The Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 is an off-road hog

[Graybeard]

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/harley-davidson-pan-america-1250

Taking the brand into the wilderness

By Gary Gastelu | Fox News

Harley-Davidson is taking the brand into the wilderness.

https://foxnews.h-cdn.com/preview.mp4?customer=foxnews&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoxnews-f.akamaihd.net%2Fi%2FBrightCove%2F694940094001%2F2019%2F07%2F17%2F694940094001_606032%2C3135001_6060318544001%2C3428001_6060318544001%2C3429001_6060318544001%2C5737001_6060318544001%2C.mp4.csmil%2Fmaster.m3u8&preview_ver=1_2&size=768x432&br_ver=7


(Harley-Davidson)

The Milwaukee-based motorcycle company has unveiled the production version of its first adventure touring style bike, the Pan America 1250.

A far cry from its classic cruisers, the Pan America 1250 was built for on and off-road riding and is powered by the Revolution Max 1250cc engine. The all-new V-twin is rated at 150 hp and 94 lb-ft of torque and serves as a stressed member of the chassis and sends power to the rear wheel through a six-speed transmission and chain.


(Harley-Davidson)

The 534-pound bike has 8.3 inches of ground clearance and is equipped with a Showa suspension that provides 7.5-inches of wheel travel via inverted front forks and a monoshock rear swingarm. The top Pan America 1250 Special adds a semi-active version that adjusts damping through several ride modes for different surfaces and lowers the bike a couple of inches when its parked to make it easier to mount and dismount the saddle.


Brembo brakes and custom-designed Michelin Scorcher Adventure tires come standard along with a host of electronic traction and stability management systems and a hill-hold feature.


(Harley-Davidson)

The Pan America’s 6.8-inch touchscreen display is adjustable and provides instrumentation, entertainment and navigation via a connected smartphone app.


Pricing starts at $17,319 for the standard 1250 and and $19,999 for the 1250 Special, which is on par with the big adventure bikes from the likes of Kawasaki, Ducati and KTM, but lower than BMW’s.

The Pan America 1250 is scheduled to go on sale in May.

Gary Gastelu is FoxNews.com's Automotive Editor covering the car industry and racing. Follow @foxnewsautos

[Bob Riebe]

Good for them!
BRAVO

Off road bikes must be gaining on four wheelers; RideApart, a motorcycle new website, has the usual blah, blah, about retro Jap crotch rockets but  more often there is repeat news about Royal Enfield's, the brit bike the Indians have raised from the ashes , off road bike plus scramblers from Triumph and Ducati.

[BUGEYE]

Good looking bike and I'm sure it'll be a hit with a lot of folks.

But my experience, and I have some, tells me that you don't need 150 horse power to that little rear wheel.
I would limit my own riding to a max of 350cc engines to keep from spinning the wheel in a dangerous place, mountains sides etc.
YMMV

[Graybeard]

I used to ride HD 125cc dirt bikes in the mountains and enjoyed it. I got a new HD 350 dirt bike and wow it was way too much for me to handle. Too much HP and too many pounds. That sucker was 300 pounds and that's way too much for me out in the rough stuff I rode in. I went back to a 125.

[BUGEYE]

I used to ride HD 125cc dirt bikes in the mountains and enjoyed it. I got a new HD 350 dirt bike and wow it was way too much for me to handle. Too much HP and too many pounds. That sucker was 300 pounds and that's way too much for me out in the rough stuff I rode in. I went back to a 125.

Yeah, horsepower can get you hurt in the mountains, and unless you’re using it to haul out an elk carcass, 125cc is plenty.
I rode a friends 500cc in a parking lot and even though I rode a 650cc street bike that thing was hard to ride.
It was geared low enough that a tiny bit of throttle would bring the front wheel off the ground.

[Lloyd Smale]

I love it. Allways did like that type of bike. Wanted a bmw for a while but all my buddys drove harley street bikes so id have been riding alone. But if i was getting a bike today id give serious thought to something like that. It would get me to town. perfectly fine for even a 300 mile ride and i could even take it to camp.

[Bob Riebe]

I used to ride HD 125cc dirt bikes in the mountains and enjoyed it. I got a new HD 350 dirt bike and wow it was way too much for me to handle. Too much HP and too many pounds. That sucker was 300 pounds and that's way too much for me out in the rough stuff I rode in. I went back to a 125.

Yeah, horsepower can get you hurt in the mountains, and unless you’re using it to haul out an elk carcass, 125cc is plenty.
I rode a friends 500cc in a parking lot and even though I rode a 650cc street bike that thing was hard to ride.
It was geared low enough that a tiny bit of throttle would bring the front wheel off the ground.

LOL, throttle control , especially on a wet or sandy road, is one of the  first things  you learn when riding a motorcycle.

I used do a lot gravel pit woods scrambling with a 350 pound Honda 305 Scrambler; for getting up a long steep hill torque is what counts not horsepower and the Scrambler engine was not long on  torque.
You learn to carefully back it down a long hill.
Thankfully the Honda had a soft seat as in the mogul you would get bucked up off the seat at times.

[Argent 88]

Indian used to make a dirt bike. I don't think they do anymore with Polaris owning them. 

[Bob Riebe]

Indian used to make a dirt bike. I don't think they do anymore with Polaris owning them.

History of the Indian Dirt Bike
Floyd Clymer 1968-1970

Motorcycle man extrordinaire, Mr. Clymer, dreamed of a reborn Scout and Chief line of the big
Indians.  What he succeeded most in was the mini models.  Imported to keep the Indian name alive
and to introduce a younger set to the motorcycling world.  Clymer passed away in 1970, leaving his
dreams unfulfilled, but successfully bringing the minis to America.
Alan Newman 1971-1976

Floyd Clymer’s Los Angeles attorney, Alan Newman, acquired rights to the Indian name and
continued importing minicycles made by Italjet.  Mr. Newman was a pragmatist and saw the market
for mini-bikes, and having acquired the Indian name and logos he contracted with a manufacturer in
Taiwan to make Indian mini-bikes from 1971 through 1976. Indian had their own factory in Taipei.
Thinking big, Newman planned his own cycle plant, larger 125/175cc models and possible 400cc
units came in 1973-74.  His assembly plant wound up in Taipei, Taiwan and 70, 75, 80, 100, 125,
175cc engines were imported.  Japan (Fuji) engines supplied the 100cc engines.  Morini 100's were
used during the Clymer years.  70, 75, 80, 125, 175s were courtesy of Minarelli in Italy.  Italjet
models (MM5A, M5A, JC5A) used Italian Morini powerplants.  Nothing larger than 175s were made
except for one 1000cc prototype Indian that based heavily on a Ducati.  It was merely for show. 
Indians' fortunes were dwindling by 1975.  1976 was the last year of restyling for the 100-175
models.  Sales kept dropping and Newman bowed out.  The word came out in January 1977:  The
Indian Motorcycle Company was done. 

[oldandslow]

I bought my daughter one of the 125 cc Harleys when she was in high school. It was used but only slightly. They were nice bikes.

[Ranger99]

Not just HD self destructing.
I've seen more than a few businesses
implode from business school practices.
These management types get in a thriving
business, and feel the need to " improve "
on things, and feel like the there's sales
being lost, so they try to expand into areas
that overtax their mainstream meat and
potatoes business. One example would be
the dealerships I've worked for whose
management types that came in, and felt
that we should try and compete with places
like auto zone and jiffy lube and such.
Their thinking was that they were taking
business from us, when the reality is that
there will always be people who look for
whatever is cheapest, and while you try
and please those people, your loyal customers
are having to wait longer to get taken care of.
Another would be great hamburger places
that only serve hamburgers and not 40 different
menu items etc.  They always do a better job
because they aren't trying to make all those
different things, just one superior item.
IIRC,  HD used to just have a super glide, a
sportster, and an electra glide, not 50
different models to have to keep up with
and try to hold a decent measure of QC on

I guess HD will eventually be the
next Remington

[BUGEYE]

Not just HD self destructing.
I've seen more than a few businesses
implode from business school practices.
These management types get in a thriving
business, and feel the need to " improve "
on things, and feel like the there's sales
being lost, so they try to expand into areas
that overtax their mainstream meat and
potatoes business. One example would be
the dealerships I've worked for whose
management types that came in, and felt
that we should try and compete with places
like auto zone and jiffy lube and such.
Their thinking was that they were taking
business from us, when the reality is that
there will always be people who look for
whatever is cheapest, and while you try
and please those people, your loyal customers
are having to wait longer to get taken care of.
Another would be great hamburger places
that only serve hamburgers and not 40 different
menu items etc.  They always do a better job
because they aren't trying to make all those
different things, just one superior item.
IIRC,  HD used to just have a super glide, a
sportster, and an electra glide, not 50
different models to have to keep up with
and try to hold a decent measure of QC on

I guess HD will eventually be the
next Remington

Good post ranger.
I never had a desire to be a hell's angel so never wanted a Harley.
I buy tools to fit the job at hand which was, One 125 Yamaha Enduro, two RD 350 Yamahas. and one 650 Yamaha.
My first wife wrecked my first RD 350, that's why I bought a second one.

I would hate to see Harley go under because in the past they've put out some nice bikes.

[Buckskin]

Well either they diversify their brand with the times or die.  The millennials are not buying road glides or roadsters they are driving scooters, as embarrassing as that is - that's what they want.  If Harley went to scooters, that would be the end of them!  So they are going for the few that are looking for a rush from something other than drugs or video games.

[Argent 88]

AMF were problem ridden bikes, I had one. But they did keep Harley from going completely under.
Polaris quit building the Victory line, when they acquired Indian.