I know I'm old. Everytime I hear the name I think this:

 

I call BS on that. In NO WAY will this bike be remotely competitive with the GS Adventure. The GSA is just on another level compared to almost any other adventure bike on the market, and BMW has ruled that market for years. As several of the biggest motorcycle magazines have noted, the adventure segment is the single most competitive market in all of motorcycling, and it's where a lot of the manufacturers are putting their biggest bets.

So a few thoughts.

The Triumph Tiger, while a competent bike, has persistently lagged behind the competition and had a long-term problem with sales. And this stems mostly from the fact that adventure bikes need to be off-road capable, and the Triumph is mediocre in this regard because the bike is not only heavy, but top heavy. It's noticeable on the street, and it ensures the Tiger is pretty terrible off-road compared to the BMW GSA or KTM Super Adventure 1290R.

There's not a doubt in my mind that the Pan America monstrosity is going to perform way worse than the Tiger, meaning it will be an adventure bike which can't adventure. Underpowered, outdated, top heavy, etc. Understandable considering how difficult it is to build a top level adventure bike.

Ducati learned that lesson the hard way with its initial launch of the Multistrada Enduro Pro 1200. The Enduro Pro 1200 is a gnarly bike which looks like it was made for the US Army or something. Tons of power and torque, beefy components, cutting edge technology -- what's not to love? Except that it was so big and so top heavy that it was impossible to use for anything except street touring. And the regular Multistrada 1200 is better for that. Which means you can still get a new leftover Enduro Pro heavily discounted because no one will buy them. Ducati learned from its initial failures, committed to making big changes, and now has the 950 and Enduro 1260, which are a massive improvement. Even still, as good as the second generation Enduro 1260 is, competition against BMW and KTM is brutal.

This bike from Harley will suck donkey *****. Bank on it. It's not even a question, really. The real question is, after the Pan America gets ripped to shreds by reviewers and shown for what it is, will Harley have the fortitude to go back to the drawing board, learn from its mistakes, and commit the resources and money it will take to design and build a bike that can honestly compete in the adventure bike market? My guess is no. Harley-Davidson has never shown any interest in actually competing with other manufacturers, and my guess is the company is betting that Harley enthusiasts will buy the bike, even if it sucks, just because of the badge on the tank. The company has basically gotten away with building one type of bike, for one type of market, with very limited changes for decades on end. But what works in the classic cruiser market is not going to work off-road, or in the performance sector. Without a paradigm shift within the company, I see no possibility whatsoever that Harley is suddenly going to start cranking out bikes which can compete with the best the Germans, Austrians, and Italians have to offer. Those guys have put huge money into adventure motorcycling, and the bikes they produce for that segment are some of the most advanced, supremely well engineered bikes of any type on the road today.

As a company Harley needs to change, we all know that. And there are lots of bikes Harley can and should build to broaden its appeal and increase profits. But adventure bikes? I don't see it. I've seen no evidence whatsoever that Harley-Davidson has what it takes to go all-in in that market. And unless the company goes all-in, it shouldn't go in at all. It will just get humbled and lose money.

P.S. I should say for the record I would love to see Harley produce an adventure bike which is actually better than a GSA. It ain't gonna happen. But I would be the first to applaud this miracle if it somehow did occur.

 

Hard to say something sucks without even having seen final specs, price, and reviews, let alone having ridden it,

Will it be pricey? Probably? Will it suck compared to whats out there? Premature to make that call. I for one am excited to see what the final stats are and even take a test ride. I applaud Harley on this. When you see the same thing over and over again its nice to see something new and fresh,. Something to get excited about other than what the new shades of paint will be on the same old tired and played-out Street Glides, Road Glides, and the like.....

 

Of course this is all just speculation as we don't have a bike to test yet. But sadly, I feel fairly confident in saying Harley is going to have a lot of trouble competing in this segment. It has very little experience building anything but classic cruisers and touring bikes, and companies don't just morph into something totally different overnight. That kind of change is difficult for any company to pull off, but Harley especially has proven itself stubbornly resistant to change and doggedly single-minded. None of which bodes well when talking about big internal changes to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving market.

Could it happen? Sure. Manned space flight happened in only a few years, so anything is possible. But Harley would have to reinvent itself from the inside out.

In a strange sort of way, there's part of me that would be pissed if the company somehow managed to pull off this miracle. Because if it can produce a modern adventure bike which can honestly go head-to-head with the GSA and KTM, then there's absolutely no damned excuse for the company failing to produce a decent modern power cruiser, musclebike, badass café bike, or any number of other things which are a lot closer to Harley's core market. Instead we get ridiculous "performance bikes" that putt around with a staggering 70hp, single disc front brakes, and weigh as much as touring bikes from other manufactures.

If Harley can change -- great! But I'll believe it when I see it.

 

I haven't ridden a adv/touring bike but it just dosen't look like fun. I can't believe this type of bike is selling. For me, I'll load my dirt bike on the trailer and go camping/riding with a real dirt bike. Humbug!

 

Really, why? You should try it because it's awesome. It's got the best of both worlds, touring and offroad capabilities and you dont have to load it up on a trailer or truck

 

I have a few buds who ride ADV bikes and belong to clubs, and they say the ADV community is actually very excited to see how the Pan Am turns out for one very big reason: Harley's vast network of dealers. They like the notion of having a dealer very close by stocked with parts when things break on the trail. With many ADV brands the dealers are far and few between. It sounds like a lot of ADV riders would love to be riding a Harley Davidson off road given the chance.

If Harley nails the specs and pricing of the Pan Am they might have a hit on their hands. If it comes out heavy, expensive, and way behind the competition then they'll have missed a lucrative opportunity. I'm hoping they succeed at this one, but I'm worried they'll miss the target.

 

There lies your problem, not liking to ride as much as possible.


Just noticed, you load your Sportster on the trailer. Harleys original DIRT bike.

 

Trust me. They are fun to ride. Forget about offroad for a second. They make great road bikes. Most offer pretty decent performance with high power/weight ratios. No comparison. Neutral standard seating position and not hunched over like a sportbike. But some offer the performance of a sport bike. BMW GS puts out ~130 HP. at the crank It's a 550 pound bike, You do the math. Long suspension travel with adjustments result in a very comfortable ride on beat up roads that would shake you around on a cruiser. They are much more agile and fun in corners and twisties compared to a cruiser. And the bonus is you can take them off the asphalt without having to worry about bottoming out your suspension on even a gentle fire road .

 

We have a lot of beautiful scenery out here that requires you to drive on dirt/gravel roads to see it. The roads can be nice enough to drive in a Corvette one day, but would require an SUV a few weeks later. You never know what you're in for untill you get there, so riding a touring bike a few hours to get to a rough road that may not be passable without having to worry about putting a rock through your oil pan is something I've given up on.

If this new bike rides as well as it looks, it will open up a whole new category of rides for me. They can't get it here soon enough.