Adventure Bike People - the Harley offering.

[pmclaine]

Seems like some some hyperbole in the write up......shit Knuckleheads had hydraulic valves in the 1930s.....but could be an interesting bike.

2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 is how Milwaukee does adventure

The Pan America represents Harley's first attempt at a dedicated adventure bike and it could be a big step in a new direction for America's longest-running motorcycle company.

www.cnet.com

Kind of "soy boy"/chick directed I think......whats wrong with adventuring on an FLHR. Although this would have its place on non graded roads.

Truth be told hasnt been a mans Harley since the Evo engine was replaced.

Harley is no longer a bike you can wrench on your own without "crap".

 

[E. Bryant]

Boomers gonna boom. Look forward to seeing these in the employee lot at your local medical center.

I do get the concept of an adventure bike - they are capable off-road machines in the hands of skilled riders, and the shitty pavement quality across the country make these faster through back-country twisties than many sport bikes. But most of them will be used to commute to the dentist office on the weekdays and to a bar on the weekends.

It'll need interesting to see how many of these get sold as 2nd or 3rd bikes in a fleet and get parked next to a Road Glide in the spare garage stall.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

In my opinion the adventure bike riders are kinda cult like about their brand. It will be interesting to see what kind of cross over the new Harley will get.
The standard Harley Davidson Pirates usually are not the adventure bike types. They like their leather chaps, boots, jackets, gloves and bandanas. Trading that in for the Joe Rocket mesh with padding and skid plates?

 

[pmclaine]

Be nice if Team America can take some money from the Barbarians.

 

[rustyinbend]

Being a traditionalist and a Hog rider for over 30 years ... I think it's a terrible idea, executed badly. I'll stick to my tricked-out 2001 FLSTC and leave the off-roading, to my 3500 Diesel RAM as I'm looking for a shooting site in the local BLM wilderness.

Riding an HD "adventure bike" after cruising the streets of Sturgis on this one ... just feels wrong.

 

[Mwalex]

I hope the bike does well for HD because they were getting antiquated and had lost a good bit of money over the past few years. Their bike designs have always been antiquated and needed too much after market money to make them look, perform or handle better.

I would like to see that engine is a new sportster.

 

[BytorJr]

Only thing I see cool is the suspension can sink for short folks - like Frank and myself . Would I own a HD...no way. Do I ride - no, not since I had my go-kart privilege's taken away after being caught SITTING on a bike of a neighbor. So naturally, I evolved strictly into cars and track driving .

 

[RonA]

It will probably fail. Harley will eventually go the way of the Dinosaurs. No great loss.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

Harley, like Tommy Bahama will go BK as the boomers trade their bikes for medical payments and end of life care.

 

[BytorJr]

Harley, like Tommy Bahama will go BK as the boomers trade their bikes for medical payments and end of life care.

Wonder if Polaris will go that way too. Around here those 3 wheeler things and especially the tricked out/pimped out 4 wheeler that likely costs upwards of 50K are all the rage. You know they type...perfectly clean, shiny black, no scratches doing their hard core 'wheelin' in their subdivision streets or the tailgate parties at 'Bama and Auburn. Granted, boomers are not the ones buying them....GenX/Millenials....to go with their 100K cars and 800K houses at age 30.

That said, these adventure bikes definitely have a cult following. BMW, KTM folks are definitely hard core cultists.

 

[pmclaine]

The attraction to Harley was they could be worked on and were owner repairable.

Harley no longer really supports the wrencher.

Last I heard, the older models are turned away and unsupported.

 

[Ric O'shay]

Call for AJ on the courtesy phone in the Hide lobby.

 

[mcfred]

I think the only reason I can think to buy one of these is to troll Sturgis in my skinny jeans/urban lumberjack uniform. Either that or the Harley E-bike. Yeah, maybe the E-bike has bluetooth to my shartphone and I can blast some Springstein "Born in the U.S.A." in stereo with genuine, patented Harley synthetic potato-potato™ sound.

I think the Kawi KLR is more my style of RTW aventure bike. Too poor for the KTM and not pretentious enough for the GS.

 

[Supersubes]

The attraction to Harley was they could be worked on and were owner repairable.

Harley no longer really supports the wrencher.

Last I heard, the older models are turned away and unsupported.

Thats part of what steers me away. They’ll break and you have to repair them. Then theres that whole uglier than a bag of assholes part....

 

[fdkay]

My next bike is going to be an Indian.
Better looking, better design.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

I have worked on every Harley that I've owned from 80"s models up to my current '17 limited. Buying the service manual is a good investment.
As for this new bike, I'd probably sit back and wait for others to get the bugs worked out

 

[Romeo458]

I'm leaning to the Moto Guzzi v85 to keep my California and the Suzuki SP370 company. I like my California as road bike, but its just not the right one to ride the trans America trail.

Truth be told I've never been a Harley fan. Love the old bikes, but their new ones are just meh.

 

[Badfinger]

Harley's in deep stinky stuff and trying to bust a move.

 

[Herb Stoner]

I've seen more motorcycles out on multi-day overland routes in recent years and it looks like a ton of fun . Many of HD's competitors have entered the market so it makes sense for them to go into this growing market segment. They need to do something as the "traditional" side is dying off. Love the old classics - shovels, pans, etc. but tired of the same old stuff and all the wanna be a badass, wild hogs cosplay douchebaggery.

 

[_Windrider_]

I’ll stick with BMW or KTM for the adventure bikes.

 

[thejeep]

The perfect adventure bike. Crf450l with an evolution of the xr650r motor about 70hp, fuel injected, dohc with 3 quarts of oil cap, a wide ratio 6sd ,a Cush hub , showa a kit. Sub 300lbs

what kind of adventure you having riding 550lbs. Might as well take the civic.

 

[10ring'r]

If I were to buy a ADV bike today, it would be the Yamaha "Tenere'". Shaft drive, proven motor, acceptable cockpit and gadgets, great dealer network, because, sooner or later, they all need one. Little heavy, for an old guy, but, most of my riding would be on gravel/dirt roads. I'll leave the trail bust'n, for the young people.
The Harley does look interesting and I'd probably give it a test ride, but, I would never buy a "first year", anything. Mac

 

[sirhrmechanic]

It is going to bring in new riders and new blood. Like the live wire, a really cool thing.

the traditional riders of HD are average age 60-something. The days of podiatrists who want to be Sonny Barger on weekends are gone. Now it’s about overland I g and adventure.

mine of my friends will be getting g the first one on VT and I can’t wait to see it!!!

I won’t be trading in my Springer or my Dakar on one. Not even My MT500. But I think HD will do great with this bike!

Sirhr

 

[CrabsandFootball]

 

[bpd459]

These are my true adventure bikes. The HD, not so much. I wasted 33 years on Harleys...

 

[Duc]

While I hope HD does well with their Adv. bike, I don't believe they'll be in the picture

 

[DuneBoer]

I just bought this. It sure has been more of an adventure than my Road King.

 

[Maxduty]

As I've said before, Harley had a great bike that could have been a perfect off roader too. Shoulda put those tires on the Buells.

 

[mkollman74]

Never been a Harley fan... Flame as you will...

 

[GrumpyOleFart]

My 5th and last FatBoy

 

[Kinetic Moose]

I mean every harley is an adventure bike, I had one for a little while, it was an adventure to see what might fall off, or short out, but I did truely enjoy it and really wish I still had it. My personal favorite thing about it was that it was beat to hell, so i never had to worry about it being dented or scratched. it felt like a adult scooter to me, i'm not small, and my wife said i looked like a circus bear riding it, but hey, it was fun.
todays bike looks like this...