Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 tech explained

The full reveal of Harley-Davidson’s new Pan America 1250 adventure tourer in February was the culmination of over a year's worth of anticipation from Harley and dual-sport enthusiasts alike.

Powered by the new V-twin 1250cc Revolution Max engine, the Pan America will compete directly with the likes of the BMW R 1250 GS, the KTM 1290 Super Adventure, the Triumph Tiger 1200, and Ducati’s new Multistrada V4.

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Harley is no stranger to electronics and rider safety systems, but the Pan America boasts a suite of advanced features that positions it as the most high-tech Harley ever (well, apart from the LiveWire perhaps). Here is a brief rundown of the Pan America’s electronic features:

The Pan America 1250 Special model (which is the only variant coming to Australia) is equipped with electronically adjustable semi-active front and rear suspension from Showa. This type of feature is becoming increasingly common on big-bore adventure machines.

Front suspension is handled by 47mm inverted Showa BFF (Balance Free Forks) with semi active damping control, while the rear features a Showa BFRC (Balanced Free Rear Cushion-lite) coil-over shock with electronic preload control and semi-active damping control.

Utilizing data provided by special sensors, the semi-active system automatically controls damping to suit riding conditions and rider tendencies. It reacts to suspension position, vehicle speed, vertical acceleration, roll angle, roll rate, rider applied throttle, and applied brake torque to help maintain desired comfort levels.

The semi-active system comes with five pre-programmed profiles which are incorporated into each ride mode program. Those profiles are Comfort, Balanced, Sport, Off-Road Soft, and Off-Road Firm. The suspension profile cannot be changed within each ride-mode, but when creating a custom ride mode, the user can choose their desired suspension profile.

Additionally, the bike has Vehicle Loading Control, which senses the weight of the rider, passenger, and luggage to select optimal suspension sag by automatically adjusting rear pre-load.

Offered as an option on the Pan America 1250 Special, the adaptive ride height (ARH) function works with the suspension to automatically swap between a low stopped position and an optimal ride height when the motorcycle is in motion. Put simply, the bike will automatically lower when stationary to help the shorter riders among us. Clever, huh?

There are four selectable ARH modes including Auto, Short Delay, Long Delay, and Locked. Auto determines how quickly to lower the suspension based on braking action. Short and Long Delay lower the suspension when the bike comes to a complete stop, while Locked leaves the bike at the desired ride height at all times. Harley claims the ARH function is a first in the motorcycle industry.

The Pan America 1250 is equipped with a full suite of safety functions that will be familiar to most motorcyclists. These include cornering ABS, rear-wheel lift mitigation, cornering traction control and cornering drag-torque slip control. The bike also features cornering enhanced electronically-linked braking which provides balanced front and rear braking under a wide variety of brake applications. Each ride mode offers different levels of intrusion from these features.

The Pan America is also equipped with hill hold control, which applies brake pressure and prevents the motorcycle from rolling after the rider has released the brake controls. Hill hold is activated by the rider by momentarily applying extra pressure to either the front or rear brake after the motorcycle has come to a complete stop. It is not meant to be used as a park brake, and will be disengaged when the side-stand is lowered or through inactivity. Instead, it is designed to help riders take off smoothly when stopped on an incline.

Harley offers five pre-programmed ride modes on the Pan America. The mode is selected by the Mode button on the right-hand switchblock, while there is more functionality within the instrument display. Each mode offers a different combination of power delivery, engine braking, ABS, and traction control settings, while the Special model also changes the suspension settings.

The bike comes with Rain mode, Road mode, and Sport mode, as well as an Off-Road and an Off-Road Plus mode. The exact functions of these modes differ between the regular Pan America and the Special variant, but the concepts are similar.

There is also one custom mode on the base model and three on the Special model. Riders can select a different combination of settings to suit their specific needs.

The Pan America features a fancy 6.8-inch TFT touchscreen that displays all the necessary instrumentation and infotainment functions. Designed to be used in rugged conditions, the touchscreen can also be used with gloves and, cleverly, it can also be tilted so the rider can adjust it to an optimal viewing position.

As well as the speedometer, tachometer, and usual indicator and warning lights, the TFT can also be customised to display turn-by-turn navigation, infotainment information, motorcycle status information, and trip meter information. The bike is also equipped with tire-pressure monitoring, which can be viewed through the display.

While the bike does not have an on-board infotainment system, the ride can connect their Bluetooth-equipped mobile device to generate music and phone calls (through a headset). The rider’s phone also enables navigation via a free Harley-Davidson app.

Australia will only receive the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special, which will start at $31,995 (plus on road costs). Pricing increases based on colour scheme, while laced wheels and the adaptive ride height function ups the price by another $1485.

The bike is expected to arrive in Australia in the second half of 2021, with an Australian media launch anticipated in the coming months. Stay tuned for our full review of this exciting new adventure tourer soon.