I took a GS for a test ride before I had a chance to ride the PA. The BMW left me cold. The PA still makes me happy I purchased it every time I swing a leg over it. And Im even the lab rat that bought the first gen bike. I have had a some issues, but less than most by the sound of things.
Best money I ever spent.
In my case he$$ fuc@ ya it was worth the gamble.
Last edited by North of You; 08-31-2023 at 07:12 PM.
I would consider any year as these bikes are all mostly the same. I have over 14,000 miles and the only issue I have is the heated grips don't work. Bike has been bullet proof other than that & I've not babied it. This summer I have been all over the West & parts of Canada. I have yet to meet someone in person that doesn't love theirs.
I purchased a 2022 in July with 1800 miles on it from the dealer, rode it around the block, then went out for breakfast with friends... never got that far. It's been in the service bay ever since. It's a wonderful bike to ride, but if your dealer isn't 100% top-flight you're going to have a bad time. And the extended service plan, which I did get, yokes you to that dealer as well. It's been a nightmare and likely one of my most regretted decisions in many many years. It's soured me on the dealer early in the process, and even with contacting HD customer care, it's nearly eroded any affection for the brand.
Maybe you'll have an extraordinary dealer, maybe you'll have an "in" with the service and sales folks, maybe your dealer won't always be short-staffed in service, maybe your sales folks will take responsibility for the *only* brand they sell? That's a lot of maybes. That you used the word "gamble" in your question tells me you might best pass on this bike.
At this point who knows. But it started with limping in with a bunch of VVT codes. The dealer decided there were some bad connectors, had them slow-boated in (read: no overnight, no expedite, just plain old week long shipping thanks). When I was purchasing the bike the sales/fit guy wanted to remind me to keep it plugged in every couple (!) of days. So they had to know it was dead-shorting or something was up. But I didn't know about this forum yet and all the harness and battery stuff. And the ink was drying already. Aside, Colorado lemon laws don't cover motorcycles or RVs. So caveat emptor.
When I asked why they didn't change out the whole harness(es), the sales manager practically mocked me for getting involved: who was I to tell the service folks how to do their business. Which, I convinced myself is actually true. After all they're the one's on the hook for repairing it. So I yielded even though I thought it was odd to not replace parts as assemblies (didn't Ford start using common part assemblies in 1913?). Also, and to the spirit of the original question of this thread: my dealer did not contact the manufacturer. There's likely a huge recall that should be happening given what I've read in this forum around the electronics on this thing... but when I contacted Motor Corp they'd never heard of the bike. No record of it.
Finally a couple of weeks later they were very excited to discover that by wiggling the harness they could reproduce an engine light, so they decided they should replace the harness. Which they dutifully did. But the bike is still throwing codes. But now I don't know what those codes are. So again to the original question of the thread: sure, spin the wheel, take your chances, buy the bike. But keep in mind that the probability is non-zero that you're buying the service techs a lab bike to learn on.
At this point who knows. But it started with limping in with a bunch of VVT codes. The dealer decided there were some bad connectors, had them slow-boated in (read: no overnight, no expedite, just plain old week long shipping thanks). When I was purchasing the bike the sales/fit guy wanted to remind me to keep it plugged in every couple (!) of days. So they had to know it was dead-shorting or something was up. But I didn't know about this forum yet and all the harness and battery stuff. And the ink was drying already. Aside, Colorado lemon laws don't cover motorcycles or RVs. So caveat emptor.
When I asked why they didn't change out the whole harness(es), the sales manager practically mocked me for getting involved: who was I to tell the service folks how to do their business. Which, I convinced myself is actually true. After all they're the one's on the hook for repairing it. So I yielded even though I thought it was odd to not replace parts as assemblies (didn't Ford start using common part assemblies in 1913?). Also, and to the spirit of the original question of this thread: my dealer did not contact the manufacturer. There's likely a huge recall that should be happening given what I've read in this forum around the electronics on this thing... but when I contacted Motor Corp they'd never heard of the bike. No record of it.
Finally a couple of weeks later they were very excited to discover that by wiggling the harness they could reproduce an engine light, so they decided they should replace the harness. Which they dutifully did. But the bike is still throwing codes. But now I don't know what those codes are. So again to the original question of the thread: sure, spin the wheel, take your chances, buy the bike. But keep in mind that the probability is non-zero that you're buying the service techs a lab bike to learn on.
The probability of any man-made piece of machinery having issues with either design, build, or durability is NEVER zero. It is horrific when this happens to oneself, I get it, but on the other hand, my early 2021 build has been fantastic. If any bike would be expected to have severe infections it would be an early 2021.
The probability ... having issues with either design, build, or durability is NEVER zero. .
Thank you for clarifying my point.
To the author of the original question, there you go. One story of a satisfied owner, another of a regretful one. All filed under "gamble."
I should also add that I only have room in the garage (and my bank account) for one bike. So the hole that's left where the bike should be hurts. If you, on the other hand, have another bike you can ride, or you've got such a surplus that having it in the shop depreciating is fine -- as one poster I read in another post said, just a matter of Zen acceptance -- then please disregard! The total of two times I rode the bike were fantastic.
At this point who knows. But it started with limping in with a bunch of VVT codes. The dealer decided there were some bad connectors, had them slow-boated in (read: no overnight, no expedite, just plain old week long shipping thanks). When I was purchasing the bike the sales/fit guy wanted to remind me to keep it plugged in every couple (!) of days. So they had to know it was dead-shorting or something was up. But I didn't know about this forum yet and all the harness and battery stuff. And the ink was drying already. Aside, Colorado lemon laws don't cover motorcycles or RVs. So caveat emptor.
When I asked why they didn't change out the whole harness(es), the sales manager practically mocked me for getting involved: who was I to tell the service folks how to do their business. Which, I convinced myself is actually true. After all they're the one's on the hook for repairing it. So I yielded even though I thought it was odd to not replace parts as assemblies (didn't Ford start using common part assemblies in 1913?). Also, and to the spirit of the original question of this thread: my dealer did not contact the manufacturer. There's likely a huge recall that should be happening given what I've read in this forum around the electronics on this thing... but when I contacted Motor Corp they'd never heard of the bike. No record of it.
Finally a couple of weeks later they were very excited to discover that by wiggling the harness they could reproduce an engine light, so they decided they should replace the harness. Which they dutifully did. But the bike is still throwing codes. But now I don't know what those codes are. So again to the original question of the thread: sure, spin the wheel, take your chances, buy the bike. But keep in mind that the probability is non-zero that you're buying the service techs a lab bike to learn on.
That sucks. Sounds like the dealer doesn't have any techs that know the Pan Am well. Hopefully they get it sorted soon and you can start putting some miles on it.
08-31-2023, 07:11 PM
