After putting some grueling miles on my Pan America 1250 Special here in Northern Arizona, I have a good feel for its strengths and weaknesses. Here's my initial review.

Pros:

1. Excellent powerplant
2. Outstanding brakes
3. Good ergonomics (mostly)
4. Superb road handling
5. Incredible traction control

Cons:

1. Seat (SUCKS!)
2. Footpegs
3. Handlebar height
4. Mechanical noise at low RPMs
5. Neutral not easy to find

Let me start with an item I didn't put on the list, PAN AM's design. On rides and hanging out in public, people instantly recognize the motorcycle. The most common comments are, "Wow, I didn't realize how big it is", and "This thing looks amazing in person."

Yes, Pan America has a very large presence and it looks much better in person than it does in photos. It isn't butt ugly, as many on this forum have commented. It has subtle design elements that make it different and a joy to look at.

The first thing you notice about this motorcycle is its power. The power band is long and when it gets into the mid-range you'd better be hanging on. The other day Peanut and I came up behind a Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX. If you are not familiar, it's a 1-liter, supercharged sport touring bike that makes about 167 HP. It weighs in at about 155 LBS. Anyway, we came upon a couple of RVs, waited until we had a passing area, and went for it. The PAN AM had no problem keeping pace with the H2. We stopped a few miles further down the road to check out each other's bikes. He was kind enough to snap this pic of the Nut-Man and me:



The next thing you notice about the PAN AM is how well it handles on the street and in the dirt. No, it can't quite carve the canyon roads like a sportbike, but it's way more comfortable and you can use it to haul a ton of stuff with you. You can't do that on a sportbike. Even sport-touring machines are limited.

The way the RA1250S handles back-country roads is surprising. This is the first full-size adventure touring bike I have ridden that does not want to stand straight up under hard braking in the apex of a turn. I found out by accident when an a-hole Jaguar driver was on my side of the road in a blind turn texting and driving. If it had not been for the superb handling of this machine I would have been toast. It allowed me to decel rapidly while maneuvering the motorcycle deeper into the turn and ultimately onto the dirt shoulder. How's that for inspiring confidence?

Peanut and I were not as lucky off-road. Riding back from deep in the Prescott National Forest, we were riding uphill on a rocky switchback. A Jeep driver was coming down the hill, on our side of the road, with the sun in his eyes. I maneuvered the bike to the left side but didn't think he was going to miss us, so I bailed out (jumped off). He narrowly missed us and didn't bother to stop to see if we were okay. Due to our speed, the damage was minor:



Damage Report:

• Muffler
• Right-hand engine guard
• Right side hand guard
• Brake lever
• Right side mirror
• Right side footpeg

Fortunately, I already had the Sreamin' Eagle exhaust on order, have the muffler guard in the garage, have the 80-grit footpegs in the garage, and the other parts are relatively cheap. Peanut wants everyone to know that the roll cage and his 5-point harness worked great.

Let me get back to PAN AM's handling. As you can see, I don't yet have my knobby tires on. I'm going to have them installed on the first service in a week. Even so, the bike handles great in the dirt in off-road mode. If you give it too much power, something I'm prone to do, don't worry about it. The rear end will kick out a bit (very fun), traction control takes over, and you're on your way. Same with the brakes. Grab a handful, you'll lose traction for less than a split second and everything is back under control again.

And that brings me to my final comment about PAN AM. This isn't a bike you need to manhandle in any situation. Very little input is needed to get it to go where you want it to go. On the pavement, naturally, but I find PAN AM very nimble out on the trail. It does not feel like a 560 LB motorcycle. Trust me, you know the weight is there. Don't try to ride it like a motocrosser or a small displacement enduro. But don't be shy about gripping it and ripping it, either. The suspension is very compliant, although I wish there was more of it. Even so, you'd be amazed at how well this machine handles the rough stuff.

NOTE: I'm in my mid-60s and it took no time at all to get my dirt bike chops back on Pan America.



Let me get into some of the things that don't thrill me about Pan America, starting with the seat.

With a 36" inseam, but only 6' tall, I'm a long-legged fellow. I put the seat at the top position and flat foot with room to spare. But, in the top position, the seat has a slight forward angle, which pushes me forward to the narrow portion of the seat. It's not an issue off-road, as that's where you need to be to slide around corners. But riding the twisties, it takes no time at all for the seat to crawl up my backside and give me a wedgie.

Next is the handlebar position with the seat up high. It sucks. Even with my short waist, I feel the riding position is more sportbike than dirt. It doesn't take long for my hands to start going numb, which is the whole reason I go off of sportbikes. It goes without saying that the bars are way too low when riding in the dirt. I'm anxiously awaiting the 2" bar risers.

I also think the stock footpegs suck. The rubber inserts are a nice idea, but whoever designed these things must have size 5 feet (girls!). The 80-grit pegs I picked up from my local dealer are going on the first chance I get.

Also on my gripe list is shifting into neutral. Most of the time it wants to shift into 2nd gear. A half push down gets it into neutral, but what a PITA. Other than that the tranny is very nice. If you have your hands full in the dirt, and can't grab the clutch, just let off the power momentarily and shift. No complaint.

My final complaint is the amount of mechanical noise at low speed around town. My 128" Street Glide doesn't make as much mechanical noise. Seriously.



Final thoughts.

Would I buy the bike again after now riding it for a while? Absolutely. It's a blast to ride.

Will it replace my CVO Street Glide? Not a chance. Pan America can't compete on a long road trip. The Street Glide wins, hands down, in the comfort and luxury department.

What my PAN AM is doing is taking me places the Street Glide can't. The Nut-Man and I have already done some camping in way-out dispersed camping areas. Longer camping trips will have to wait until my aluminum bags come in.

It's going to be a great summer getting PAN AM outfitted for travel.

 

Great in-depth review! Thanks for taking the time to post this. I had a chance to test ride this bike and it seem to fit me well. I would love to have one, however my wife loves to ride with me so I’m curious, how do you think this will do as a two up bike? All she requires is a back rest, and good tunes. 😎

 

I asked Peanut how it is on the back and he gave it two barks.

My guess is that with the rear trunk, and the passenger backrest, it would be comfortable for a passenger. The suspension is very compliant. That said, I'm still waiting for my luggage so I can load it down to see how well it does with a load.

My plan is to start fabricating a hitch system. Crazy, right? But, over this past winter, I built a camping trailer that I have had out a few times on the Street Gilde. All I need to do is swap out the tires to get it way out in the deep woods for a good time. Check it out:



My lil' mule, as I call it, has a 500-watt solar system, hot and cold running water, a shower and toilet, refrigeration for weeks worth of food for two people, a 6-person tent, cots, chairs, BBQ, a full kitchen, fishing gear, and a lot more that I'm forgetting.

 

Well, I cannot wait to see this! If there are limits to the PA you are about to explore them!

 

I just want a 155 pound H2.

 

Yeah, me, too!

Small slip of the finger. I failed typing in high school... twice!