A Closer Look at the 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America
Harley-Davidson is one of the oldest companies in the motorcycle production industry. For context, Harley-Davidson is one of only two companies that survived the Great Depression of the 1930s. Having endured numerous other economic troubles, both global and in-house, the brand has managed to attract perhaps the most loyal following outside of sports. The main reason why legacy institutions fail is their astute nature. Companies often tend to stick to the same principle through and through, which in itself isn’t a bad thing. However, in an ever so dynamic world we live in, it is only right that institutions embrace fluidity and allow integration of new elements into the fundamental functionality.
That is the exact reason why Harley Davidson has managed to remain at the crème de la crème of the economic sphere it occupies for all those years it has been in existence. Innovation and venturing out into the unknown, however risky, will offer more rewards. Take for example the new model the brand is aiming to release, the 2021 Pan American Harley Davidson. In November of 2019, the company posted a tease trailer on its YouTube channel showing the bike. An in-depth analysis of the working of the bike and the philosophy behind the making of it will illustrate clearly the dynamic nature of the brand. Here are ten things you should know about the Pan America Harley Davidson scheduled to be released in 2020.
1. A whole new world
This brand new model form Milwaukie aims at disrupting an already congested sphere in motorbike manufacturing that Harley hasn’t delved into; the adventure bikes. Granted, there a plethora of adventure bike manufacturers both in the United States and the rest of the world. Brands like KMT, Suzuki, BMW, and Honda have proliferated the said market with model after model of adventure bikes throughout the years. Consequently, it wouldn’t be foolish to ask why exactly Harley Davidson has decided to take this step towards a market already teeming with manufacturers. To this, the simple answer is that this is precisely the modus operandi of the company. The high risk will often have high rewards, and that is what the brand is aiming for precisely.
2. You’re only as good as your advertisements
As earlier stated, the company announced that it would be releasing the bike via a posting on its YouTube channel. The video clip is just shy of 40 seconds long, but there is a lot to unpack from it. It is action-packed, full of drills and adrenaline-pumping off-road features that highlight the effectiveness of the bike. However, being mystical and secretive does often have its perks. The video is so short that it leaves you yearning for more. Even the specs released doesn’t point out exactly what the bike has to offer. More on that later.
3. Design
The boldness of H-D’s move in making the Pan American isn’t just from an economic side; it is also from a design side. This unexplored territory for the dealers, designers, and engineers at the company, but especially so for the designers and engineers. However, from the pictures of the bike, it is evident that the people at H-D have pulled it off. The bike narrows in on the rough terrain it will be used to ride on. It has a strong upright and molded front fender. This leads to the front fairing, which has a brush-guard and a wide headlight. A screen akin to those used in rally bikes extends upwards to offer additional protection for the driver. The stock handguards installed in the motorcycle protect the hamburger shovels from extreme temperatures. The suspension employed is a long-stroke rear suspension, which leaves a void between the rear wheel and the upswept subframe.
4.Technology
Behind the wind deflectors and the glass, you will find the TFT screen that displays all the metrics you would want to see in one platform.
5. Seating
The bike has duplex seating and can, therefore, accommodate both a pillion passenger and the rider. A set of footpegs and J.C handles have been installed to offer assistance during boarding.
6. Added options
Like all vehicles being released these days, you do have an option to optimize your motorbike space and storage by adding some more features. You can add a top-case and a set of hard-side bags, meaning that you increase the storage capacity exponentially.
7. The engine
The 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America gets its power from a 1250 cc Revolution Max engine that the company claims will produce over 145 horsepower and over 90 lb-ft of torque. I know what you are asking, why aren’t the numbers exact? Why aren’t we utterly sure of the specs of the engine? The answer to this is quite simple. Harley Davidson hasn’t released the full list of specs and is being coy about the specifics. What it has ascertained is that the engine is a 60-degree V-Twin and that it will be liquid-cooled.
8. Speculations
Since no one, except the company, knows exactly what the bike will look like once it is finally finished, some speculations have been thrown around, and some of them make completely perfect sense. It is assumed that since the jugs look offset, a side-by-side arrangement will be used for the conrods. It is also likely that this bike will see an end to the ancient two-into-one conrods, and employ a common crankpin at the bottom end. It is also very probable that it will be sports chain-driven and have over-head cams. Consequently, because of these factors, the engine is likely to have a higher-revving character.
9. Colors
As far as the color patterns used in the bikes go, it seems that the choices will be between black and a cocktail of black, white, and orange. Going forward, the company may release other color schemes.
10. Pricing
For this bike to be in contention in a tuft that doesn’t have any shortage of marquee bike producers, its price range must be akin to the rest of the herd. It has been estimated that the Pan America’s price could be near the 19,000-dollar mark.
