I just wanted to start a thread hoping to build on this is one of the best bikes out there. The forum here is loaded with threads on the problems with the bike. What I think is lost is this is hands down the most fun and enjoyable bike out there I have had two HD ultras, several sport and cruiser bikes and have been a dirt rider since I was 8. The only other bike I have had was faster than it was a Hayabusa which sucked to ride. A Lithium battery has solved most of my problems, I have yet to ride anything better..
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PAS is the best bike
craig.touchton
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I just wanted to start a thread hoping to build on this is one of the best bikes out there. The forum here is loaded with threads on the problems with the bike. What I think is lost is this is hands down the most fun and enjoyable bike out there I have had two HD ultras, several sport and cruiser bikes and have been a dirt rider since I was 8. The only other bike I have had was faster than it was a Hayabusa which sucked to ride. A Lithium battery has solved most of my problems, I have yet to ride anything better..
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I agree, I have had several bikes over the years (mostly Harleys) and I love my 22 PAS. All of the problems that I have had were glitchy little things mostly during startup in cooler weather (below 50 deg F). I am interested in what kind of lithium battery you settled on?
Thanks for starting this discussion.
Thanks for starting this discussion.
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587 Posts
For sure it's the best all around bike I have ever owned. Make sure you have the extended warranty and ride the wheels off it.
You can't trust a lot of these negative threads. There are so many of them where someone signs up just to post about some grievous failure and then never posts again or even responds. Others where some snowflake is running down the the bike because he doesn't like the GPS or thinks the jiffy stand is an overall statement of poor build quality. Harley in general is attacked on-line by haters of all types. I'm a member of several forums but I never see the amount of crap like I do on Harley forums. People sign up to HD sites just to flame. Yeah, my bike had some software glitches for the first couple months I had it, very similar to the issues the KTM 1290 super adventure did. But it never stranded me like the BMW GS did or needed anything as major as a "Dookickey" like my 2016 KLR650 did, back in 2017, when it had less than 5000 miles on it. Nor does have a high speed "death wobble" like my Honda ST1300 did (it actually killed some cops). All the issues above were just as wide-spread as the PA issues seem to be but their forums don't have the attacks like the PA forum does. There aren't any "Class action lawsuit" threads on those sites. Although there ARE class action lawsuits for Honda, just not mentioned the ST forum. It's insane.
I have followed the Pan America since 2018. Patiently awaiting it's release. It is by far, my favorite bike of probably somewhere around 30 bikes I've owned over the years. I've owned BMW adventure bikes and Japanese sport bikes, American and foreign tourers and cruisers but this thing fills my performance needs of all of them. I can rip around back roads and piss off farmers and cops alike. I can pull wheelies and hoodlum around. I can put on the bags and two-up the "ole-lady" and go visit wineries that are at the end of gravel roads at 30mph, while pointing at scenery and talking on the Cardo. I can strap on my cooler and fishing pole and get to hidden lakes and streams that few would even try to reach. In my (nearly) three years and over 30 thousand miles of PA ownership, this bike has been awesome. I wouldn't trade it for any other bike I've seen. If it blew up tomorrow, my extended warranty (that I bought because I frequent this site, not because I thought I needed it) will put a new motor on it. Either way, I'm going to ride it for a long time.
Also:
Thanks for the info, I’m going to upgrade to this soon
2021 Deadwood (OD) Green PanAm, 2007 Pearl Yellow RK Custom
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And 1, love my bike, i have posted my thoughts on other threads in here and some comments bout the issues my buddies beemer. However, I don't quite have the many years or bikes/brands as others do, I still know a good thing when I see, own, ride, feel, shoot, etc said item.
22 PAS, 13 Dyna Wideglide, 2001 Honda XR650R, 2007 KDX 220, 1994 ATK 604 E
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I seen this bike in 2018, at least the concept of it and was sure I wanted it.
I love it, and like any good relationship there's going to be some issues!
I got thus bike when the wife deciden she was done with long rides (she has been on back of my bikes for 30+ years) and traded in the RGS for the PAS. I love the power, handling on and off road, the twisties, in town cruising.
The issues I have had I knew might be a problem when I went in to it, so I dont complain. Its a new concept.
I got to say, if this one gets traded in, it will be for the newest model!
I love it, and like any good relationship there's going to be some issues!
I got thus bike when the wife deciden she was done with long rides (she has been on back of my bikes for 30+ years) and traded in the RGS for the PAS. I love the power, handling on and off road, the twisties, in town cruising.
The issues I have had I knew might be a problem when I went in to it, so I dont complain. Its a new concept.
I got to say, if this one gets traded in, it will be for the newest model!
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24 Posts
Right on! I’ve owned the bike for about 13 months, just shy of 16,000 miles. I’ve run it through its paces in every kind of riding environment. I’m a motorcycle instructor and have taken the bike out to our cornering clinics, precision maneuvering clinics, etc. Love it!
While I would love Harley Davidson to come out with a 975, I understand why they haven’t yet. This bike is so flickable and gives you everything that you’d expect from a large adventure tourer, but handles like a middleweight. Fellow instructors that don’t know about the motorcycle always assume it’s a middleweight, the way it handles, especially in the precision maneuvering exercises.
Good for you for starting this thread!
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Bought my used 2021 PAS in November 2022 with 4k miles on it. Not sure why previous owner traded back to dealership. Easily $5k in options and after market put into it. Had a few glitches but nothing I couldn't figure out or was just operator error. Did replace stock battery with lithium. Bike is just as fast and nimble as my previous Triumph Sprint GT 1050 and more comfortable than my (now) classic 2004 BMW R1200 CLC. Still have not had a real off road ride with it yet, but the little off pavement I have done has been a positive experience.
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@Tobba611 Very well said....
I've been checking out the PA for many years as well. One of the very first PA's that was physically displayed for public consumption was put into a clear plastic case for the International Motorcycle Show circuit (saw it at the Cleveland. OH show at the IX Center). At first, after it hit dealer showrooms, it was selling for a bit more money than I was willing to pay (not that it wasn't worth it, I just wasn't willing to pay it). Now that they've been out a few years, and the early bugs (for the most part) have been worked out, and the price has come down (not MSRP, but market-driven price discounts), I finally own one. I'm very happy that I do.
The first PA I ever saw was some kind of prototype in a magazine. The seat, tank, heads, headers and wheels were all different than any bike that ever rolled off the assembly line.
The first thread I ever read on this forum was a guy saying the pan america he just bought blew an engine on his way home. He posted a picture of the prototype, from the magazine. 🤣🤣
Yeah, a brand new engine design is gonna have issues. It's just the way it goes. It sucks, I know, but many early adopters for any "new" design thing (including electronics, like iPhones) have to be willing to accept the bad with the good. Sometimes it's worth the risk (because issues are low/minor), sometimes it isn't.
I think HD did a pretty good job overall with the 1250 engine when it was first introduced. HD seems to be improving it like any other vehicle manufacturer does (that's been around for over 100 years).
i bought a first-year Buell Ulysses (2006), a first-year Honda Africa Twin (2016), a first-year M8 Electra Glide (2017), all used, all about 4 years old when I bought them, and I know I was taking a chance on all of them, but I was willing to accept the consequences because I got pretty good deals on all of them, and I have the ability to fix most of what goes wrong with my own vehicles.
My point was about the number of seemingly fabricated threads or people who are only here to post negativity. That guy probably didn't even own a PA. He posted pics from a magazine and linked a YouTube video of a radiator hose popping at some HD event.
There are users who post a problem and then keep up with their posts until the problem is solved. IMHO, that's what forums are for. If someone else has a problem, we might already have the info we need to fix it ourselves or the info to share with a service tech. It's a win-win if used properly. Others are here only to sling crap, and it seems to ONLY be HD forums.
The moral of my story is "be aware of bullshit posts, and make your own decisions". If I had read some of these posts before I bought my bike, before I realized the number of posters that are most likely full of crap, and may not even own the bike, I probably wouldn't have bought mine when I did and I would have missed out on over two years and 30 thousand miles of one of the most well designed bikes I've ever owned.
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On RennList, we’ve caught trolls doing this nonsense in the Porsche community. I have seen the same done in the F150 Lightning forums byTesla fanboys. It’s unreal how much free time some people have.
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Too early for me to make a final judgment (just picked up my '24 a few days ago) but so far, after 100 miles, it's looking good. The most pleasant surprise so far is that, unlike with my former bikes, I do not feel the need to rush out and buy lots of expensive add-ons. The seat in particular; every bike I've had since 2004 (thereve been quite a few of all classes) has required forking over $500 - $800 for a new saddle. This may be the break in the chain although I'l know for sure after our annual trip to the Tail of the Dragon, etc., in July.
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I agree 100%. My assessment is that, just as there are wine snobs, there are bike snobs out there as well. I just came off a BMW R1250GS - fine bike - but the PAS holds its own against it. There are things I preferred about the GS (the display is more attractive) and there are things about the PAS I prefer, like the looks. Rides are quite similar. And, here's a big deal for me, you can actually get a Service Manual for the PAS (in print, no less!). BMW Motorrad dropped that option a few years back. Interestingly, the PAS is noticeably easier to get on the centerstand. Can't comment on the reliability after only 100 miles (I picked it up on Leap Day) but I'm optimistic.
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I remember seeing the bike at the New York motorcycle show it was in a glass case that was heavily tinted and roped off making it impossibly to get a good look at. For some reason I don’t remember being too impressed with the motorcycle. Kind of looked like it was designed by the same guy that built the station wagon from National Lampoon’s family vacation. The big thing for Harley that year was the debut of the Live Wire and they had a bunch of those at the show.
I have 36 pieces of metal in my neck and one of the things that makes the Pan America so good for me as it’s comfortable riding position and basically no vibration I have no problem doing 750 + mile days on the bike, I couldn’t do that on my Goldwing and not be in sever pain.
I’m limited to what I can do off road now, can’t take to much standing up on the pegs so it’s sit down dirt roads for me now, so I’m not using it to its full potential.
I had a very early 21 model and unfortunately I had a lot of problems but I’m happy to say Harley Davidson and I worked out a deal where I’ll be getting a 24 and I’m very happy. I actually got to look at the bike at the dealership yesterday and take it for a ride. I should pick it up in the middle of next week. They’re waiting for a quick shifter to put on. I have missed having the Pan America in the garage so really looking forward to the new one.
Also the bike is green and the color on the HD web site does not do it justice. I will miss the orange tank with the black nose, still have the nose, I might have to find a orange tank in the future.
The R1250GS was on my shopping list before I ended up with the PA. The 1250GS has alot more low-end torque actually than the PA. As a regular HD V-Twin touring bike rider for 27 years (still have one), I really appreciate low-end torque. But in the end, one thing I simply couldn't get past with the Boxer engine is how the cylinder heads stick out the sides of the bike. I just don't like the way it looks (personal preference). Now I know many of the inherent advantages there are with the Boxer design (lower CG/better handling, etc.) but to me, the engine on a motorcycle belongs tucked up nicely under the gas tank.
The huge HD dealer network, the PA self-adjusting valves, and the generally lower PA repair/maintenance cost was what turned the tide FOR the PA.
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