2024 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special

When Executive Editor Dawes studied the teaser video of the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 back in 2018, he wryly wrote, “I’ll send pizza and beer to the entire design and engineering team in Milwaukee if the Pan America comes in under 550 pounds full of gas.” Not only did Harley-Davidson’s design team read Dawes’ story, it took his words as something of a challenge, pinning them up on the office wall. A few years later, Dawes would eat his words—and 350 H-D employees in Milwaukee would get lunch compliments of Mr. Dawes and Cycle World. In its standard trim level, the Pan America 1250 weighed in at 534 pounds.

The point is, the Pan America defied expectations from the very beginning. Debuting new technologies like Adaptive Ride Height, and featuring all the tech you’d expect from a top-line ADV-tourer, like IMU-managed rider aids and semi-active suspension, the Pan America was an immediate contender. Its Revolution Max 1250 engine produces a claimed 150 hp at 8,750 rpm and 95 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,750, which is in the same ballpark as the competition. Speaking of the competition, OEMs like KTM, BMW, Triumph, and Ducati have been producing big ADV-tourers for years (over four decades in the case of BMW), which makes Harley’s debut effort all the more impressive. It can stand toe-to-toe with any of them—in the dirt, on long days in the saddle, and in the twisties.

The 2024 Pan America 1250 Special starts at $19,999 and increases depending on color. The CVO Pan America Special ($28,399) comes with a host of accessories and a flashy Legendary Orange paint job.