A Review from my blog.

After 250 miles, the PA-S is sort of broken in. Here's my quick recap of H-D's first serious effort at an ADV.

Suspension: Excellent, but not class-leading. The electronically adjustable suspension probably isn't as good as the GS due to the proprietary nature of the telelever/paralever, but it's certainly better than the MTS12 or the Stelvio. The PA's suspenders soak up every bump, is semi-active, and inspires confidence. Even on our bumpy roads, I had no issues dealing with mid-corner irregularities. In fact, using the "plush" setting, it was too bouncy and had to be firmed up when in the twisties.
Brakes: I blame the heavy dirt-oriented tires for the lack of real feel to the brakes on the PA-S. It has Brembo monoblocks, but even after bedding in, it takes a full handful to haul the bike down for turns/stops. It has gotten better as the brake pads bed in, but I'd ditch the tires and install some more aggressive brake pads. The brakes on all my other ADVs are better.

Engine & Drivechain - The real hero of the bike is the engine. The gearbox is as smooth as they get. There's power everywhere, but unlike your average Harley twin, short-shifting isn't the key to acceleration. With a redline of 10K, it's more like a Ducati. It sounds like a KTM, but the muffler makes it a barely noticeable rumble. There's little vibration at the bars thanks to the counterbalancers. Gearing is just about perfect, with 4k rpm at 70 mph. Fueling is also near-perfect. The engine bursts to life with a touch of the starter button, it warms up quickly and there are no dips of glitches in the powerband.

Coming from Ducatis, it's a rare event to have an out-of-the-box motorcycle with spot-on fueling. My only gripe about the motor is the cooling system. The bike runs hot. Even with a cool breeze, operating temps are around 180 degrees F. Stop for a traffic signal it it shoots over 200. I didn't notice at what temp the fans kick in, but they need to come on earlier. I blame the architecture of the motor for the lack of cooling. A 90 degree twin cools better at the expense of girth. A tight twin takes up less space. Leaving some fins on the heads/bottom end would have shed some heat. The good news is that heat doesn't bake the rider. I barely noticed the heat even when stopped.

With hydraulic valves, there's little in the way of engine maintenance. Harley riders demand that. But the fact the bike is chain drive does add in the typical maintenance. Harley made the PA dirt-oriented, although I'm not about to sling a 500+ pound bike off-road other than on packed fire roads. I'm guessing Harley steered the PA away from the exact clientele of the GS. That was probably smart, but for those considering it an alternative to the GS, it isn't. You get more for your money with the GS, and the GS does everything better.

Handling - The PA is light and and is very flickable, but the dirt-oriented tires hurt effectiveness when making fast transitions. It's certainly more nimble than the Stelvio, and on par with the GS and MTS.

Comfort - The PA-S has excellent wind protection with no buffeting, at least for the rider. Jen complained about a lot of air hitting her, likely due to the fact the passenger is seated high above and a ways behind the rider. I'll likely mount an adjustable spoiler to the windscreen, but it really isn't needed.

Even with the seat adjusted to the highest setting I was almost flat-footed. Adding an inch would probably be overkill though. The reach to the bars is very ... sporty. Bar risers are on order already from aliexpress. Even with my 34" sleeved arms, the reach is a bit much whether seated of standing on the pegs. The bar reach was corrected by rotating them back in the risers. Whoever set them at the factory was an idiot. My risers were also not square to the top triple clamp resulting in skewed bars. I expected more from the 25K bike.

Tech - The tech package on the PA is stellar. It's intuitive and customizable, without it being overly complicated. Within minutes I had created my own rider setup, choosing the mix of engine braking, power, and suspension settings. The innovative ride height lowering when stopped helps short-riders, but I disabled it.

Accessories - Like most manufacturers, H-D rolled out the PA ahead of the availability of the saddlebags/panniers. I'd probably go with the sport luggage, but will likely wait for the aftermarket to develop something for it. I usually find a top case sufficient for weekend jaunts. Even then, the GS or MTS will likely be used for such purposes. I'll likely fit some stickies to the PA and terrorize sportbike riders who think laying down prone on a motorcycle looks cool. Why stickies on a dirt-oriented ADV? For dirt work, the CRF is my go-to. Weight and offroad aren't combinations I find attractive.

Fit & Finish - Not so good. It looks good, but it reminds me of something put together overseas. I found a 1/16" gap between the right chain tensioner bolt and the swingarm. A few turns of my spanner were needed to fully seat the fastener. The aforementioned crooked handlebars and their controls the windscreen at full lock both directions. I minimized that by rotating the bars back some, but they still interfere with the windscreen.

The sidestand will likely be the first item to be recalled. It's puny and too thin for the weight of the bike.

I had to adjust the chain after a mere 250 miles. The throw of the chain between the sprockets is LONG, making chain tension setting problematic. After 100 miles on the odo I started noticing driveline lash. Harley hasn't been doing chain drive bikes so I guess they need a few pointers. An idler wheel would be a good idea needed.

Comparisons - As mentioned previous - the GS does everything better, but that's because they've stuck with the model for decades. For a first time go model, H-D hit a home run. We'll see if they stick with it as they've done with the electra-glide. Other than price point, the Guzzi Stelvio falls far short in every category except for range. The Guzzi has a ginormous tank, which help extend it's range even with its thirsty engine. The MTS1200s still feels much quicker, but the hold-your-breath when you hit the starter button nature of the Ducati makes you wonder why they can't create a starting circuit the springs the motor quickly to life. The MTS's maintenance cycle is the real downfall of the bike, and given the current crop of ADVs I completely understand Ducati abandoning the Desmo. That segment won't tolerate complete tear-downs every 15-20K miles.

Unfortunately I can't add the KTM or the crop of Jap bikes to the comparison. I haven't tested the KTM ADV in decade and have never owned a Japanese ADV. There are SO many liter class ADVs out there now. The segment has certainly swallowed up the sport-touring segment. That's great for long-leggers, but those with short inseams have been lost in the shuffle. Even with lower seat height options, if you're vertically challenged, ADVs probably aren't your first option.

Overall - For the price of an PA-S (they're marked up from MSRP) you can get a fully-kitted BMW GS (or KTM) that beats the Harley in just about every category. Only purists who want to stick with the bar and shield or those wanting to be contrarians will likely purchase one, but I'm guessing Harley will sell enough to make it worth their while. So why did I get one? I'm likely stupid for continuing to support a brand that IMHO is adrift strategically, but I'll probably always have a few in the garage. Will the PA-S keep a spot in the garage. Probably. It's fun, and certainly different than the GS or MTS.

 

Welcome to the Forum and thanks for a very nicely done review on your new PA. It's detailed enough and well balanced on the Plus and Minus Factors.
I'm glad you mentioned the riding position as "Sporty", as few have mentioned this even though it's pretty much stated that way n the HD Website. HD riders are not familiar with that position unless they also own other brands of non-cruiser bikes.

I still think in the longrun HD is going to have to make the final drive an encased belt or shaft drive. I don't think potential GS converts are going to view the chain maintenance of the PA anything but a MINUS. I don't think the PA can compare to the GS as long as it's chain-driven. It has to be compared to other Chain drive bikes like the Africa Twin or KTM.

 

This probably belongs in the other PA thread, but what the hell....

Given the golden shower that the MoCo has given us fools who pre-ordered, I'm seriously considering another GS Adventure. I'm deeply concerned about reliability though, as my last one went through oil like Jimmy Page went through heroin. I'd hope that liquid cooling would help in that regard, and the move to a wet clutch is also duly noted. I'm a fan of the Paralever/Telelever suspension, and I never had an issue with shaft drive, other than a bit of torque steer.

But I'm curious about the comment that the Adventure beats the PA in "every category". That's demonstrably not true, as the Harley is cheaper, lighter, and more powerful. Can you flesh that out a bit?

 

While I'm not thrilled that my preorder is not scheduled to ship till 6/14 at least I now have a date. With the chip shortage and the unplanned factory covid shut down I think they are trying. My dealer manger said he had a 45 minute conversation with the H-D area manager on the PAs. Now that most dealer have at least one PA they are focusing on filling the preorders. If a dealer sells a PA they won't get a replacement till all preorders are filled. Then it's sell one get one with in 30 days but that will be 4th qtr 2021 or early 2022 due to the preorder backlog. So we are finally getting priority.

 

The GS and GSA with be getting the larger TFT and adaptive cruise control for the 2022 MY like the RT got this year. If that is something you may want on the GSA you may want to hold off until Spring next year or whenever the 2022's start rolling in.

 

Maybe in your case, but there are many of us who have paid MSRP. As far as GS's....nah...been there, done that. I disagree with several of your points, but have no desire to tit-for-tat.

 

Contrarian... I like that.

That new 1290R looks pretty badass to me.

Does this new Harley have a mode similar to Rally on ktm's? Something you can truly dial in the traction control on the fly?

 

I picked up a Black Special with the wire wheel option a week ago and have been loving it so far. Has anyone else noticed intermittent issues with the navigation feature not properly streaming the maps over via Bluetooth? There are times where it will just go to a tiled screen instead of showing the map on the display. I am thinking it is either a bug in the software in the infotainment system, or something with the current version of the HD app. Have tested with a iPhone and Android phone and it does it with both.

 

I notice the HD app is buggy sometimes but admittedly haven't yet used it on the new bike.

I've not had much luck with that app in the past, I tried it several times for trips and it was just easier to do everything with Google maps.

I will try again though as it's the only option other than buying another Zumo...

 

I was hoping to use it for my primary nav in leu of a handlebar mount. Decided to pick up a RamMount for now to use Google maps or Rever. Hopefully it can be remedied with a software update.