Harley Davidson 1250 Pan America

Words by Glenn Foley, Pics by Deon van der Linde

“It shouldn’t be this good!” was Séan’s reaction after taking the bike out for a flip around the gravel routes we were riding. “It’s literally a case of – it handles off roading better than you’d expect from a traditionally cruiser focused brand!” We all concur…

This is the second time that we’ve been given the opportunity to ride the Pan America – the first was a few years ago when the new model from the Americans was first introduced. Back then, we took it from the Dealership in the south of JHB, for a freeway, road and a trail ride out to the Blockhouse One Stop and back. We’ll need to look up that feature, but back then we were pretty blown away. This time, on our route out from Mzansi Harley Davidson, to the back roads and trails we know out in the Skuurweberge, was no different. Every time we stopped the common thread was “They absolutely got it right”

It’s a 1250…. right? That is a big ass ADV machine. But it doesn’t feel huge or cumbersome. It’s quite the opposite with a decent feet flat leg drop to the ground for normal sized people. It’s also really easy to manoeuvre around in the garage or when you need to do a U Turn. It’s not top heavy at all – they have got the centre of gravity just right.

Now – add to this a powerful, smooth V-Twin engine, a full suite of easy to use electronics, long travel suspension and big, beefy brakes. Chuck in wide, serrated footpegs, sturdy crash bars, adjustable screen and an aluminium composite skid plate and you are talking much ADV happiness. It even has vents in the lower plastics that divert cooler air onto the riders legs! Cool huh!

But it’s the way that it’s all blended that makes this bike good. Let’s talk about the pillion for a bit, because, sometimes, your nearest and dearest might just want to join you for that breakfast run or bucket list trip. In this case, Deon, our photographer, drew the straw to sit out back as he snapped away, and he commented that the Harley feels “Very safe, and very comfortable. Even on the gravel roads where we opened up a bit.”

Most of these bikes will seldom leave the tar – that’s a fact that was confirmed by the dealership and as a long distance road tourer, Harley has nailed it! But this is an off-road page right? We rode it in the dirt and came in grinning. Stand up, look up, open up and the Pan America treats you to a quick, soft, comfortable ride. Not scare the pants off you power – it’s got lots of grunt and it’s all smooth and manageable.

The only small gripe was when we hit a badly corrugated section, the vibrations travelled up through the bars and into your hands. On a long road, that would eventually become annoying.

We found a couple of roughish trails and took the bike through. No problem, the steering damper keeps the front end tidy in the rough, so all you have to do is just select the mode you need, which in the case of slower, tricker terrain was ‘Offroad/Slippery’ and the bike does the work for you. The ABS and traction control all works in harmony to make the ride easier. Hit good gravel – Off Road mode is your friend. On the tar – Sports mode is the fun spot. All at the very simple push of a button.

As I said at the beginning, Séan took it for a short flip and came back grinning, “Really, it shouldn’t be this good, It is a Harley – they build cruisers not dirt bikes. I love the terrain response, a quick easy switch to flick between modes. However – personally, I would have preferred it on the left cluster, it’s a bit tricky to balance the throttle and flick the switch while negotiating tricky terrain. Nonetheless, it worked well, I could feel it kicking in and out on the slick slippery stuff and keeping the rear wheel in check around the bends in the dirt without being intrusive – its confidence inspiring,I’d put it right up there with all the top guys in this market.” I really do feel a bit like Gulliver around the rest of the Tele-tubbyesque occupants of our office, which is only amplified when I ride a lot of the new bikes these days. The Pan Am is different though, sitting in, (not on), the seat with my knees very bent its heritage is quite apparent as I reach up to grab the high bars, maybe it was set on the low seat height for Glenn. Once I was up on the pegs, man was I comfortable. The pegs are incredibly comfy under foot with a lot of grip, even in the wet. The bars gave me a great rider triangle standing, where I could stand up fully and even move into a more attack position without too much of a palava, great for getting into the technical sections with plenty of flex available in my knees and elbows without chucking all my weight over the front wheel.

And this had something to do with the weight and balance of the Pan American. Somehow they have managed to centre the weight as well as the main pivot point in the middle of the Pan Am perfectly making it feel lighter than its 258 kg’s and exceptionally nimble, it really doesn’t feel as big and cumbersome as it looks. The 19”/17” wheel combo worried me a bit, especially in the mud and thick sand and over the rocks, but incredulously, they worked really well, especially clad in the Michelin Scorchers, which look to be about a 70/30 tyre. I hit some quite gnarly water erosion channels strewn with loose rocks and really braced myself just in case I had to muscle the Pan Am through, but it just cake walked it.

Again, I say, This is a Harley – it shouldn’t even be a contender in this market – but the Pan Am is…. And a very strong one at that. Let’s not beat around the bush, beauty is in the beholder… and in some cases the beer holder, and Harley generally builds sexy bikes, but for most the Pan Am’s looks do take a lot of getting used to, but hey BMW has only now with their new 1300GS moved away from the Gary Busey inspired face, KTM still sports the robotic Predator-esque face – So, I guess the Pan Am looking a bit like Bender from Futurama is in keeping with that vernacular of famous or recognisable faces from the big and little screen.

Do yourself a favour, especially if you’re in the market for a big adventure bike, get yourself to Mzansi or Gold Rand Harley Davidson, they always have demos, and go ride one for yourself. Put all the peer pressure out of your mind and go in completely open minded. Look at the spec’s, HD has pegged it all almost midway between the KTM and BMW offerings and yet still retains their individuality. Then have a look around their sales floors, they had some for a little over R200k, (That’s like 750/800/900 pricing), including some nicely kitted out, low mileage demo’s and rentals which is a nice segway to our next point. If you’re still not sure after a demo ride, why not rent one for a few days and go on a proper adventure – we would sure love to go explore some of our favourite spots on a Harley Davidson Pan American for a week or so.