Harley Davidson Pan America, what does this do for the ADV market?

This is an exciting time if you are an Adventure rider! With Harley Davidson throwing their hat in the ring for Heavyweight Adventure Bikes a new option is here for everyone to enjoy. There are now 7 Adventure bikes tipping in around the litre mark. From the Ducati Multistrada 950s, Triumph Tiger 900, BMW 1250GS, Honda Africa Twin, Suzuki V-Strom 1050, KTM 1290 super Adventure, and Now the Harley Davidson Pan America 1250. Your choices are many, and that means the bikes will improve as competition drives advancement!

I have never been a fan of Harley Davidson, with the 1 percenters and the Harley or nothing attitude I grew up with it was not for me. I had the most fun in the dirt and the options harley had growing up were loud, slow and pricey but all of the bikes were made for road travel not fun in the dirt off the beaten path.

Now however, Harley has built an Adventure Bike to go toe to toe with the big boys. This makes me excited, as another ADV bike gives riders more choices, it also will drive manufacturers to keep pushing their limits and make even better bikes in the future.

Now I have heard all of the Harley stories. The dirt bike that couldn’t compete so they raced a bike that was not available to you or me on the showroom floor. The story of how they pushed for a rule to make all bikes have shifters on the left in flat track racing, crippling their competition with rules and not ingenuity. True? Maybe, but honestly I don’t care. There will be none of that for the American bike in this market. The Pan America will have to perform at the levels riders expect or it will surely die a miserable death on the showroom floor.

I have my fingers crossed that they did the research and testing and actually deliver an awesome ADV machine for us all to enjoy. Most of the details of the new ride are being kept secret until the unveiling, people like me are looking at pictures to see what we can learn about this new bike. Noone that has ridden one has talked, at least not in earshot of anyone who has the moxy to spill the beans.

With a January 19th virtual show Harley Davidson is going to unveil their 2021 lineup of bikes, clothes and accessories. The official bike launch is set for February 22, 2021 and has been advertised quite a bit online and on social media.

As a not-Harley fan I am secretly rooting for them this time around. I hope they hit the proverbial nail on the head and drive it home. I can not wait to see one in person and maybe get a ride on it as well.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the bike will be a hit with the ADV crowd? Drop a comment below. You can also have a listen to our Podcast on the subject by clicking on the player below or finding it in your favorite podcast app. If you know of anyone that would be interested please share it with them by using the share buttons in the player below.