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I had a normal Harley but then rode a pan am and decided that’s the bike for me and bought one that day. Super fun bike in a bunch of different environments
Whenever I see one in stock at the dealer I don't have time for a test ride. I definitely want to see what all the hype is about. Awesome demo, Thanks!
i think that concrete "Road" up on the mountain side is actually a covered aqueduct. i've seen similiar situation in southern california near the sierra nevada mountains on another motorcycle channel. plus you passed several manhole cover mounds on the way up. my guess is that's why that road was cut in in the first place.
HD should demonstrate riding in other locations. Not everyone lives in Western US and get to experience such wide open riding areas. I'd like to see the bike on the East coast. The TAT and MABDR come to mind.
Never test rode one. I would defiantly like to do one day. And, what a great location to do test ride, normally demo ride will take only small section of dirt / gravel. Seems very capable machine. Great video.
Sometime your line chooses itself-Yes it does, and woe be unto those who try to fight it. I’d like to see one of these Dirt Glides in person. All the shops near me sell out too fast. Thanks for the video!
I like mine. It is more capable off road then I am at this point. I have the stock tires on it know and they are awful on dirt and sand. So far only one problem is the lower radiator hose is not in the correct location. Which is a bummer since it was supposed to be solved in the 2021 model. My 2022 and several others are having issues as well. Being an owner of one I watch the blogs and forums. A small percentage are having major problems, others like me minor. My friend has a 2021 one of the first. Had 2 warranty problems. Since they have been fixed no problems. You are definitely my internet riding buddy. You are the only other person I know that thinks it looks like a Cylon.
I test rode a standard edition as soon as it hit the local dealer. On pavement the throttle had no problem scaring the crap out of me. It also seemed competent on the 5 kms of gravel forest service road I took it on. I only test rode it out of pandemic boredom, and I expected to hate it. Except for the neutral to first gear thunk, it was very un-Harley like in feel and sound. For that type of bike, it didn's suck at all. And I am NOT into big bikes, even for the street. For competitor bikes, in addition to the GSA and Tiger 1200, I would list the Ducati multistradas. 19/17 set ups, crapload of power and technology, and steep pricing. Looks like you had fun!
These bikes can rip it up off road. Just comes down to your skill. I Don't understand why everyone says the Adventure bikes are heavy. They feel super nimble and light to me. I'm 40 and they make me feel like I'm 12 again, ripping it up on my old 84 Suzuki 250 DR.
So, this review should be titled "Harley Davidson Pan America Special Off Road Test Ride w/Jake the Garden Snake" That is a $4K difference, omitting one word. Won't nitpick about the included "options". Options like laced wheels, etc. That you pay extra for. The heated everything, the plush everything, Harley aimed at the R1250GS for Plush, but they didn't hit the mark, nor the tough as hell rep that the BMW has earned, but they did match the price tag. However, the lowering, only on the Special, IS interesting. It might make the Pan America Special a gateway bike to the BMW, once you learn to ride a taller bike and no longer need the crutch of a seat that lowers when you stop. Except no one will by your used Pan America at anything near a foot in the door for the R1250GS. First owner Pan America's don't sell until the price drops below 30%. Even with milage below 2K miles. It has torque and HP near the BMW. Ground clearance. Suspension travel. Harley hit a nitch that no one wants to fill. No cruiser rider wants it. ADV people that want to be outrider Harley folks are very few. Trying to hang at Sturgis as a Pan America rider is like "Nice. You tried and failed. Come back next year with a real Harley. And don't park near my bike." So, for the same price, you can buy a brand. BMW is well respected in the ADV world. Harley is well respected in the Cruiser world. An ADV in the Harley world is not respected. And it's just not that great at its price point. And many dealers can't even work on them properly. And the stock, plain, Pan America sux. Sorry for the spew, it is just that this bike has been a pain in our rear end since it came out. People keep coming to us, hoping we can work on it, since the only dealer that works on them is four hundred miles away, and it's just not friendly to wrenching. Not that the BMW is friendly, but parts are readily available. I ride a 600lbs V-Strom 1000 and I only really notice its weight when I've dropped it. But the ground clearance and suspension travel are foremost in my mind as I ride. The 2023 V-Strom 1050DE, compared to my 2018 1000XT, has an additional one inch of ground clearance and four additional inches of suspension travel AND comes with a twenty-one-inch front tire at nearly half the price tag of the loaded Pan America Special, with options.
My Pan America Special was a great bike until the engine blew at almost 5k exactly. Then after Harley replaced the motor, it was never right again, plagued with electrical issues. Hopefully, they have figured out the problems. Great bike on the Highway, not really built well enough for off-road. I have owned both Pan America Special and a BMW GSA, no comparison.
That’s a drag but something I’ve wondered about. Feel the same about the GSA. Rode both in Sturgis 2020 with a longer ride on the GSA. Felt perfect to me but very limited experience.
It's not built for off road??? Maybe you can't ride it off road. Way to much information out there to counter your opinion. Sucks you had problems with yours, I love mine, it's been solid.
@@grayghost1423 Yeah, you are probably right. Unfortunately, I wasn't riding it right. I only owned it for about 3 months. And it was only running for about a month of that time. I'm not accustomed to spending so much time at the shop with a bike. I'm glad yours has been solid. My Pan America Special was the most significant financial hardship I have ever had with a Motorcycle. And for someone that has ridden On and Off-Road almost every day for the last 20 years. That's a big deal.
@@grayghost1423 They purchased the bike back for MSRP. I lost about $8k on exhaust, tune, skid plates, luggage, intake, Tires, tall seat, and Uhaul rentals to bring the bike back to the dealer. When the engine blew, it cost me $2k to haul the bike back to Northern Nevada from Tehachapi, Ca. If I knew what I did wrong, I would have tried to adjust my riding style. Lol. I rode it like I had all my bikes in the past. My Pan America had so many issues. My buddy also bought one at the same time I did and had more problems with the suspension than I did. He kept cooking the suspension solenoids. Mine melted the wiring harness going down to the front fork tubes. The issue with that is the wiring harness going to the front fork tube is hard-wired in, and they replaced the front left lower fork tube twice. I never rode the bike after the second fork tube replacement. I was done with it at that point. There are a few videos on my channel from when it completely shorted out in Lamoille canyon. Luckily, I was able to coast into phone service. Lol. The Pan America is a beautiful bike and a ton of fun to ride. But the build quality is nowhere near on par. Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, or BMW. All you have to do is look at the engine up close and see all the loose wiring strung around the cylinders. My Pan America was a nightmare. Officially the biggest POS I have ever owned. I hope yours stays solid and you get lots of fun miles out of it.
My Pan America only made it 3 months before it started having mechanical issues. Intake manifold gasket started leaking and now a problem with the variable valve system. I love the bike but hate the poor reliability.
Has anyone had a PA which wasn't plagued by problems? They seem like fun bikes but I don't know anyone who's had one that didn't spend more time at the dealership than riding it.
you are lucky to have the opportunity to take that run! she's a big heavy bike, but it looks like hd did a really good job....what do you think of that bike compared to the africa twin? cheers bro!
I heard the center stands were tearing out the case because the case is magnesium and the stands bolted to the case. I'm hearing this from service center friends.
I have witnessed this personally. And people come to me to get it fixed and Harley parts are slower in delivery than Trump. IE it ain't happening. Nuthin but promises.
@@grayghost1423 I did here this from friends that works for the local dealer around me. I'd assume that maybe by next year this problem would be resolved.
@@dougmate2378 the reason I address this, is that it's second had information, a friend knows someone story's. I've seen 2 with problems, and thats what gets the attention. And those 2 were bought back from HD. The 21s seem worse, at least HD has stood by them.
I test rode one last fall and it was very powerful but I felt the gearbox was very clunky ( maybe it was just the one I rode ) also didn't care for the layout of controls. I wear a large glove and felt awkward trying to reach controls with keeping my hands completely on the grips. Idk just my thoughts.
Great video as usual! question! from a fellow big guy to a a fellow big guy. I know your AT was a 16 I don't recall if youve had a video on the newer ones I don't think. So be that as it may I'm contemplating a new AT just LOVE the design and I secretly want the DCT... Kinda.. I think! BUT That Pan America looks pretty darn sick too! Ian has me almost thing GS but thats pretty pricey. Simple comparison or opinion AT to Pan Am whats your thoughts?
As cool as test riding is it’s just not for me. I’m a short guy and I just gotta do the research and sit on bikes and make a choice. If I was taller I wouldn’t worry about it as much.
All right I get it. I wanted to poo poo this bike when it first came out, but I guess if you're going for the big GS this thing is something to consider
Get the GS. Skip this thing. You cannot fix it, you cannot maintain this, and many Harley dealers will sell it to you and then say they cannot perform typical maintenance on it and have to wait for a HD Pan Am specialist to come by to to work on it.
You know why people like to hate on this bike? Cause HD made a great bike and it smokes the competition on and of road. This is good for everyone, it forces the manufacturers to up the current offerings. I own one, it's a great motorcycle. There are some that have had issues, and if they couldn't sort it, they bought it back. Most don't have any problems just like mine.
So cool !! Did the street ride at Tourtech and banged second in sport mode and the front wheel left the ground too ! They really do need to look into that :)
