[Blakefan]

I came off a BMW GSA about a year ago, and am looking for a new bike. I want to do something different from a BMW. I visited the Harley Davidson dealership the other day, and rode a used (965 miles) 2022 Pan America. I loved the feel of the bike. They offered me a great deal on the bike. I went home, did some research, and read about the many problems owners were having. So I have two questions for you Pan America owners out there.
1. Are you happy with your purchase, or would you buy a different bike if you knew what you know now? 2. Should I buy this 2022 used bike, or wait for the 2023s, and hope Harley made improvements to the problems customers are having?
Thanks

 

[Qmann6821]

I came off a BMW GSA about a year ago, and am looking for a new bike. I want to do something different from a BMW. I visited the Harley Davidson dealership the other day, and rode a used (965 miles) 2022 Pan America. I loved the feel of the bike. They offered me a great deal on the bike. I went home, did some research, and read about the many problems owners were having. So I have two questions for you Pan America owners out there.
1. Are you happy with your purchase, or would you buy a different bike if you knew what you know now? 2. Should I buy this 2022 used bike, or wait for the 2023s, and hope Harley made improvements to the problems customers are having?
Thanks

I have owned a few BMWs to include GSAs. The BMWs were good some issues. However, the nearest BMW dealer to me was almost 70 miles away. So when I had an issue it was a pain getting to the dealer. Now, to my 2021 PAS- love the bike and to date, none of the issues you read about on the internet, and mine was a first model year bike, so I'm always waiting for my first issue. The 2022 has fixed, or has minor upgrades since my 2021. My recommendation, but the bike that best suit you and your budget, use the info on the internet as a tool as more people complain than write to say - "just wanted to post about my PAS today, to report it's been great with no issues" - lol. You had a GSA, as did I. Search GSA and you will see my point. Enjoy whatever bike you decide to get!!

 

[drifter]

My feedback.

‘22 PAS with laced wheels and knobby tires. Fantastic bike with no issues. Yes, I’d buy it again as there is no other bike on the market that I know of that offers what it does. Just make sure you have a decent dealer that has a clue to what they’re doing. Many of the problems I’ve read seem be a result of sub-par service shops. As far as dual-sport bike ownership, I’ve had BMW GS’s, a VStrom, a Honda Africa Twin, and a KTM Adventurer. My stable usually has 2 dual sports at one time, but now I’m down to the PAS. I still have a YZ450 for pounding the trails.

 

[Blakefan]

Thanks

 

[ODGreenPA]

Love my 21 PA! No regrets buying it, however I can't compare it to other adv biked cause it's my first. So far my biggest issues has been the operator!

 

[Kodiak]

I’ll echo Drifter… I’ve owned two GSs, and looked at all competitors’ offerings before this Pan Am purchase. My ‘22 sees most duty on-road, but it is getting regular exercise off of asphalt. I’m very happy with this bike.

And, the dealership is an important component of your choice…

 

[goosegreen]

The longer i own it the worse it gets ! screen blank no starts ride height stays up at the begining radiator pipe burnt out so yes loads of problems can i recomand this bike NO .Being in Germany no way would i buy a GS or any BMW for that matter .So you may ask what next well my plan to stick with the bike till it,s more or less sorted or trashed then get a light enduro bike that has NO issues.

 

[Blakefan]

The longer i own it the worse it gets ! screen blank no starts ride height stays up at the begining radiator pipe burnt out so yes loads of problems can i recomand this bike NO .Being in Germany no way would i buy a GS or any BMW for that matter .So you may ask what next well my plan to stick with the bike till it,s more or less sorted or trashed then get a light enduro bike that has NO issues.

Thanks for your reply. For the price, it seems like the bike has too many problems. I think I am going to wait until the 2023 year models come out and see if there are any improvements. I liked my BMW GS, but they are hard to find in the US. New ones are not coming into the dealerships, and used ones are hard to find. I also like the Yamaha Tenere 700, but I can't find any of those in the dealers either. Everyone has supply chain issues. By the way, my mother was born in Triesbach Germany. I was stationed in Germany twice as a US Army soldier - first time in Stuttgart and the second time in Bamberg. I loved Germany. I imagine it has changed since 1989 when I was there last.
Best to you, Adam

 

[Pan American]

I came off a BMW GSA about a year ago, and am looking for a new bike. I want to do something different from a BMW. I visited the Harley Davidson dealership the other day, and rode a used (965 miles) 2022 Pan America. I loved the feel of the bike. They offered me a great deal on the bike. I went home, did some research, and read about the many problems owners were having. So I have two questions for you Pan America owners out there.
1. Are you happy with your purchase, or would you buy a different bike if you knew what you know now? 2. Should I buy this 2022 used bike, or wait for the 2023s, and hope Harley made improvements to the problems customers are having?
Thanks

Buy the PAS, you will not regret it. Every brand has a small % of issues. I have had “0” issues with my PAS and “0” issues with my Harley dealer setting it up and answering my questions along the way. I have owned a lot of bikes and spent a lot of time and money keeping them serviced. I just get on the PAS and ride, and there is nothing quite like the horsepower and torque of the PAS, especially in Sport Mode….pure joy!!

 

[BhamRA311]

My PAS is a 2022 model. Just bought it last summer and have about 2000 miles on it. My wife and I wanted a sport tourer to use for weekend trips and such. To be honest I have little interest or intention of actually going off road unless a route requires I cruise down a gravel road or something. The bike is an excellent sport touring bike for the road so it fit my needs. I'm a trained motorcycle mechanic so I did a lot of research into the Pan America before buying. Most of the issues from the 2021 models were due to improper assembly and the rest of them were fairly easy to remedy. I have worked in production for years and to ever assume a new vehicle will NOT have some issues is poor judgement on the buyers part. Issues pop up, the manufacturer learns about them and then they address them. The truth is everyone who buys a vehicle in the first year or two of production are essentially beta testers. That being said my 2022 PAS has had no issues whatsoever. It is without a doubt the best motorcycle Harley Davidson has ever built. The new Revmax engine is excellent and if their customer base will embrace it the engine will carry the company into the future. In the USA we have Harley dealers every 50 miles or so which is convenient should a problem arise. So yes, I would recommend buying the 22 Pan America. They have seemingly addressed the production issues at this point.
On a side note I have thoroughly went through my PAS and inspected everything. I firmly believe Harley tracked down some of the suppliers for BMW and sourced parts through them. Almost the entire bike uses torx or metric fasteners. They really put a lot of thought and effort into making one Hell of a motorcycle.

 

[asalicrup]

I recently swapped from a GS to the PAS and I am really happy with it. I also went on a BMW off-road tour with my PAS and it did not envy all the GS' on the tour. I have had 0 issues.

 

[Gcross762]

My bike was built in January i beleive of 2022. I bought it the second weekend of June 2022 and have put over 5000 miles on it as of September. The only issues i had was the IM, the display, module quit talking with the bike so i lost my mile counter. Then the ARH issue, and that was due to an improper wired connector at the back shock. I fixed that due to being a life long tech.
I love the bike i got it due to you can do alot with it and its built here in the US. You can get parts for it and modify it without having to make your own parts cause no one makes what you want. My previous bike was a VROD Muscle.
With the PAS i really dont plan on hitting trails, I got an old Kow enduro for that.

 

[goosegreen]

Thanks for your reply. For the price, it seems like the bike has too many problems. I think I am going to wait until the 2023 year models come out and see if there are any improvements. I liked my BMW GS, but they are hard to find in the US. New ones are not coming into the dealerships, and used ones are hard to find. I also like the Yamaha Tenere 700, but I can't find any of those in the dealers either. Everyone has supply chain issues. By the way, my mother was born in Triesbach Germany. I was stationed in Germany twice as a US Army soldier - first time in Stuttgart and the second time in Bamberg. I loved Germany. I imagine it has changed since 1989 when I was there last.
Best to you, Adam

No problem your welcome i can not imagine that the 2023 models will have that much improvement colours perhaps . Perhaüps the 890 KTM they too have problems though not as many as the PAS never the less. I am NOT a German i was based here too for a while living here sucks to be honest to old to change my way,s now other wise i would be on the next boat to the UK.
All the best Goose.

 

[Tobba611]

I have a 2021. I used to have the starter whine and chronic dead battery.. But after a recent trip, I put an anti-gravity battery in and now it's a different bike! No, I have no regrets. I might hit 25,000 miles this year. I had a GS1250 for two years and ended up getting rid of it because of a sub-frame issue, a wiring issue and a failed module that had a 6-week lead time. (Not a hater of BMW, there are good ones and bad ones in every brand). I came from a KLR650.. Rode one of those from Tennessee to Oregon on the Trans American trail.. But before I rode that, I swapped out the KLR's "doohickey" (slang name for a spring-loaded tensioner that fails pretty regularly on those), sub-frame bolts and installed something called a "thermo-bob" because the KLR will burn oil if you don't. I don't mean to turn this into a KLR650 forum (LOL), my point is, they all have problems.. Good ones and bad ones in every brand, buy what you like and buy it for the right reasons. Be careful of youtube and forum complaints. People with issues tend to run to the internet more often that people who love their rides. There are also trolls that like to make things up or echo actual owner complaints, even though they don't own a PA.. (I think this forum might have a couple). I might trade mine for a 2023... Or I might buy the extended warranty.. IDK. I love that its a Harley, I like how it feels and how it rides, I'm good.

 

[Blakefan]

I have a 2021. I used to have the starter whine and chronic dead battery.. But after a recent trip, I put an anti-gravity battery in and now it's a different bike! No, I have no regrets. I might hit 25,000 miles this year. I had a GS1250 for two years and ended up getting rid of it because of a sub-frame issue, a wiring issue and a failed module that had a 6-week lead time. (Not a hater of BMW, there are good ones and bad ones in every brand). I came from a KLR650.. Rode one of those from Tennessee to Oregon on the Trans American trail.. But before I rode that, I swapped out the KLR's "doohickey" (slang name for a spring-loaded tensioner that fails pretty regularly on those), sub-frame bolts and installed something called a "thermo-bob" because the KLR will burn oil if you don't. I don't mean to turn this into a KLR650 forum (LOL), my point is, they all have problems.. Good ones and bad ones in every brand, buy what you like and buy it for the right reasons. Be careful of youtube and forum complaints. People with issues tend to run to the internet more often that people who love their rides. There are also trolls that like to make things up or echo actual owner complaints, even though they don't own a PA.. (I think this forum might have a couple). I might trade mine for a 2023... Or I might buy the extended warranty.. IDK. I love that its a Harley, I like how it feels and how it rides, I'm good.

Thanks, I have pretty much decided to hold out until the Pan America 2023 models come out. See if they make any changes.

 

[ODGreenPA]

I have a 2021. I used to have the starter whine and chronic dead battery.. But after a recent trip, I put an anti-gravity battery in and now it's a different bike! No, I have no regrets. I might hit 25,000 miles this year. I had a GS1250 for two years and ended up getting rid of it because of a sub-frame issue, a wiring issue and a failed module that had a 6-week lead time. (Not a hater of BMW, there are good ones and bad ones in every brand). I came from a KLR650.. Rode one of those from Tennessee to Oregon on the Trans American trail.. But before I rode that, I swapped out the KLR's "doohickey" (slang name for a spring-loaded tensioner that fails pretty regularly on those), sub-frame bolts and installed something called a "thermo-bob" because the KLR will burn oil if you don't. I don't mean to turn this into a KLR650 forum (LOL), my point is, they all have problems.. Good ones and bad ones in every brand, buy what you like and buy it for the right reasons. Be careful of youtube and forum complaints. People with issues tend to run to the internet more often that people who love their rides. There are also trolls that like to make things up or echo actual owner complaints, even though they don't own a PA.. (I think this forum might have a couple). I might trade mine for a 2023... Or I might buy the extended warranty.. IDK. I love that its a Harley, I like how it feels and how it rides, I'm good.

Amen and well said

 

[REKLOO5E]

I have a 2021. I used to have the starter whine and chronic dead battery.. But after a recent trip, I put an anti-gravity battery in and now it's a different bike! No, I have no regrets. I might hit 25,000 miles this year. I had a GS1250 for two years and ended up getting rid of it because of a sub-frame issue, a wiring issue and a failed module that had a 6-week lead time. (Not a hater of BMW, there are good ones and bad ones in every brand). I came from a KLR650.. Rode one of those from Tennessee to Oregon on the Trans American trail.. But before I rode that, I swapped out the KLR's "doohickey" (slang name for a spring-loaded tensioner that fails pretty regularly on those), sub-frame bolts and installed something called a "thermo-bob" because the KLR will burn oil if you don't. I don't mean to turn this into a KLR650 forum (LOL), my point is, they all have problems.. Good ones and bad ones in every brand, buy what you like and buy it for the right reasons. Be careful of youtube and forum complaints. People with issues tend to run to the internet more often that people who love their rides. There are also trolls that like to make things up or echo actual owner complaints, even though they don't own a PA.. (I think this forum might have a couple). I might trade mine for a 2023... Or I might buy the extended warranty.. IDK. I love that its a Harley, I like how it feels and how it rides, I'm good.

Absolutely, I own 3 other bikes, INDIAN BAGGER, HONDA SUPERSPORT, BENELLI SMALL BORE, and it's the same every brand has its pros and cons and its up to us to decide what we like. I'M happy with my PAN AM and use the forum as a reference and heads up, but if i listened to EVERY problem id scare myself away from buying it. COULD NOT LOOK AWAY when i first saw it in 2019 NY MC SHOW as a prototype, I was looking at HONDA AFRICA, BMW, TRIUMPH for a future ADV purchase.
again SUPER GLAD I HAVE A HD in my stable..