View Poll Results: 2024+ Reliability
It's good! They got it sorted!
2
50.00%
It's ok, still some issues, but not major anymore. I still trust it.
1
25.00%
It's plagued with issues still and I'm not risking it far from home.
1
25.00%
Voters: 4. You may not vote on this poll
MY24+ Reliability?
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 914
Likes: 245
MY24+ Reliability?
How's the reliability on the newer Pan Americas? I know it had some growing pains but I'm curious if they got it sorted out. Any issues on them now? Things to know about?
Looking to get into ADV riding, bike is on my short list.
Thanks
Looking to get into ADV riding, bike is on my short list.
Thanks
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,665
Likes: 714
From: DFW
AI Overview:
Harley Davidson Pan America bike review
Harley-Davidson's 2024 and later Pan America models show significantly improved reliability over earlier versions, addressing common issues like fuel pump failures, charging system problems (stator/rotor), and electrical gremlins with upgraded components like an e-coated fuel tank, beefier battery, and updated wiring harness, making them a much more dependable choice for adventure riders.
Key Reliability Improvements in 2024+ Models:
Fuel Tank: Upgraded with an e-coating to prevent ethanol-related fuel pump issues seen in older models.
Charging System: Stator/rotor assemblies were improved for better charging at idle, solving premature failures.
Battery: A larger capacity battery, similar to Softails, replaced the smaller, less robust unit in earlier models.
Wiring Harness: Updated to fix pinched wires and connector problems that caused electrical faults.
Body Control Module (BCM): Software updates and potential module replacements address display and communication errors.
Issues in Earlier Models (2021-2023):
Fuel Pump: Prone to failure around 15k-25k miles.
Charging: Stator/rotor failures leading to low voltage at idle were common.
Electrical: Intermittent issues from bad wiring, especially in early production bikes.
Battery: Smaller batteries in 2022 models were often replaced under warranty.
In Summary:
While the core Revolution Max engine is strong, early Pan Americas suffered from "teething problems" typical of a new model in a competitive segment. The 2024 and newer bikes incorporate significant hardware and software fixes, making them the most reliable and recommended models for new buyers, addressing most of the known weak points of the first few year
Harley Davidson Pan America bike review
Harley-Davidson's 2024 and later Pan America models show significantly improved reliability over earlier versions, addressing common issues like fuel pump failures, charging system problems (stator/rotor), and electrical gremlins with upgraded components like an e-coated fuel tank, beefier battery, and updated wiring harness, making them a much more dependable choice for adventure riders.
Key Reliability Improvements in 2024+ Models:
Fuel Tank: Upgraded with an e-coating to prevent ethanol-related fuel pump issues seen in older models.
Charging System: Stator/rotor assemblies were improved for better charging at idle, solving premature failures.
Battery: A larger capacity battery, similar to Softails, replaced the smaller, less robust unit in earlier models.
Wiring Harness: Updated to fix pinched wires and connector problems that caused electrical faults.
Body Control Module (BCM): Software updates and potential module replacements address display and communication errors.
Issues in Earlier Models (2021-2023):
Fuel Pump: Prone to failure around 15k-25k miles.
Charging: Stator/rotor failures leading to low voltage at idle were common.
Electrical: Intermittent issues from bad wiring, especially in early production bikes.
Battery: Smaller batteries in 2022 models were often replaced under warranty.
In Summary:
While the core Revolution Max engine is strong, early Pan Americas suffered from "teething problems" typical of a new model in a competitive segment. The 2024 and newer bikes incorporate significant hardware and software fixes, making them the most reliable and recommended models for new buyers, addressing most of the known weak points of the first few year
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 586
Likes: 126
From: Boston
IMHO, the PA has reached "regular" harley issue levels. Yes, things can go wrong but there arent major issues like in prior years. The charging system was the big one and thats been addressed. Some say the stator and RHCM are issues but all would be covered under warranty. The only outstanding issue I see is the fuel pump. It has a 15k-25k life (some last longer/shorter). HD has done a poor job at mitigating this, though they did come out with a new pump model that should lengthen the life. That pump isnt hard to change out but currently is hard to find. Again, a factory warrenty will cover this and it rarely leaves anyone stranded.. it whines for a while until it breaks. So you get a heads up. The aftermarket has finally been doing some great things with the PA so upgrades are the best they've been.
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 914
Likes: 245
That's good to know.
From what I read on it the fuel pump issue was caused by ethanol in the gas eating away at the tank, and that debris clogged up the fuel pump. I thought Harley had starting coating the inside of the tanks so I'm curious if that fixed it. Weather or not all of that is true... just things I read while researching it. Good to know you get some warning, I had one go out on another bike and there was no warning, managed to get it going again so thankfully I wasn't stranded. I'm not a huge fan of vehicles not working correctly and being 100+ miles from home, lol.
If I had a dealer in town I wouldn't be overly concerned, but the closest one is a 2 hour drive. They do pickups and drop offs to where I live, but I doubt that's free. With this bike I could 3 hours down a trail and 8 hours to a dealer once I got off the trail. So you can be spending the night somewhere pretty quick if a problem happens.
From what I read on it the fuel pump issue was caused by ethanol in the gas eating away at the tank, and that debris clogged up the fuel pump. I thought Harley had starting coating the inside of the tanks so I'm curious if that fixed it. Weather or not all of that is true... just things I read while researching it. Good to know you get some warning, I had one go out on another bike and there was no warning, managed to get it going again so thankfully I wasn't stranded. I'm not a huge fan of vehicles not working correctly and being 100+ miles from home, lol.
If I had a dealer in town I wouldn't be overly concerned, but the closest one is a 2 hour drive. They do pickups and drop offs to where I live, but I doubt that's free. With this bike I could 3 hours down a trail and 8 hours to a dealer once I got off the trail. So you can be spending the night somewhere pretty quick if a problem happens.
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 586
Likes: 126
From: Boston
Yea I'm not sure about that coating thing. I've heard mixed results. I think the flaw is not just the tank but the pump design. The filter is not removable, so the whole unit has to be swapped. Again, unless you ignore the whine for a while, it wont leave you stranded. One other thing.. the electronics are finicky. I have a '22 so I can't speak from personal experience with 24+ models.. but the bike will randomly throw codes and such at random times. I can usually clear them all out (newer firmware prevents this though).
The biggest thing though is finding a dealer that knows how to work on a PA. Theres a ton of dealers that thumb their nose to it, or worse, have no idea how to even address the most basic issues. Even if you get the bike somewhere else, having a dealer that can diagnose issues and understand the PA is super important.
The biggest thing though is finding a dealer that knows how to work on a PA. Theres a ton of dealers that thumb their nose to it, or worse, have no idea how to even address the most basic issues. Even if you get the bike somewhere else, having a dealer that can diagnose issues and understand the PA is super important.
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 914
Likes: 245
Bummer.
I was looking at it cause it seemed more fun than some other options, but I need it to be something I'm going to trust when I'm far from home, otherwise I won't be having fun. My Lowrider S needed to be towed to the dealer 3 times, and I lived a lot closer to a dealer before moving. Twenty minutes from the dealer still took 4 hours till I was situated. Can't imagine being 8 hours away from one and trying to set up a tow to just back to town, basically need to talk a tow truck or a friend with a trailer to travel 4-8 hours to you... then 4-8 hours back, and that's a big ask.
BMW and Ducati are 6 hours away, Triumph and KTM are 2 hours as well. But I have Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki in town. Africa Twin maybe the way to go.
I was looking at it cause it seemed more fun than some other options, but I need it to be something I'm going to trust when I'm far from home, otherwise I won't be having fun. My Lowrider S needed to be towed to the dealer 3 times, and I lived a lot closer to a dealer before moving. Twenty minutes from the dealer still took 4 hours till I was situated. Can't imagine being 8 hours away from one and trying to set up a tow to just back to town, basically need to talk a tow truck or a friend with a trailer to travel 4-8 hours to you... then 4-8 hours back, and that's a big ask.
BMW and Ducati are 6 hours away, Triumph and KTM are 2 hours as well. But I have Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki in town. Africa Twin maybe the way to go.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 809
Likes: 570
From: Detroit Metro Area
Bummer.
I was looking at it cause it seemed more fun than some other options, but I need it to be something I'm going to trust when I'm far from home, otherwise I won't be having fun. My Lowrider S needed to be towed to the dealer 3 times, and I lived a lot closer to a dealer before moving. Twenty minutes from the dealer still took 4 hours till I was situated. Can't imagine being 8 hours away from one and trying to set up a tow to just back to town, basically need to talk a tow truck or a friend with a trailer to travel 4-8 hours to you... then 4-8 hours back, and that's a big ask.
BMW and Ducati are 6 hours away, Triumph and KTM are 2 hours as well. But I have Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki in town. Africa Twin maybe the way to go.
I was looking at it cause it seemed more fun than some other options, but I need it to be something I'm going to trust when I'm far from home, otherwise I won't be having fun. My Lowrider S needed to be towed to the dealer 3 times, and I lived a lot closer to a dealer before moving. Twenty minutes from the dealer still took 4 hours till I was situated. Can't imagine being 8 hours away from one and trying to set up a tow to just back to town, basically need to talk a tow truck or a friend with a trailer to travel 4-8 hours to you... then 4-8 hours back, and that's a big ask.
BMW and Ducati are 6 hours away, Triumph and KTM are 2 hours as well. But I have Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki in town. Africa Twin maybe the way to go.
Now, before the perception of "BMW is more reliable" starts to hit the page, I USED to be a BMW guy. The failures, coupled with the denial of warranty by BMW, were pretty tough. The failures of the R1200GS and R1250GS were many and quite nasty. Until roughly 2016 the first reaction BMW had to their flaws were 'operator error.' It took the NHTSA to force recalls. In about 2016 BMW decided to be a bit nicer about failures and have become a bit more forthcoming. But my warning is still valid, everyone has failures including the brands people put on pedestals.
Is the PA perfect? No, but nothing man made is!
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Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 914
Likes: 245
Think that's one of the issues to wade through on all of this; what just comes with the territory and what can be avoided.
It's interesting cause I haven't really come across any issues with BMW's motorcycle reliability, but I know German cars and there is a reason you trade them in the second the warranty is up. If I'm dropping $30,000 on a motorcycle it better be extreme at something, like performance or reliability. Throw in the dealer being a 6 hour drive away from home and it's off the list just for that. Same with Ducati. Something always happens where you want the dealer closer, even if it's just a free service.
Well, I guess at this point I'll just need to wait for warmer weather and schedule some test rides. Bike can look great on paper but it's got to move the soul.
It's interesting cause I haven't really come across any issues with BMW's motorcycle reliability, but I know German cars and there is a reason you trade them in the second the warranty is up. If I'm dropping $30,000 on a motorcycle it better be extreme at something, like performance or reliability. Throw in the dealer being a 6 hour drive away from home and it's off the list just for that. Same with Ducati. Something always happens where you want the dealer closer, even if it's just a free service.
Well, I guess at this point I'll just need to wait for warmer weather and schedule some test rides. Bike can look great on paper but it's got to move the soul.
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,069
Likes: 1,351
From: Kansas
The biggest thing though is finding a dealer that knows how to work on a PA. There's a ton of dealers that thumb their nose to it, or worse, have no idea how to even address the most basic issues. Even if you get the bike somewhere else, having a dealer that can diagnose issues and understand the PA is super important.