Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 (2024 – ) review

After generations of predominantly air-cooled cruisers there’s no denying the Pan Am is a bold move for Harley, and the US firm is to be applauded for its all-new adventure bike’s bold design. While the basics boxes are ticked admirably with the 150 horsepower engine, quality cycle parts, credible electronics and big TFT dash Harley has gone further still by adding an ‘Special’ variant, complete with semi-active suspension that cleverly lowers as standstill and bold styling which may, or may not, be to everyone’s taste. Once, like us, you’ve seen the resemblance to Bender from Futurama you won’t be able to unsee it! The result is a completely credible and competitive litre-class adventure bike with bags of comfort and versatility. It’s not perfect, given the coil and cabling seems conspicuously exposed, the switchgear is a little fiddly and it possibly lacks a compelling reason to buy. But it’s a damned good first attempt.

The Pan America is a conventional full-size adventure bike with the riding position to match. This entails a fairly tall (895mm) seat that’s also reasonably narrow, low-ish pegs and a straight-backed rider posture reaching forward to fairly high and wide handlebars. There is also a decently large screen, which is manually adjustable through two positions, the higher of the two being the far more protective. Our Special trim test bike also came with the £600 additional ‘Adaptive Ride Height System’ which, via the semi-active electronic suspension, lowers the saddle height to just under 800mm when the bike comes to a standstill. It’s a very welcome feature since given its own twist by BMW on its R1300 GS. The seat itself, meanwhile, is deep, plush and comfortable, with a significant step up to the pillion pad.

Adventure bikes by their very nature are among the most versatile of motorcycles given they can tour, scratch, take a pillion and luggage and even venture off-road, and the Pan Am is typical of the breed. If you just want to ride, pop into town, do a bit of green laning or take in a massive continental tour it does it all. In general terms, it’s no better or significantly worse than any other. As with many of its type, however, it is also rather tall and ungainly at low speeds, so can be a bit of a handful. This isn’t helped by the fact it’s also heavier than many at 258kg wet – before pillion or luggage – with these factors combining to make it a lump around town.

The all-new Revolution Max engine is a huge development for Harley after generations of antiquated air-cooled, pushrod operated V-twins. It’s an impressive performer in pretty much every respect, which is no mean achievement for an all-new, clean sheet design. The peak numbers – 150 horsepower and 128Nm – are competitive, its delivery and throttle response is crisp and progressive while loving revs and the Rain, Road and Sport riding modes are easily activated via a button on the right bar, with Sport truly being lively and, er, ‘sporty’. Overall, it’s impressively refined and effective for such a new engine, even if it doesn’t quite meet the performance heights of the latest from, say, Ducati and KTM. Braking is equally impressive, especially considering how poor Harley cruiser brakes were not so long ago. Big Brembo twin discs up front are grasped by four-pot radial calipers from the same assisted by cornering ABS with power right up there with the best in the class.

The new Pan America’s chassis is a match for its powertrain in most respects which is, again, no mean feat considering how new the whole bike is. On our Special version suspension front and rear was a semi-active system by Japanese experts Showa and means the damping characteristics alter according to riding mode. You notice it, too. In Road everything’s plush and comfortable, albeit a little wishy-washy if you push on. But in Sport it all tightens up and gives a reassuringly controlled ride. Steering is sweet enough and it’s stable, although the Pan Am does feel a little taller and slightly more vague than some rivals. This is probably an inevitable consequence of having a higher centre-of-gravity than, say, the boxer-engined layout of BMW’s R1300 GS.

We often say Harleys have chunky running costs due to their premium status and high price, so you wouldn’t expect this new Pan Am to be any better. And it’s not. That said, it’s probably no worse than most other big, powerful adventure bikes of its type. On current experience, the Pan Am is still struggling a little to catch on, resulting in plenty of dealer discounts and a subsequent impact on residual values. On top of that, the Pan Am will have the same hunger for consumables such as tyres, brakes pads and chain (for, yes, this Harley has a chain, not belt drive) as most of its rivals. Fuel consumption is fairly typical, too, at around 50mpg.

This is not only an all-new, clean sheet design, it’s one by a brand that’s never done anything like it before and it would be natural to have some concerns about reliability. That said, at the time of writing the Pan Am has actually been on sale for over three years with no major reliability issues reported so far. On top of that, the all-new Revolution Max engine isn’t restricted to the Pan America, either. Harley is also using it in its all-new Sportster S, which has also been available, without complaint, since 2021, while a detuned 975cc version is also used in the Nightster. Overall, we have few causes for concern.

As standard, all current Harley-Davidson models, including the Pan America, come with a two-year, unlimited mileage, manufacturer-backed warranty covering all parts and labour, although this can be extended to a full five years at extra cost. Usual annual or interim services are due every 5,000 miles, which is shorter than many of its rivals but to be expected from such an all-new design.

Considering how rooted Harley has been in the past until very recently the Pan America comes as standard with an impressive array of up-to-date equipment. As well as the three standard riding modes, cornering ABS and traction control, there’s a slick 6.8-inch colour TFT dash with Bluetooth connectivity, that two-way manually adjustable screen and even heated grips and cruise control. On top of that, meanwhile, the Special gets semi-active suspension and optional Adaptive Ride Height Control. In short, it doesn’t really want for anything, although the absence of a quickshifter is conspicuous as, increasingly, is the option of the radar-controlled cruise many rivals now include.

This is probably the biggest question of all concerning the Pan America. Yes, it’s a valid, credible adventure rival to the likes of the established elite offered by BMW, KTM, Triumph and more. Although good it’s not better than any of them, though. In fact, is probably not quite as good as any, is less proven and is no cheaper. So, why buy? A few years in from its launch it feels a question Harley is asking itself, going by the many discounts available. As a Harley attempting to snare BMW GS buyers it’s the opposite situation to the R 18 cruiser’s attempt to put a Teutonic twist on the big cruisers American brands like Harley-Davidson dominate so comfortably. Meaning that, unless you’re a diehard Harley fan, the Pan America may not appeal over the more conventional alternatives. Even then the lack of Harley-Davidson badges runs the risk most people won’t even recognise it as such, though that may change in time.