Concept
The Harley-Davidson Pan America amazed most of us. And it wasn’t so much for its slightly risqué looks, but rather for its remarkable driving qualities. However, the American manufacturer found it necessary to take control of the massive allroad only after its first year of career.
For starters, the dashboard of the Harley-Davidson Pan America has been made more legible. Not that we had any complaints about it, but the larger numbers and letters are useful. In addition, the operating time of the uphill restraint system has been increased from ten seconds to five minutes … for times when traffic density requires you to wait longer before setting off … Plus, it’s now available a quick change, which unfortunately does not seem to be retrofittable on the 2021 models. And finally there is also a new blue color.
Conduct
If the colors are indisputable, the revamped Harley-Davidson Pan America quick change really is. After about ten uses, we have seen enough and we choose to use the clutch again. Shifting is stiff and not even shifting is exactly smooth. Despite a so-called autoblipper providing an intermediate kick of the accelerator, the gearbox still reacts jerky. This option is simply not worth its price (almost € 400), especially since the normal exchange still performs well.
In a seemingly endless succession of second and third gear laps, the Harley-Davidson Pan America surprises us once again with its smooth and powerful 1250 engine; the 150PS, 127Nm V-twin boasts an impressive mid-range and solid finish, while the chassis appears to exude confidence. In addition, this Harley manages to smooth out its weight well, always 258 kg.
>> Read also our review of the Triumph Tiger 1200 (2022)
We also have some off-roading to do. It’s kind of fun, you can hook up the Harley-Davidson Pan America with incredible ease, taking advantage of the smoothness of the engine. Only on sections with deep ditches does the semi-active suspension reach its limits. Especially at the front, because the Pan America cannot take advantage of a version with a 21-inch front wheel. The seat height is also noteworthy: it was a bit too high for some colleagues and we had to dig them out of the bushes.
Verdict
We continue to believe the Harley-Davidson Pan America is a rock solid motorcycle, and the changes made for model year 2022 don’t change much. Mainly because the Harley Davidson people have stayed away from the problems they really should have faced. Take for example the brilliantly designed Adaptive Ride Height system, which allows this bike to act on its springs when you stop – wonderfully practical, but the operation quickly drains the battery. But hey, America wasn’t built in a day. And even less in just one model year.
Source: This test was carried out by our partner Motorrijder-magazine.
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