Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Adventure Bike Unveiled

This is the first ever adventure touring bike from Harley 

• The Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 is powered by an all-new 152.2PS, 127Nm 1252cc liquid-cooled V-twin engine.
• Special variant features semi-active suspension with adaptive ride height that lowers suspension when the bike comes to a halt for easy ingress or egress.
• India launch likely in May 2021.

Harley-Davidson has finally unveiled the production-spec version of the first adventure-touring bike in its history, the Pan America 1250. It is a complete departure from Harley’s tradition of making cruisers. But with this, the American bikemaker should be able to rope in a much wider set of audience to the Harley family. Available in two variants: base and Special, the motorcycle(s) will reach American dealerships from Spring 2021 (March-end onwards). In the US, it costs an equivalent of Rs 12.53 lakh for the base model and Rs 14.47 lakh for the Special variant. Expect the ADV to arrive here in May 2021 via the CBU route, with prices starting from around Rs 20 lakh for the base variant and Rs 23-24 lakh for the Pan America Special. 

The ADV is powered by an all-new Revolution Max 1250 engine. This 1252cc liquid-cooled V-twin DOHC motor features Variable Valve Timing (VVT) technology. Harley says it broadens the overall powerband and improves torque management as well as efficiency. It claims to provide a good balance of low-end grunt and optimum power at higher rpms. The engine produces 152.2PS at 9,000rpm and a peak torque of 127Nm arrives at 6,750rpm. It is mated to a 6-speed transmission with assist and slipper clutch. The engine features internal balancers for optimum refinement. Harley claims the motorcycle offers a mileage of 20.4kmpl, pretty healthy for an engine of its category.

The engine is reined in by five riding modes in the base variant (Road, Sport, Rain, Off-Road and Off-Road Plus), and two additional rider-customisable modes (Custom Mode and Custom Off-road Plus Mode) in the Pan America Special model. It works in conjunction with cornering-enhanced ABS, traction control system, and engine braking control. The bike also comes with Hill Hold Control to ensure this 242kg (kerb weight) behemoth doesn’t roll off while stopping on a sloping road. 

The engine sits inside a trellis frame linked to a 47mm inverted front fork and a linked rear monoshock -- both adjustable for compression, rebound and spring preload. The bike rolls on a 19-inch front and a 17-inch rear cast aluminium wheel with Michelin Scorcher Adventure tyres as standard. Braking is via a pair of 320mm discs with radial calipers up front and a 280mm disc at the rear. At 869mm, the seat height is quite tall, so we hope the India-spec version gets a lowered seat as standard. To give you a perspective, the Royal Enfield Himalayan’s seat is 800mm tall. The 210mm ground clearance is good enough for a bike of its segment.

Apart from the extra riding modes, the Harley-Davidson Pan America Special variant also comes with standard 47mm Showa Balance Free Forks (BFF) and a Showa BFRC (Balanced Free Rear Cushion-lite) rear monoshock -- both electronically-actuated semi-active units. It also gets an optional Adaptive Ride Height feature with four sub-modes. With this, the suspension can be lowered while the bike is static, bringing the seat height to 830mm. This should make it easier for shorter riders to get on and off the bike. The Special variant also comes with standard tyre pressure monitoring system, steering damper, heated grips, and optional spoke wheels with tubeless tyres -- a godsend for off-road enthusiasts.

It features an all-LED lighting system and a 6.8-inch TFT touchscreen with smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation. The Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 will go up against heavyweights such as the BMW R 1250 GS and the upcoming Ducati Multistrada V4.