disappear into rocks, leaving me aimlessly bumping around the riverbed searching for a passable route.
Every now and then the reappearance of Djem’s wheel tracks reassured me I was on the right track, only to disappear into water, nowhere to be found on the other side. I plunged in and out of the river, one time beaching the sump on a hidden rock and losing all traction. After that, I began walking the river crossings first to assess a safe route, my boots filling with water as the crossings got deeper. I started wondering if, while focusing on my riding, I’d accidentally gone too far. After nearly two hours, I was relieved to see the second village, and I rode back into relative civilization. Finally, a chance for a drink in a modest Albanian refuge and to empty the water out of my boots.
This was my big adventure for the day, but to Djem it was just another commute.
The Climb to Theth
In stark contrast to the slog across the riverbed, the next day involved fast, open, well-graded trails. For the first time, my speed stayed consistently above 30 mph, and I made good progress, leaving only 75 miles of the TET remaining by the time I reached my accommodation. It was a smart-looking hotel from the outside, but inside it was barely decorated and revealed some dubious building standards, such as a 230-volt socket in a wet room within splashing distance from the shower head and a polished public balcony with no railing.
Albania’s many gravel roads are slowly being replaced by tarmac.
After surviving an overnight stay in the hotel, I was ready to take on the final section, a jaunt into the Albanian Alps arriving at Theth, one of the country’s top tourist draws. The trail started as tarmac but soon degraded into tough, rocky, technical riding on a path not much wider than a small car and a plunge to certain death as the reward for lost concentration.
The back road to Theth is a tough trail with very little margin for error.
By midday I felt like I’d been climbing forever, but I’d only covered 12 miles of the road. The ST was already losing a significant amount of power due to the altitude. It wasn’t until late afternoon that I finally reached Theth, but the effort had been worth it. The harsh, desolate landscape gave way to an oasis of color and beauty in the hills. Charming little houses dotted a towering, snow-tipped landscape, with a blue crystal-clear river running through a deeply cut gorge.
During the winter months, the main road into Theth is impassable due to the snow, cutting off the village from the outside world.
Mercifully, the ride back out of the hills was a smooth tarmac road, albeit with 6-foot walls of snow towering on either side, razor sharp hairpins, and a dizzying descent down the mountain. Despite the evening drawing in, the air warmed as I got closer to the sea, the roads opened up, and the ST regained power as it breathed more oxygen. Not only did the 40-year-old BMW complete the Albanian TET, but it had excelled as a riding companion.
When it comes to an adventure bike, less is certainly more. Traction control, ride modes, adjustable windscreens, and TFT displays are all just distractions around what you really need: a solid, dependable machine that’s easy to live with day to day and can be fixed with basic tools on the road. The ST is light for an adventure bike, coming in at just over 440 lb with fluids compared to a whopping 550 lb on the latest R 1250 GS. In fact, with most of Albania’s vehicles being around 30-40 years old, the ST fit right in!
I don’t like describing my bike as a “classic.” The word suggests a machine kept for its history and novelty, but Airhead BMWs aren’t there yet. To me, they still cut it amongst the best, and their work is not yet done. With the Albanian TET under my belt, I’m now looking toward the next adventure on the ST.
Motorcycle Test by Wayne Vickers – Images by RbMotoLens
There are two things I thought I’d never say about a Harley. The first, is that I jumped it, the second is that it could probably be louder. Now I’ve never spent much time on Harleys. Not that I dislike them, they’ve just not been for me thus far.
My younger days were spent on sports-bikes and dirt-bikes, then as middle age kicked in I figured I no longer needed to prove to myself or anyone else how fast I was. So in recent years I’ve spent most of my time aboard adventure bikes.
And then Harley go and build this! The Pan America. A Harley adventure bike! Only slightly less expected than the electric Livewire I rode recently. Which had some shortcomings… Turns out though, I think this one is a better resolved product. Quite a bit better.
DOHC V-twin churning out a solid 150 hp and 127 Nm
A new Revolution Max 1250 ‘trail ready’ DOHC V-twin churning out a solid 150 hp and 127 Nm that’s also used as a stressed member of the frame,
Customisable semi-active front and rear suspension – 47 mm Showa BFF (Balance Free Forks) on the front, adaptive ride height, 191 mm front and rear travel,
Decent radial Brembos, trick looking tubeless wheels (19 on the front and 17 on the rear) and aggressive off road tyres,
210 mm of ground clearance, quick adjust seat height of either 830 mm or 870 mm,
Customisable ride modes and settings, integrated app via Bluetooth,
All up tipping the scales at 258 kegs wet.
There’s a fair bit to take in there. Let’s talk about the new engine first. The first thing you notice when you fire it up is the exhaust note, which with the stock muffler, is quite muted. In fact, I’d say it’s overpowered by the mechanical noise of the engine. Quite un-Harley-like I thought.
1,252 cc, DOHC, 60-Degree V-Twin
Hopefully a more open can could liberate a little of the trademark Harley throb, because it sounded much like any other V-Twin from on board, which seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity. I was probably hoping for a little more soul.
That’s about where the negativity ends though, because as a standalone engine, it performs rather nicely indeed. Excellent fuelling with smooth, solid power from right off the bottom. It just does its thing and does it easily.
On the tarmac it pulls hard – it’ll make the knobbies squirm for traction but the TC ensures it never ever gets out of shape. Just piles on the speed at will. And likewise on dirt, even down near idle it never gets bogged down and will happily lug like a tractor. It’s quite an impressive thing for a new engine out of the box. Kudos HD.
150 horsepower at 8750 RPM – 127 Nm at 6750 rpm
And the rest of the driveline follows suit. Both the clutch and box are pretty damn good. There’s no quick-shifter – but it shifts nicely without one. Not having one probably suits the slightly relaxed riding approach overall I’d say. More on that in a bit.
The next big one to talk about is the adjustable height and semi-active suspension. Now I’m just on 6ft, so the seat height was never really going to be an issue, but I did try the seat in the low position and it makes a massive difference to stand-over and the ease at which you can put your feet down.
So those of the shorter inseam, or indeed those perhaps more accustomed to a ride with low seats (aka, most Harley riders) are probably going to get a benefit from that… It will certainly feel a lot more familiar in the low setting than what a higher seat height might.
So it’s a smart design and clever move making it so easily adjustable. You simply remove the seat and slot it into either the upper or lower mount position and are done. 30 seconds all up. And its comfy too. You’d be able to log up big hours in the saddle without issue.
Seat Height 850 mm (830 in low position or 870 in high position)
The semi-active suspension is the other ace up the Pan America’s sleeve. Trev loved it. Me… well I found it a bit unnecessary at my height and something else to potentially break at first. I have to be honest, having the suspension lower then raise as you’re coming to and away from a stop was a bit unnerving to begin with.
I kinda like my bike to be consistent. And I figured those cables dangling out there down on the left by the front wheel were ready to snag on something if you’re getting into really snotty stuff.
8000 km service intervals are a bit short compared to much of the competition but due to hydraulic lash valve clearances never need checking so servicing ‘should’ remain relatively affordable.
And then I rode it some more and realised that snotty is not really what it’s aimed at. It should have been obvious by the 19-inch front that this is at the extreme opposite end of the Adventure spectrum compared to the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R I most recently had to compare it to.
Where the big Kato screams ‘attack’ almost everywhere off-road, the Pan America has a far cooler head, steadier approach and encourages you to explore tracks rather than tearing it up. No it won’t go everywhere the Kato will. But it’s not meant to. This is not a big dirt bike. It’s more of an ‘any-road’ tourer. And so those cables won’t really be an issue.
320 mm twin discs. Radially mounted, monoblock, 4-piston calipers, with cornering ABS
That said, it still handled the bulk of my standard gravel Adventure loop with ease. The only thing I avoided was a specific steep hill climb that has a couple of solid ledges to navigate. I probably would have managed, but didn’t want to push the envelope too much. Riding back to back with the big Kato – you just have to go at a more comfortable pace.
It will lift the front, it will jump, but you probably want to keep both of those to the small side. There’s a lot of weight there and only so much clearance and suspension travel… Once you do find your pace and rhythm though, it’s an enjoyable thing and quite easy to ride. It rarely feels heavy or cumbersome, it just… works.
On the go – in the dirt, it will bottom out if you push the bike too hard, but if you maintain a pace without going too nuts it’s a fairly capable thing. The off-road soft suspension setting is much better for solo riding. Loaded up with gear the hard setting might make sense but it’s way too harsh when smacking potholes or bumps if you aren’t loaded up.
As with all the settings I cycled through, they do make a noticeable difference. I found the throttle set at +1 to be way too abrupt from idle. But the standard setting was pretty much bang on.
And on tarmac, it does what you’d hope a 150 hp Harley would. That tyre profile ensures it tips in eagerly, from there it settles nicely and transitions naturally on exit. It’s surprisingly well balanced throughout the corner and will change lines easily enough too. For a big bike.
I mentioned that the seat is comfy earlier, and should expand on that. The cockpit itself is a properly nice place to be. The seat is super supportive and my butt approved of the shape, the ergos overall are good for both sitting and standing. The reach to the bars feels natural too.
Along with the two-position adjustable seat height, you can switch between three brake pedal positions as well – without using a tool. So dialling the bike in to suit you and how you ride is a doddle.
2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America
Let’s talk electronics for a bit. It feels like it has a million ride modes. Including two that are customisable. Again, some might take advantage of all of them. I did like the fact that you can customise which ones actually get displayed and ignore the ones you don’t want. See ya rain mode – you aren’t necessary. Not when you already have traction control and when street mode is so nice and predictable.
The best mode however is hidden. The ‘proper’ off-road mode that disables the rear ABS and TC only appears when you press and hold the mode button for a bit. That’s the one you want to be playing with off-road if you want to be able to get some decent slides going and steer with the rear. It’s good. Not just good for a manufacturer’s first crack at a new segment, but proper good.
Worth pointing out that neither custom mode can have the TC turned off, you can only change it to ‘off road’ mode. Even the hidden mode retains some TC by the feel of it. But it’s diluted enough to achieve big grins.
2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America
Switchgear-wise, they’ve moved the indicators back to a traditional ‘all on the left’ location (having the right indicator on the right hand side makes no sense to me and shitted me on the Livewire). There’s a fair bit going on with the switchgear. Nothing overtly worse than I’m seeing on a lot of other bikes though – not sure that’s a great trend. Simple is good, please.
Fair bit of switch-gear on both bars
Overall styling is, well, ‘unique’ forward of the handlebars… Not sure I’m a fan of that headlight box treatment but it’s definitely better in the metal than in pics.
Rear brake a large 280 mm disc. Floating single piston caliper, with cornering ABS
From the bars back though it looks tough. Those tubeless wheels look very trick, but with the perimeter positioning of the spokes they’re an absolute pain in the arse to clean.
$31,995 Ride Away – $33,480 with spoked rims and adaptive ride height
Crash bars look like a sturdy, well thought out design and follow the good build quality all over, the only thing to call out there is that I reckon the plastic strip on the tank will scuff easily. It was already starting to show marks on the bike I rode.
2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America
Other niggles? Only a couple really. The dash has some text that’s too small to read and is grey on black, which makes it harder again. It’s accentuated by rain drops… It’s not a bad layout in theory and I’m sure it looks great on the designer’s screen, but I found it unnecessarily small in font size across the board and a few little layout details that could have been improved upon. I admit I’m a bit anal about dash designs though… that’s what years of being a digital designer will do to you.
6.8 inch viewable area TFT display with speedometer, gear, odometer, fuel level, clock, trip, ambient temp, low temp alert, side stand down alert, TIP over alert, cruise, range and tachometer indication, BT capable – phone pairing to access phone calls, music, navigation (H-D App ONLY)
And the side stand is a bit shit. It’s difficult to find with your foot, is short and the way it’s ‘sprung’ means that it will still allow the bike to lean over further after it first touches down on the deck. Which means the ‘foot’ will also slide sideways on your concrete floor. Not ideal.
21 Liter fuel capacity – Wet weight with full tank 254 kg
All in all though, the Pan America surprised me. Certainly those aggressive tyres help things in the dirt but it handled most obstacles fairly easily – again – as long as you stay aware of the suspension (and wheel size) limitations. It’s not a dirt bike, but lives at the softer end of the adventure spectrum, while still having plenty of hump on the road and behaving itself on both surfaces quite nicely. I’m happy to report that this Harley is one that stacks up.
Price wise, well there’s a decent price of admission. Thirty three and a half big ones if you pony up for the spoked wheels and adaptive ride height – which I’d argue most will. There is certainly some competition at that price point, but it’s a different proposition to most by the badge alone.
That alone will garner some sales, especially from existing Harley riders looking to step sideways to something that will take them off the beaten track. And this will do just that. Nicely done
A nice set of pipes would go down a treat and add a bit more soul
Why I like the Harley Pan America
Impressive new model debut
Mechanically it’s pretty damn good everywhere
The adaptive ride height and low seat height combo will definitely win fans
A different kind of (off-) street cred and meets the design brief very nicely
I’d like the Pan America more if…
Can we get an exhaust note that’s a bit more… Harley?
That side stand needs some work
And the dash design does too
Design is perhaps a little polarising
Harley-Davidson Pan America Specifications
Engine
Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 60-Degree V-Twin
Displacement
1,252 cc
Bore X Stroke
105 mm x 72 mm
Power
150 horsepower at 8750 RPM
Torque
127 Nm at 6750 rpm
Compression Ratio
13:01
Fuel System
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Exhaust
2-into-1-into-1; catalyst in header
Charging
Three-phase, 45 Amp system (300 Watts @13 Volts, 1200 rpm, 585 Watts max power @ 13 Volts, 2250 rpm)
Electric Power Outlet
USB C-Type , Output 5V at 2.4 Amp
Drivetrain
Chain Driven
Front Fork
47 mm USD Fork with compression, rebound and preload adjustability. Special model only: Electronically adjustable semi-active damping control.
Rear Shock
Linkage-mounted piggyback monoshock with compression, rebound and preload adjustability. Special model only: Automatic electronic preload control and semi-active compression & rebound damping on Special model.
Suspension Travel
190 mm front and rear
Rake
25 degrees
Trail
4.3″
Wheelbase
1580 mm
Ground Clearance
210 mm
L x W x H
2265 mm x 965 mm x 1510 mm
Seat Height
850 mm (830 in low position or 870 in high position)
Front Tyre
120/70R19 60V Michelin Scorcher Adventure, Radial
Rear Tyre
170/60R17 72V Michelin Scorcher Adventure, Radial
Wheels
19 x 3 in. (F) 17 x 4.5 in. (R) – Cast alloy, spoked rims optional
Front Brake
320 mm twin discs. Radially mounted, monoblock, 4-piston caliper, with cornering ABS
Rear Brake
280 mm disc. Floating single piston caliper, with cornering ABS
Display
6.8 inch viewable area TFT display with speedometer, gear, odometer, fuel level, clock, trip, ambient temp, low temp alert, side stand down alert, TIP over alert, cruise, range and tachometer indication, BT capable – phone pairing to access phone calls, music, navigation (H-D App ONLY)
Oil Capacity
4.5 l
Coolant Capacity
2.2 l
Service Interval
8000 km
Fuel Capacity
21 litres
Fuel Economy
4.9 l/100 km
Weight (Fully Fueled)
254 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
455 kg
Warranty
24 months (unlimited mileage)
Ride Away Price
$31,995 Ride Away – $33,480 with spoked rims and adaptive ride height
2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America
I still have dust collecting on my ’80s and ’90s Paris to Dakar VHS tapes I watched over and over as a teenager, dreaming of one day owning a high performance desert crossing machine.
Somehow road bikes found their way into my life, and a 10-year stint living in the USA saw me seduced by the dark side, owning several Harleys and immersing myself in the culture of orange and black merchandise.
While HD took me to some amazing places and events (like the insane Sturgis Rally), adventure was calling and I wanted to blast across deserts, explore forest trails and jump endless cattle grids.
I loved the ‘Rally Ready’ look of the much touted Yamaha Tenere 700
Fast forward a few years the big 5-0 hit and I was no closer to living out my dream. I was missing two key ingredients; an adventure bike and the skills to ride one. While I had several hundred thousand kilometres on road bikes, I’d never owned a true dirt bike.
Choosing the bike proved the easy part as I loved the ‘Rally Ready’ look of the much touted Yamaha Tenere 700. Of course finding one was the real challenge. As luck had it, I went bike shopping on my 50th birthday to a local Yamaha Dealer and as I walked in I saw two Teneres sitting on the floor, naturally assuming one was a demo and the other was sold.
The salesman was unsure when asked, looked up the details and then muttered the words, “It doesn’t appear to be allocated yet.” My credit card went down like a fat kid on a seesaw and she was mine.
So what now? I’m still missing the skills and of course I need all the accessories to at least look the part. I dove into YouTube and every Facebook group I could, immersing myself in information overload.
Two months later the bike is fitted with the necessary bling to look cool at my local coffee shop; bash plate, crash bars, Barkbusters, pannier racks and more. However the embarrassing reality was my T7 only had a pathetic 200 km on her and I had no idea where to ride or whom to ride with.
The Tenere 700 prior to fitting all the bling
During my research I discovered there was a dedicated Tenere 700 Four-Day Off-Road Navigation Rally staged by RideADV that promised adventure and exploration. It sounded perfect, if somewhat daunting, but there was one downside. The starting point was in Wauchope, NSW some 1,800 km away from my home in the Barossa Valley in SA.
The event was run by Greg Yager and his RideADV team and I had become a fan of their unedited and down to earth YouTube videos comparing various Tenere 700 accessories. A few Facebook messages, emails and phone calls and Greg had assured me it was going to be a great event and tapped into my just-do-it personality.
The clock was ticking as it was now less than two weeks before the Rally commenced, and I was far from prepared. As I read through the pre-rally notes I started to realise just how under-prepared I was.
‘No 50/50 tyres permitted’, ‘No soft sided adventure boots’ (more on this later) and being a GPS Navigation ride I kind of needed a GPS. A few more calls to Greg and I had tyres being shipped to Wauchope and a GPS ordered. Suddenly I realised I needed camping gear, an adventure helmet and I’d be away for the mandatory 1,000 km service so I need to have that done early.
Only days prior to departure and I still had no idea which route I was going to take to arrive at Wauchope. It just felt wrong to take a bike like the T7 on a 1,800 km bitumen ride, so I reached out to various Facebook groups seeking ideas for scenic off-road routes, which proved to be extremely helpful.
Sunday departure was aborted due to lack of preparation and was pushed back to noon on Monday. I suddenly felt a wave of anxiety, ‘What are you doing Mark? You’ve never owned a dirt bike, you don’t know which way you’re going, your riding solo and you don’t know anyone at the rally,’ I asked myself.
My partner came home for lunch to wish me good luck and take the necessary departure photos. I could sense the concerned look on her face as I rode off.
There was a couple of must-do stops, including to DMK Design
I only had two deadlines, be in Mudgee Friday morning to have custom Dakar graphics fitted by DMK Design, and Wauchope Saturday morning for pre-rally scrutineering.
Day 1
Day one saw me heading towards to Renmark and depending on time, the recommended ‘Rufus River Road’ passing Lake Victoria, testing my new gear as I went. I’d fitted a GoPro to my helmet and had been given a drone by my brother and sister as a 50th present, but had no idea how to use either of them.
I started to get used to the riding position and feel comfortable on the bike, only having amassed 600 km prior to departure. The run to Renmark was easy especially with my gel seat topper fitted and I felt like I was just on a really easy to ride road bike.
In contrast, as I turned onto Rufus River Road I realised this was going to be my first dirt sections. I was excited but also somewhat apprehensive. My naivety or ignorance saw me maintain 30+ PSI on my Pirelli STR tyres.
Confidence started to build on the loose gravel surface and my speed climbed accordingly. Suddenly I was exactly where I’d dreamed of, blasting across wide open plains, awkwardly standing on the pegs on a beautiful evening with the sun setting behind me.
The road surface changes, and the front wheel wandered as I hit a sandy stretch. My off-road inexperience saw me do all the wrong things, I slowed abruptly and landed my butt on the seat. All ended well, as I pulled to the side of the track, reminded myself what I’d read about sand riding, and took off again.
It’s amazing how quickly I regain my confidence, no doubt motivated by the spectacular scenery as I passed Lake Victoria and continued towards Wentworth. I glanced in my mirrors to witness a stunning orange glow at sunset and thought this was a great opportunity to stop and grab a few pics of my Tenere 700 on dirt roads instead of outside cafes in the Barossa Valley.
Rufus River Road, heading into Wentworth
It’s about an hour after sunset as I ride into Wentworth to grab some fuel and find some accommodation. After settling on the main street motel that adjoins a busy looking pub, I decide to reward myself with few beverages and a pub feed. My advice when stopping at pubs is to ask, what’s great on the menu? – lets face it they want you to have a great meal. The special was steak and giant onion rings, and it lived up to its reputation being an Instagram worthy dish. Day one done, and no idea where I was heading on day two…
Some late night research and suggestions from Facebook adventure groups had me eyeing the Darling River Run visiting towns dotted along this route. The days riding was coming together when I read a disclaimer in one group, “Do not attempt after rain as clay roads will be impassable.”
A quick Bureau of Meteorology review revealed heavy rain and storms in the area, and with my ADV skills being at the shallower end of the mud pit, this route was quickly discarded.
An alternative trip materialised thanks to another Facebook member, “Ever seen the Mad Max Museum at Silverton?”. ‘Seriously Mark?’ I said to myself. I’ve been a Mad Max fan since my teen years, and I’ve never been there – this was a must visit!
The Mad Max Museum seemed a worthy attraction to add to the list
My eyes wandered further up the map seeing where this would take me. Suddenly in the back of mind was what seemed like a CRAZY suggestion from the early stage of my planning, Cameron Corner. The theme of this trip was going to be unplanned, spontaneous and adventurous, so let’s head north – maybe.
Day 1: Total kilometres: 400. Highlight: Rufus River Road. Must do: Wentworth Pub.
So, Harley-Davidson has made an adventure bike.And you know what? They’ve had a red hot go at doing it and it’s actually pretty damn good!
Harley-Davidson Pan America
Milwaukee have evaluated the established peerage in the adventure-touring sector, examined what those bikes do well, where they could be improved upon, and then looked for points of difference they can bring to market in order to stand out from the crowd and make a statement.
The Pan America is expected to arrive in Australia soon at a competitive $31,995 Ride Away. Tubeless spoked rims and adaptive ride height suspension will be optional extras that come together as a package priced at $1485.
And Pan America is quite a bold statement
At the recent Australian launch Harley-Davidson head honcho Nigel Keough started proceedings by declaring, “we compete to win and aim to make Pan America Australia’s #1 adventure-touring motorcycle and we believe it will be a game-changer’”
It wasn’t said with rodomontade, Nigel is fairly softly spoken, but the intent was clear nonetheless.
Looking at the list of features you can tell how well Harley have studied the competition in the sector, examined the ingredients that make for a successful recipe, then for the most part simply added those same components before blending and then putting it in the oven to bake.
All the ingredients for success are there
Adventure Tourer check-list
150 horsepower twin – check
Radial Brembo stoppers – check
Lean-angle sensitive ABS and traction control – check (Bosch)
Electronic semi-active suspension – check (Showa)
Cornering lights – check
Tyre pressure monitoring – check
Cruise control – check
Heated grips – check
20+ litre fuel capacity – check
350km+ range – check
Comfortable ergonomics – check
Steering Damper – check
Slip-assist clutch – check
Hill Hold Control – check
Engine Braking Control – check
Ride Modes linked to corresponding different tunes for the suspension, ABS and traction control systems – check
Adjustable seat height – check
Adjustable screen – check
Large TFT screen with mobile app driven navigation – check
Powered USB ports at dash and under seat – check
Luggage systems both hard/soft as accessories – check
That’s a pretty damn good start!
Harley have then added a couple of points of difference that will genuinely improve the experience for many.
Single-piece aluminium cylinders with nickel silicon carbide-surface galvanic coating are a lightweight design feature. Rocker covers, camshaft covers and primary cover are lightweight magnesium.
The all new Revolution Max engine utilises hydraulic lifters that activate tiny roller-rockers thus there are no valve clearance checks required.That $500+ saving every 32,000 km or so though is somewhat clawed back by the fact that Harley have set the minor service intervals at 8000 km, rather than the now industry norm of 16,000km.That said, if you go 16,000 km without doing an oil change yourself at least once during that period between dealership visits on any modern motorcycle, then I reckon you’ve got rocks in your head. Oil and filters are pretty damn cheap and if you plan on doing any serious adventure riding, then it also pays to get to know your motorcycle. Doing some basic maintenance yourself at home is a good way to gain such knowledge, rather than trying to work it out by the side of some dirt track on the side of a mountain 500 kilometres from home… Here endeth the Texas Tea sermon from Pastor Trev, back to the bike…
The real breakthrough, the one that will really make a point of difference that riders will appreciate every single time they mount or dismount the motorcycle, is the new automatic ride height and lowering system which is deployed for the first time in Pan America.
The automatic ride height system truly is a game-changer for many
This is a true halle-fecken-lujah moment for the short of leg amongst us. This feature alone will capture the attention of many adventure-touring aspirants. When the machine comes to a stop it automatically sinks 25-50 mm closer to terra-firma, that figure depends on how much pre-load has been set on the suspension, and then raises up again as you move off from a standstill. It does it all automatically. Simply brilliant. Seriously, in such a competitive sector why has it taken until 2021 for this to come to market? Harley is kicking sand in the face of the established peerage good and proper with this feature, and good on them. Insert that Leonardo DiCaprio meme where he leans back and claps from The Wolf of Wall Street right here.
Inverted 47 mm Showa Balance Free forks control the 120/70-19 front while a BFRC shock helps ensure the power gets down to a 170/60-17 rear.The damping at both ends is semi-active and constantly adjusted on the fly to respond instantly to the corresponding road, load, throttle and braking demands being placed on the suspension.
Showa semi-active suspension is the business
It’s somewhat akin to voodoo but it works, and like the electronic Showa used on Honda’s Africa Twin, it is generally a little more taut in its response than the WP, Sachs or Ohlins set-ups used by other competitors. Don’t translate that to mean harsh as nothing could be further than the truth, it’s just that all the Showa offerings I have sampled make the speed of damping changes rather more evident than many comparative systems.
Harley-Davidson developed the lowering and ride-height levelling software in conjunction with Showa, thus the technology will be only available on Harley motorcycles for the next year. Only then will Showa be allowed to offer the system to other manufacturers. This is a normal state of affairs when companies partner to develop, engineer, evaluate, test and map new technology through a shared investment. KTM did the same with Bosch when the 1190 Adventure was the first motorcycle to hit the road with lean-angle sensitive ABS back in 2014, which then filtered out to other brands in 2015.
Harley-Davidson Pan America
The interesting part of the lowering story is that this effectively reverse-engineers something that Harley had been planning to try and introduce for some time on their cruiser line-up. The original idea was to have a slammed on the deck look, but then be able to raise the ride height when out of the city to provide more suspension travel, and thus comfort. Adventure bikes already have plenty of suspension travel,compliance and comfort, but the trade-off is generally tall seat heights that do little to instil confidence in newcomers, effectively ruling many vertically challenged people out of the large-capacity adventure-touring game altogether. This feature brings those people back into the game, and many are going to be enthusiastic players for Team H-D as a result.
Pan America is certainly going to make a big splash when it hits the market
Pan America is not a one trick pony though
It manages to seem a lot smaller than it is and while on the launch we didn’t do any proper serious dirt work, I think it is going to acquit itself quite well in such environs.With 210 mm of ground clearance and 190 mm of suspension travel, it is comparable with most of the 19-inch front opposition.
On unsealed surfaces I was somewhat surprised to find that the Pan America is the least intimidating of all the large adventure-touring motorcycles on the market. No matter how much experience I gain on big jiggers, it always takes some time to regain the confidence required to ride them with any sort of real aggression, especially if I have been out of the seat for a month or two.
The toe end of the rear brake pedal pad simply flips over with a finger to change it from a sit-down to stand-up placement
I’ve done plenty of serious sand and clocked up more than 10,000 kilometres on many of the main competitors to the Pan America and, in my opinion, the only bikes that instil more confidence as you first head off-road are those that wear 21-inch front rims. And off-road on a big bike, confidence is somewhat of a necessity. That confidence eventually comes on all the other adventure-tourers, but it comes more quickly on the Pan America due to some sort of Jedi mind trick they’ve managed to pull off that makes the bike shrink around you.
The user-friendly nature of the engine also plays its part. It never ceases to amaze me just how much modern ride-by-wire throttles can smooth out the power deliveries of powerful engines that otherwise might prove more than a little recalcitrant.
The power delivery is somewhat deceptive
I once owned a KTM 990 Adventure R that was a crazy mofo to ride, it tried to kill me often, but I loved it, and still miss it. Yet the latest KTM Adventure bikes have heaps more power than the 990 era bikes, but are absolute pussycats to ride compared to the 990 era engines.Seriously, don’t let the big numbers scare you, technology has made huge power accessible to the masses.
The 150 horsepower Pan America is the softest pussycat in town though.Pick up from a closed throttle is the smoothest in the business. The way the engine puts the power through to the back tyre makes it feel as though more than a few of those ponies might have gone missing from the paddock.
Twist it a bit harder though and spin that 60-degree v-twin past 6500 and the speed really starts to pile on.Again though, it is still a little deceptive, the electronic speedo is working hard to keep up but you just don’t get that real feel of the urge through the seat of your pants. The acceleration is there and the speed builds strongly, but you just don’t ‘feel’ it as much as you do on most of the competition.The engine is simply so smooth that it hides just how formidable it can be.
DOHC design permits independent Variable Valve Timing (VVT) on the intake and exhaust cam, optimised for the front and rear cylinder
Both the exhaust and intake cams in each cylinder head are advanced in low rpm situations to improve torque, and then that valve timing is pulled back as the rpm increases to deliver the top end horsepower. And this is not a few degrees of change, we are talking a monumental 40-degrees of difference in either direction, that’s massive. It is the most impressive variable valve timing system I have sampled.
Despite all this electrickery taking place between your knees there are no discernible steps in the power delivery, none. But you can definitely feel the engine start to take on a more ferocious new nature as you spin past that 127 Nm at 6750 rpm torque peak and the electronic tacho sweeps towards the 150 horsepower at 8750 rpm crescendo in quickening fashion.The 13:1 compression engine feels as though it wants to keep pulling well past that but the rev-limiter stops play at 9500 rpm. Some of the gears are quite close together which meant I did brush that limiter from time to time as I failed to feed it the next gear quick enough. That really high-lighted the lack of a quick-shifter.
That is a curious omission for a bike so loaded with almost every electronic feature imaginable.It makes me think that Harley have developed one, but some problems with it have delayed the deployment of the feature to the public. There are plenty of ‘not quite right’ quick-shifter set-ups that have destroyed not only gearboxes but also engines. This has become even more critical to get right with the latest generation of two-way quick-shift set-ups. I reckon something like this is why we don’t see a quick-shifter on the Pan America, yet… That, or that the smooth shifting and fairly faultless gearbox does not lend itself to the use of a quick-shifter due to some quirk inherent in the design of the shift drum.
Final drive is via chain
Obviously Harley’s traditional belt drive system was never going to cut it on a bike destined for any serious off-road use. Rocks and grooved belts just don’t go together.Harley have opted for chain drive over a shaft set-up and that is a move I am perfectly happy with.Shaft drives have their benefits for sure, but these days quality chains generally don’t need adjustment outside of service intervals or rear tyre changes. I would expect a 30,000 km chain life, perhaps more due to the smooth running nature of the engine. Modern o-ring or x-ring chains only need a wipe clean if covered in crud and a light spray of lubricant once in a blue moon.
Looks are somewhat polarising, but I don’t mind it all. Let’s face it, nobody makes a pretty adventure bike…
The water-cooled engine has a huge fan that reduces the temperature quite quickly when it gets a little hot under the collar if spending too much time standing still.Coolant also runs through the oil-cooler and there are vanes in the bodywork to direct airflow away from the rider after it has passed through the radiator.It is a dry-sump engine with a three-stage scavenge pump and oil jets under the coated pistons. The crankcase scavenge pump produces enough suction for Harley to employ low-tension rings that reduce friction. Exhaust valves are sodium filled to better resist heat build-up and Harley really do seem to have covered all the bases that should ensure durability.
The engine heat does sometimes get transferred to your inner thigh on the right
There is no getting away from the fact though that the inside of your legs basically cosset the rear cylinder head. But it is the routing of the rear header that can make your right leg much more uncomfortable than the left. Stop-start city traffic or first gear off-road work in summer I suspect will get uncomfortable mighty quick.
Overall though, who would have imagined that Harley-Davidson would bring to market the world’s smoothest running and user-friendly high horsepower twin? I can confidently tell you they have.
Certainly plenty of traditional Harley styling cues from this angle
The trade-off is that the engine performs so smoothly that it does leave you feeling that a little of the theatre is missing.While its competitors are European, and feel it, the Revolution Max engine feels so perfectly curated that you could easily mistake it for an engine born from one of the four Japanese powerhouses that have long set the standard for engineering prowess, rather than from the Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations facility in Wisconsin.
Those long accustomed to my scribblings on motorcycles for the last two decades will know I am not one for hyperbole or embellishment, but this engine is not only a revolution for Harley, it is somewhat of a revolution and revelation in its own right. I admire it greatly and am also a little bit awestruck at what the Americans have produced, but the fact remains that the way it goes about its business still left me a little cold, compared to its European competitors. It’s just missing that discernible wallop in the back of the pants when you hit the throttle, that in-turn produces corresponding action at the front of your pants…. However, I suspect that while the immediate attraction might be missing, the fondness might grow into more love and passion over the long-term rather than a simple one-night-stand.
Ergos and comfort are top notch
It was, however, love at first sight in relation to the ergonomics. The seat feels narrow when onboard but is still supportive and well cushioned. Granted, I haven’t done any big kilometre days in the saddle, but I suspect there will be no problems on the comfort score and I would happily set out to lap Australia on one tomorrow.
A pretty good place to park your bum
The standard screen is manually adjustable while on the move through four positions and various larger or smaller screens are available as accessories. I don’t reckon I would be changing it. Cruise control works well as do the three-stage heated grips.
Electronic suspension also dramatically helps rider comfort and enjoyment in every scenario. The semi-active suspension system has five modes, ‘Comfort’, ‘Balanced’, ‘Sport’, ‘Off-Road Soft’ and ‘Off-Road Firm’. Thus when you want to play boy racer or sit back and enjoy the ride, the perfect suspension set-up is only the press of a button away.
The different ride modes also change the semi-active suspension, ABS, traction control and engine braking tunes, along with the throttle response and ramp rate to the corresponding scenarios.Harley have also given riders a great amount of freedom to set the machine up with their own set of variables and save them in two extra user modes.
Harley-Davidson Pan America
A dedicated ‘Off-Road Plus’ mode deactivates ABS on the rear and places the front ABS in a minimal intervention mode but does not deactivate the system entirely.The ABS system is sophisticated enough that by the time you were in a scenario where complete deactivation would be advantageous, you are probably already in a world of shit anyway.If you have no experience with the latest and greatest ABS systems then you might be throwing your hands up in the air in protest, but for those of us that know how good these systems have now got its no longer a matter of concern. Eventually you just have suck it up and admit that the systems are generally better than you are in any given scenario, particularly an emergency one.
On the road the Pan America steers well, is agile and light underfoot. The launch day saw us on some good roads but mixed conditions and traffic in the places you didn’t want it prevented us from pushing that envelope to see what it could really do. The geometry seems great and the bike shows no hesitation going where its pointed, but we never really got it fully cranked at speed with enough aggression to really judge where it sits in the boy-racer pecking order.
Harley only claim 42-degrees of lean angle via the testing regimen they use to measure such things, but if that figure is calculated the same way the likes of the IMU on the BMW R 1250 GS measures angle of the dangle, then the Pan America will be dragging its undercarriage long before the German starts to feel even a little bit flustered.
I can’t yet judge this area of performance with any real authority before getting the bikes back to back on the same bit of blacktop, that said, I think the Harley will acquit itself quite well. Only those riders that like to lick the stamp and send it into the corners with real aggression will get to appreciate any marginal advantage displayed by the BMW, KTM, Triumph or Ducati in this area.It would be a plain insult to compare the sporting performance of the Pan America to any other model in the current Harley catalogue, it is playing in another contest entirely, and this is the big league full of competitors that have serious sporting potential.
The screen display on the Pan America supports infotainment generated by the rider’s Bluetooth-equipped mobile device. The motorcycle does not have an on-board infotainment system, and it is not equipped with speakers. Most infotainment functions also require a Bluetooth headset and speakers worn within the helmet.
The 6.8-inch TFT instrument panel is done quite well.It has a variety of displays to choose from that can be further customised to suit your tastes. The instrument panel and its surrounding binnacle is adjustable for angle to ensure it caters to riders of various heights. The resolution is good and even small text is legible. It is also a touchscreen but that functionality is only active when stationary.
Images of the instrumentation don’t really do it justice as pictures make it look a bit Fisher-Price, but from the seat it works better and looks better than you might imagine and has all the functionality you could desire. Turn-by-turn navigation is activated via the H-D app on your mobile phone that pairs with the Pan America via Bluetooth. Music works the same way and the whole set-up is very similar to that seen across most motorcycle brands in this day and age. It is executed in a nicer way than most though and only the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto set-up seen on the Africa Twin betters it in any measurable way.
Some of the launch bikes had some minor starting issues that Harley are expecting to have a fix for via a software update before the bikes go on sale. I am sure it will be fixed, but it is worth mentioning all the same.
There were some starting issues experience on the launch that are expected to be fixed by a software update
There is a whole lot going on with the switch-gear. There are so many buttons and switches that it seems all a bit too much but, to be fair, they are reasonably well thought out and functional. Still, there are way too many buttons and even though Harley tell us they have done a million miles of durability testing, 50 per cent of which was undertaken off-road, if all those buttons still work after running through a few bull-dust holes over a week in the outback I will be surprised. The competition has spent decades getting this right, and they still experience failures, so I can’t imagine Harley has got it 100 per cent right from day one, time will tell I guess….
So much going on here and there are more buttons below and above that you can’t even see in this shot, and there are just as many on the left switch-block also
And this perhaps is also the crux of the matter when it comes to Pan America. There is no question Harley have done an absolutely amazing job to write this opening chapter in what they hope will be a whole new profitable book for The Motor Company. But just how right have they got it?Will the early adopters be supported well enough through any teething problems to still be loving Pan America life in 12 or 18 months time?
One would hope that Harley have invested so much in this new platform that they will instruct their dealer network to move heaven and earth to ensure those that choose to put down 32-large on a Pan America feel as though they are part of that new adventure-touring journey with Harley, rather than just being on a Harley….That will decide how the next Pan America chapter is written, and from there whether it will be a short serial, or a tome of real significance that will leave an indelible mark on the future of motorcycling.
Harley-Davidson Pan America
Harley Davidson Pan America Specifications
Engine
Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 60-Degree V-Twin
Displacement
1,252 cc
Bore X Stroke
105 mm x 72 mm
Power
150 horsepower at 8750 RPM
Torque
127 Nm at 6750 rpm
Compression Ratio
13:01
Fuel System
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Exhaust
2-into-1-into-1; catalyst in header
Charging
Three-phase, 45 Amp system (300 Watts @13 Volts, 1200 rpm, 585 Watts max power @ 13 Volts, 2250 rpm)
Electric Power Outlet
USB C-Type , Output 5V at 2.4 Amp
Drivetrain
Chain Driven
Front Fork
47 mm USD Fork with compression, rebound and preload adjustability. Special model only: Electronically adjustable semi-active damping control.
Rear Shock
Linkage-mounted piggyback monoshock with compression, rebound and preload adjustability. Special model only: Automatic electronic preload control and semi-active compression & rebound damping on Special model.
Suspension Travel
190 mm front and rear
Rake
25 degrees
Trail
4.3″
Wheelbase
1580 mm
Ground Clearance
210 mm
L x W x H
2265 mm x 965 mm x 1510 mm
Seat Height
850 mm (830 in low position or 870 in high position)
Front Tyre
120/70R19 60V Michelin Scorcher Adventure, Radial
Rear Tyre
170/60R17 72V Michelin Scorcher Adventure, Radial
Wheels
19 x 3 in. (F) 17 x 4.5 in. (R) – Cast alloy, spoked rims optional
Front Brake
320 mm twin discs. Radially mounted, monoblock, 4-piston caliper, with cornering ABS
Rear Brake
280 mm disc. Floating single piston caliper, with cornering ABS
Display
6.8 inch viewable area TFT display with speedometer, gear, odometer, fuel level, clock, trip, ambient temp, low temp alert, side stand down alert, TIP over alert, cruise, range and tachometer indication, BT capable – phone pairing to access phone calls, music, navigation (H-D App ONLY)
Oil Capacity
4.5 l
Coolant Capacity
2.2 l
Service Interval
8000 km
Fuel Capacity
21 litres
Fuel Economy
4.9 l/100 km
Weight (Fully Fueled)
254 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
455 kg
Warranty
24 months (unlimited mileage)
Ride Away Price
$31,995 Ride Away – $33,480 with spoked rims and adaptive ride height
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