The Pan-American Highway is a network of highways that connects the two ends of the American continents. In theory, you could drive from Prudhoe Bay, in the far north of Alaska, to Argentina’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, in a single trip. Well, you would have to stop at least once, because between Panama and Colombia the jungle is too dense – the highway has never been extended there. But beyond the so-called Darien Gap, there are thirty thousand kilometers of mountains, desert and jungle that are crossed.
What do you need to do something like that? In addition to a good dose of patience and equipment, you need a bike that can handle a wide variety of terrain. We’d have the guts to do it on Harley-Davidson’s first adventure touring motorcycle, appropriately named Pan America. It’s Harley’s second revolutionary bike, which previously focused (a little too much) on the Easy Rider-type rider. In 2019, the first electric bike rolled out of the Milwaukee plant, the LifeWire. It was the first sign that Harley was shaking off traditional and ideological feathers. So now, two years later, his first adventure touring motorcycle is available.
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Harley-Davidson
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With the Pan America 1250, Harley-Davidson has put itself into fighter mode with BMW, which has set the standard in the adventure category for years with the R 1250 GS. But in a short time, the North American company have produced a motorcycle that has nothing to envy to this one, and yet it is still a Harley. Be it the aforementioned BMW, Triumph Tiger or Ducati Multistrada, almost all adventure touring bikes have a “peak” at the front. The Pan America, on the other hand, is distinguished by a gigantic headlight, as we are used to seeing on Harley motorcycles.
The Pan America is the strongest and fastest Harley ever, and it owes it to its new engine. Between your knees roars the 1252cc Revolution Max 1250 engine, a water-cooled 60-degree V-twin that looks nothing like any Harley. Too bad for enthusiasts it lacks the brand’s familiar sound. What you get in return is 152 stable horsepower with plenty of power, especially in the high rev range.
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Harley-Davidson
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There are two versions, of which the 1250 Special shown here has the most options. In addition to the beautiful white-orange colourway, it features a semi-active Show suspension, all-around crash bars, a center stand, a smart reverse brake pedal, a skid plate, hand guards, tail lights. twist and heated grips. An industry first, Pan America features the innovative Adaptive Ride Height (ARH), a new suspension system that automatically shifts from a low standing position to an optimal ride height when the bike is in motion. Practical for smaller riders, the seat height can be lowered. It also has many electronic systems to make driving as comfortable as possible.
After what Esquire had the pleasure of driving it for a weekend, we can only congratulate Harley. In a relatively short period of time a motorcycle has been created capable of taking on the aforementioned competition and making it very difficult for them. The Pan America rides smooth, is agile and not forgetting that it gets as much attention as any other Harley.
