From time to time I get the opportunity to test various bikes for a Thai media site. Recently the CRF450rl and then just a few days ago the Pan America. Being mainly an off road rider - or at least that's where I enjoy the most, the bike was setup for road with paniers. So no off road test.
My own bike is an Africa Twin CRF1000l with a TKC80 front tire and now a Mitas e10 rear from the previous e09 rear, so I expected the HD to be silky smooth in comparison to my own bike with knobblies. I made a video, which I won't post here and expressed the views were my first impressions of the bike, and what I said, may not reflect what is printed by the media I was testing it for. But it seems I upset a few with my remarks and the common comment was "It's 90% rider and 10% bike", which is true to an extent. I was called biased toward the AT. Which now may be true as I modified it for me. But I have tested the GS1200 Series, 800, KTMs and more. But, as I stated to these comments. What it says in the fine-print of the manual, is very different to the promotional videos you see. Take the Africa Twin with Toni Bou presently doing the amazing stuff he does. The bike isn't made for that. His repairs and modifications are free. Likewise with Pol Taress on the Yamaha T7. But, when you've ridden off road many times, you do get an instant feel for a bike and its immediate ability.
When I bought the Africa Twin (Which I did a review about and listed the bad point before most others did) I knew that just changing the tires alone, I could hit places like Khao Krajom, or the dirt track at Bor Din and it would do a good job. And it did, despite the suspension being a little too soft. And I bought it knowing the repairs wouldn't cost the earth like a KTM or BMW.
When I jumped on the Harley, straight away I was impressed with the comfort. Ergonomically it felt good despite the seat being too low for me. After I got used to the very stiff clutch, and set the clutch to its nearest setting which still felt too far, I got used to the stiff gear change which needed some force to up and downshift. I also kept missing gears as part of the engine sticks out so my foot was pressing on that instead of the foot pedal. I eventually got used to it by using the edge of the pedal and my foot. Additionally, the side stand is set just in front of the pedal so should you want to wear adv boots, you'd have trouble hooking your foot under. On my AT I needed an extendable one for that reason. The bike while comfortable, passed vibrations through the near-useless foot pegs that passed into the knees and through the bars. While it wasn't too bad on the bars, I expected it to be so much smoother than mine. In fact, I'd say up to speeds of 120kph mine was smoother, but beyond that the Harley was much better than the AT. But I typically don't ride beyond 120kph unless overtaking or on dirt. One thing that also stuck out was the hard front. The lines on the road that join the cement came with a thud, similar to my scooter when that hits a line, but there were various suspension settings on the HD which I didn't touch to be fair. It was set for road use. What I didn't like for a so called adventure bike is how low the gear rod and shaft were situated and exposed. Bending a rod is one thing which is lower than the gear pedal itself, but hitting a shaft on a rock could be painful.
Putting those things to one side, my initial impression was this isn't an adventure bike. Perhaps a mild adventure bike at best. I didn't have that feeling of being able just to throw a set of dedicated tires on and take it off road, run around single track following smaller bikes I am sure some have just to say it can. But it's like wearing an uncomfortable jacket or helmet. You're never quite sure if it fits so it spoils the ride and becomes distracting. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable doing the things I have done on my AT as I would on a HD Pan America. That being said, my bike is a literal pain in the rear. After 20 minutes riding I am shuffling around trying to get comfortable. I ride for 40 min max before needing a break unless standing. The HD was the complete opposite. I felt like I could ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and only take breaks for safety reasons. I would trailer mine there. Definitely a long distance bike with plenty of grunt. And maybe some mild off road.
My opinion. I am not a HD hater. In fact I love the bikes, I wouldn't buy one for riding, just as I wouldn't a Ducati Panigale V4. But they would look good in my own private showroom which I don't have.
Then there's the price. Situated between the Africa Twin and GS1250. The sensible choice would be to buy an AT if you want an adventure bike. And if you can afford it a GS1250. But the HD is neither of the two so I am not quite sure where it fits.
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