Harley Pan American coming 2/21/2021

[WJBertrand]

Agree about the value of short test rides, at least on a new bike. Not much to learn. Test rides are far more important for used bikes I think.


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[Dr Ratbagg]

[QUOTE="magic, post: 450397, member: 7604"
Sierra, I hate to say it but we will probably see more HD Pan Ams around than Super Teneres.
[/QUOTE]
Now that is laughable, man. Back in the 70s when HD built a serious dirt bike. They sold a total of 65 MX250s. And later in the 90s they came out with the popular Rotax powered MT500. They sold 500 units. Harleys that are engineered and built by HD have always been slab machines.

 

[bmac]

Honestly I've never learned much from a test ride. Mostly only been able to rule out bikes ...and some of those were probably unfair.

To even contemplate adding a Harley to the fleet id need a weekend rental at a minimum.

I wholeheartedly agree with your second sentence. I have told many folks that you can rule out a bike with a demo ride but you may not know how well you really like it until you spend some serious time on it. Some bikes just don't work and you know it right away. Other potential candidates need more seat time. And then there is the rare goldilocks that you know right away it is going to work.

 

[Sierra1]

[QUOTE="magic, post: 450397, member: 7604"
Sierra, I hate to say it but we will probably see more HD Pan Ams around than Super Teneres.
Now that is laughable, man. Back in the 70s when HD built a serious dirt bike. They sold a total of 65 MX250s. And later in the 90s they came out with the popular Rotax powered MT500. They sold 500 units. Harleys that are engineered and built by HD have always been slab machines.

I think Magic is right. I've already seen one, and it's barely been released. But the Dr. is right about H-D not making serious dirt bikes. But, none of the adventure bikes are serious dirt bikes. They're just big bikes that can go in the dirt.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Back in the 70s when HD built a serious dirt bike. They sold a total of 65 MX250s.

I remember seeing those in the local dealers showroom. Rex Staten could make that bike sing on the motocross track.

 

[ballisticexchris]

But, none of the adventure bikes are serious dirt bikes. They're just big bikes that can go in the dirt.

How very true. There is not many riders regardless of skill level that can ride the Super Tenere in places I as a novice can navigate on my Beta. 650lb bikes are going to be very difficult to lift over 3 foot rock steps.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Did you rent a KTM for a weekend before your purchase?

I did not. Instead I took it for about 20 miles anywhere I wanted to go in my home stomping grounds. I thought it had potential.

After I bought it. For the first 150 miles or so I was concerned i made a huge mistake. Buyer regret kicking in bad.

2 weeks later I started to figure out I had Instead bought the most entertaining bike I'd ever ridden.

Which goes to my point...a short test ride tells me very little

 

[Checkswrecks]

...
Which goes to my point...a short test ride tells me very little

But as we've both found, a short ride CAN rule out the non-contenders like that Triumph you tried.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I can tell right away how I am going to like a bike as soon as I do a few miles. The BMW GS adventure, KTM 1190/1290 and Ducati Enduros had ill handling characteristics I am unwilling to live with. The BMW was the torque of the motor pulling the bike over. The KTM's in both 21 inch and 19 inch front wheel versions had strange braking and got super hot between the legs ( I put in over 100 miles on a few of the models in a day). The Ducati while insanely powerful had ergos that I could not modify to fit.

I have ridden a few Harley's but worried about the reliability. Just looking at the peg to seat ratio of other riders tells me the fit would be strange. And the bars are pulled back in an odd bend and shape. Also too many expensive things to break in a tip over.

Still I would not mind riding one. I could be way off in my thinking. Well except for the reliability.

Super Tenere was instantly comfortable and the weight of it disappeared on the street. It goes where you point it and stops amazingly well. And well I do confess I'm partial to the parallel twin motor.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

But as we've both found, a short ride CAN rule out the non-contenders like that Triumph you tried.

Yep, vibrating my hands to sleep is not likely to be a bike I need to spend a lot of time with exploring the possibilities.

 

[Madhatter]

im tests riding the pan America this morning . we will see how it feels .

 

[Madhatter]

Interesting morning

 

[Madhatter]

a few pictures

 

[tntmo]

 

[Madhatter]

push starter button and it growls to life with purpose . not like the slow starting Tenere . but that aside my impressions are , its tall on the center stand . off its flat foot . once moving the suspension adjust upwards in hight , you will hardly notice this . throttle is quick , not as much engine braking as on the Tenere . the bars sweep back to you , thinking this be an issue but only in stance as it narrows the triangle when standing . windshield puts air into your face on high position (after market will have to fix it ) dash is colorful but busy (lots of info displayed and once you know what your looking for and where to look ,not a problem ) . dealer had a fixed route and had to follow the sales guy ,so 4th gear and 39 mph was all I could get , also set in a easy mode . but power is there . self canceling blinkers I think (not completely sure about that but it seemed to be working that way ) . comfortable seating position . may need an after market seat for long rides as stock was a bit soft .
easy maintenance as spark plugs are right there , fan and hoses seemed easy, no valve adjustments ,ever . mirrors not pretty but the best I've seen for usefulness , not blurring at rpm , no elbows , and could see very well behind and to the sides . first gear driveline sloppiness is less than my gen 2 (my gen 2 drives me crazy in first gear stuff ) so that's a plus . I'm thinking gas tank capacity will be an issue as 5 gallons means a lot more stopping for it . and as for the chain drive I have decided its a trade off like this . Harley put a chain on it , lighter and less power losses , the negative being you have to take care of it more . and you will have to replace it every so often . so here is what I see as a trade off , no valve adjustments ever VS. replacing chains and sprockets . chains and sprockets im thinking is cheaper than most valve checks . and you can modify your final drive gearing by changing sprockets. now Tenere valve checks are 26 k miles if your good you might get fairly close with a chain . I did not notice any engine heat issues on my test ride . a very nice bike , and it has the latest ABS stuff .
I think it anyone who buys it will not regret it anymore than any other brand they could buy. it has a lot going for it....

 

[tntmo]

Nice review. Yes the turn signals are self cancelling and seem to work really well. I sat on a few different setups, one with the low seat (I test rode that one not knowing it was the low seat), and the standard and tall seat as well. I also sat on one with bar risers and the bars adjusted forward to a more off road oriented setup. I guess I didn't notice less engine braking, I took an unescorted test ride and was opening it up a bit along with downshifting aggressively a few times.

Agree with your assessment, anyone who considers purchasing it shouldn't be disappointed. I like a bit more sport in my ride (my biggest negative about the Tenere) and would be very happy on the HD.

What were your objective thoughts on the look of the bike? I have always thought it wasn't as bad as people were making it out to be, and it looks even less offensive in person. The gray color scheme was my favorite.

 

[Sierra1]

Not being negative, but, all BMWs great on test rides. The problem is down the road if you get one with problems. (not all develop issues). It's wa-a-a-ay to early to make a long term decision on the H-D. There are guys on here that said they would wait a year on a new/updated Tenere after it was introduced. If ya' can't trust Yamaha to do stuff right then first time. . . . how do you trust a company that has a reputation, whether deserved or not, for not being dependable. . . . with something that they've never done before?

 

[PhilPhilippines]

Not being negative, but, all BMWs great on test rides. The problem is down the road if you get one with problems. (not all develop issues). It's wa-a-a-ay to early to make a long term decision on the H-D. There are guys on here that said they would wait a year on a new/updated Tenere after it was introduced. If ya' can't trust Yamaha to do stuff right then first time. . . . how do you trust a company that has a reputation, whether deserved or not, for not being dependable. . . . with something that they've never done before?

We will probably be suitably impressed post Covid. Once the masks are off I'm guessing it will transform into a handsome beast with the breathing to keep up with a BMW.

 

[ballisticexchris]

If ya' can't trust Yamaha to do stuff right then first time. . . . how do you trust a company that has a reputation, whether deserved or not, for not being dependable. . . . with something that they've never done before?

I have found both Yamaha and Honda 1st year models are pretty dang reliable. The finance guy from the now defunct Champion Motorcycles purchased a 1st year Super Tenere and is still riding the crud out of it. Last time I spoke with him he was commuting to the Ducati dealer on it. He is now their chief finance officer. The only issues he has had is a coil stick going bad at about 50K miles.

And this guy is an equivalent of Mark (Mak10) in riding skill with, IMO sub par tires. I was blown away when he took it the whole length of Mojave Trail on the stock Bridgestone tires!! That ride he did had me interested in the bike. Then my test ride in 2013 had me saving up for it.

I think it anyone who buys it will not regret it anymore than any other brand they could buy. it has a lot going for it....

How comfortable do you think the Pan America would be long distance? I really am hoping the guy who entered his in the IBR finishes. That right there will say a lot to the reliability of the bike. And I'm sure the aftermarket will be coming up with some protection.

 

[Stantdm]

I rode with a few Harley guys over the years. I remember when AMF bought Harley and produced some real poorly engineered bikes. My fascination with them died during that period and has never returned.