The brake light may remain illuminated when the front brakes are not applied.
What are the hazards?
If this occurs the traffic behind the vehicle will be unable to identify whether the motorcycle is actually braking. This may lead to an accident causing injury or death to the rider and/or passenger and/or other road users.
What should consumers do?
Owners of affected motorcycles can contact their nearest Harley-Davidson Australia dealer immediately and arrange an appointment to have the master cylinder rebuilt free of charge.
Harley-Davidson overnight took the covers off a limited run of 2021 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special motorcycles featuring a handcrafted Arctic Blast Limited Edition paint scheme.
The Arctic Blast Limited Edition paint will be offered in a single colourway – metallic deep blue with bright blue strokes over a pearlescent white base.
Availability will be limited to 500 examples worldwide, each serialised on the fuel tank. There will be only eight such motorcycles available across Australia and New Zealand.
The special colour scheme commands a $7495 premium
Starting at $47,245 ride-away in Australia or $51,400 in NZ, the Artic Blast colourway commands an almost 8k price premium over the regular Street Glide Special.
The Arctic Blast Limited Edition paint is hand-applied by the artisans at Gunslinger Custom Paint in Golden, Colorado.
The Street Glide Special is a popular model in the Harley-Davidson line-up and one of our own favourites here at MCNews.com.au.
The motorcycle was revealed at the 81st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
One of the mainstays of Harley’s well-established Touring range the Street Glide Special features a bat-wing fairing that houses an impressive instrumentation set-up that combines retro with a modern Boom Box GTS infotainment system with colour touch screen, advanced navigation plus compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, hand and voice commands (when paired with compatible headset), and two-speaker audio is standard equipment.
Bat-wing fairing houses Daymaker LED light and impressive instrumentation
The Milwaukee-Eight 114 V-Twin powers the 375 kg (wet) Street Glide Special with 160 Nm of torque at 3250 rpm.
Stretched bags are standard on all Street Glide models
The stretched locking saddle-bags and Daymaker LED lighting is also standard across the Street Glide Special model line.
The Arctic Blast Limited Edition paint will be offered in a single colourway – metallic deep blue with bright blue strokes over a pearlescent white base.
If you go through the list of memorable automotive monikers, what do you come up with? Mustang? 911? What about motorcycles? Fireblade? GS? All iconic names, but arguably none carry the weight and legacy of our testbike today.
The Harley-Davidson Sportster has been around since 1957, predating even the 911 by six years, and thus is more important to The Motor Company than any machine they’ve created before or since.
The 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S is a very different beast from those that came before it
In the 64 years since the Sportster was released, it’s seen only two major revisions before the 2021 model year. That first year of 1957 right through to 1986 we saw the era of the Ironhead, followed by the Evo from ’86 to 2020 with rubber mounting for the motor coming in 2004.
So, you can imagine the fanfare when a new Sportster is created. It’s rarer than honest politicians during a pandemic.
You have to admit that it does have some swagger about it, even at rest
The 2021 model year sees the debut of the all-new Sportster S. Stumpy, fat, unapologetic in that inimitable “up-yours” H-D style, the Sportster S signals a new direction for Harley as they shift away from the “potato-potato” motor sound in the hope of luring new riders while still keeping their beloved baby-boomer demographic.
Retailing for $26,495 ($26,790 if you add $295 for the Stone Washed White Pearl of our testbike), this is a totally new design, with the S using a version of the 1252 cc Revolution Max 1250T liquid-cooled motor that debuted in the Pan America adventure bike earlier this year.
The pushrods and cooling fins might be gone but there is a shitload more horsepower in those cases than any previous Sportster
The dreaded word “retuned” must be used here, although it’s not as bad as you might think. The Sportster S engine loses 21 kW overall compared to the Pan Am to sit at a claimed 90 kW, but the claimed torque of 125 Nm is moved further down the rev range, While Pan America boasts 150 horsepower at 8750 rpm and 127 Nm of torque at 6750 rpm, the quoted figures for Sportster S are 121 horsepower at 7500 rpm and the torque figure remains the same at 127 Nm but arrives 750 rpm earlier in Sportster S. Harley say they have tuned the engine to be more torque focussed with smaller ports and valves that meet a combustion chamber profile that is also designed to flow stronger at lower rpm along with milder cams and variable valve timing phasing that endow the engine with better low-rpm performance. On the road it provides impressive go from as low as 2000 rpm, despite that torque peaking out at only 6000 rpm.
Three pre-set riding modes and a customisable fourth mode
Matched to three pre-set riding modes of Sport, Road, and Rain, and a fourth customisable mode, the 60-degree Revolution Max 1250T motor is an absolute peach of a thing. This is by far the most dynamic motor I’ve tested from Harley-Davidson in my writing career—there’s a lovely throttle response matched to acres of torque and next to no vibrations thanks to the dual counter balancers. A fully-stressed member of the chassis, this is a very un-Harley Harley, more akin to a Japanese parallel-twin than an America V-twin.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Sporting variable valve timing, the transition between the two halves of the rev range is pretty seamless, although the gearbox leaves a little to be desired. With the feet-forward ride position and subsequent play in the shift lever, the gear selection isn’t as positive as I would have liked for a machine costing north of $26K. The first two gears are tall, and as a result you’ll spend a lot of time in first or second when in heavy traffic, necessitating going through neutral a lot. I can’t tell you how many times I snicked neutral rather than second, even trying not to do so netted a dreaded neutral from time to time.
I did manage to get on a Sportster S with an adjusted shift lever position that helped matters somewhat, but the gearbox action still left a little to be desired.
The peg position can be changes with accessories, but Rennie didn’t like any of them
Another area that leaves something to be desired is the heat coming off that exhaust. Wrap around-style like Harley’s flat track racers, the pipe looks great, sounds not too loud, but gets blisteringly hot as it snakes around the front of the rear cylinder head with the catalytic convertor hanging about 20 cm from your family jewels. Hot summer days are going to be murder on this, just as it was on our test day in Southern California.
You would imagine looking at this picture that the Sportster S might cook your nether regions in traffic, it does…
To be fair, the heat is only a major issue when you’re going slowly with minimal airflow to help with dissipation. Get the Sportster out of the city and into the mountains and the heat won’t be of much concern.
The lack of rear suspension travel makes for a harsh ride if you encounter any bumps
What is of concern, however, is the rather short 93 mm of ground clearance and only 51 mm of travel from the rear suspension. That’s not much and I can tell you from the hotseat (get it?), it isn’t. You’ll feel every hard-edged bump on the Sportster S, making slow rides not just hot thanks to the pipe but achingly uncomfortable, too.
Does that look comfortable…?
And like the heat, you need to get the Sporty out of the city and into wide open spaces. Once you do, the motorcycle will start to show some of its sporty wares to at least give some cred to its name.
You’re long, low and somewhat lazy on the Sportster, but wind the wick up and it’s surprising how much speed the chassis will let you carry. With a claimed 34 degrees of lean angle available, you won’t be impersonating any racers, but hang off, use your bodyweight to turn and keep it off the footpeg hero knobs then you’ll be having a right old time with it.
Despite the limited ground clearance it is more at home in the hills
I’m not a fan of the forward feet controls, as they impede not just the gearshift but end up putting me in the dreaded ‘cruiser slouch’, rounding the base of my back and accentuating the pain when you ride over sharp bumps.
And it’s not as though the seat is sumptuous enough to make up for the deficiencies in the rear suspension
Later in the test, I was given a few kilometres on a Sporty with the aftermarket mid-mounted controls which I liked much more, although the rider triangle went from stretched out to cramped very quickly. Can’t win them all, it turns out.
The tank holds only 12-litres of fuel so one eye will need to be kept on the range
The Sportster is graced with fully-adjustable 43 mm Showa forks and a fully-adjustable linkage shock out the back complete with a hand knob for preload adjustment, so you should be able to dial in a setting you like relatively easily. The front suspension is quite nice in its application, not too stiff and will soak with the road corrugations much more effectively than the rear, which uses your arse as part of the damping circuit.
Handy knob for easily adjusting spring pre-load, pity you can wind in some more travel…
The design department won out over practicality by fitting the Sportster S with a single 300 mm disc gripped by a four-piston Brembo monobloc caliper, aided by a single 260 mm disc clamped by an admittedly very powerful twin-piston caliper at the rear. The front brakes lack feel at the lever, although they will slow the Sportster adequately enough for the Cornering ABS system to kick in, which is either a criticism of the brakes being too wooden in feel or the ABS kicking in too early, even on its least-intrusive setting. I feel a bike of this price tag should come with two discs and calipers up the front, but that’s just my two cents.
Good brake, but only one of them, not good enough
Cruise control, the four ride modes, turn-by-turn navigation with the Harley app and Bluetooth connectivity are all included as standard fitment on the Sportster S, which is par for the course now for premium offerings from Harley. It’s all accessed through the small but effective dash—it’s certainly not the biggest but I’ve ridden plenty of bikes in this price range where the dashes are extremely difficult to use. Harley’s UX designers have done a decent job of making the electronics easy to use and adjust.
They’ve done a good with the interface and instrumentation
I’ll be honest and say I feel the Sportster S is too one-dimensional for my tastes. It only really works when you’re out giving it a thrash, and the ride comfort is just not there for slow speed riding, which the aesthetic suggests should be the main type you’ll do.
Despite the limited ground clearance it is more at home in the hills
The Sportster S is an extremely quick little motorcycle. Indeed, nothing with a Harley-Davidson badge, similarly engined Pan America aside, will likely get near it apart from the LiveWire, which feels like you’ve got the hand of god pushing you forward when you hammer the throttle between 30-80 km/h.
That mills musters plenty of squirt and along with the Pan America and LiveWire propels Harley into a new era of performance
However, I like the Sportster not so much for the ride but what it represents for Harley-Davidson. There’s a cultural shift happening right now at The Motor Company, with new blood not interested in maintaining the status quo that has seen Harley-Davidson pigeon-hole itself as a bike for baby boomers only.
Kyle Wyman’s win in the MotoAmerica King of The Baggers championship was a huge deal for Harley, and it’s looking increasingly likely that sporting side will start spawning some new models that are not what you’d traditionally expect.
Let’s have some more bikes with this motor thanks
I sincerely hope Harley-Davidson takes this engine and makes a decent nakedbike with it. It’s such a good little thing, it’d be a waste to have it in just an ADV bike and a cruiser.
Either way, if the Sporty speaks to you, you’ll doubtless fall in love with it the second you ride it. For me, I’ll wait with a beer and see if that unicorn nakedbike is forthcoming.
Harley’s Sportster was once the entry point into the world of the Bar and Shield. Then Street 500 came along and made the Harley-Davidson brand much more affordable and the fact that is was learner legal in Australia was a boon for the marque when it first arrived in 2015. Six years later though Milwaukee HQ cancelled the Street models from the line-up while simultaneously also turning their back on the classic lines and signature architecture that was the Sportster as they prepared to relaunch the model name into a new era.
The Harley-Davidson Sportster 48 debuted ten years ago and was a huge success in Australia
2022 heralds by far the biggest change in architecture since the Harley-Davidson Sportster first hit the scene in 1957. Since inception the basic design and look of most Sportster models have shown a clear and distinct lineage to the original that was unmistakable. The riding experience too was certainly reminiscent of another age. Even with the shift in 2004 to rubber engine isolators that took some of the shake, rattle and roll out of the bikes, followed by the shift to fuel-injection in 2007, the Sportster ride still felt distinctly old school. Emissions legislation was what essentially signed the final death warrant of the current generation Sportster, thus in 2021 we have been led to the situation whereby Sportster is dead, long live the Sportster!
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
2022 will mark a huge leap forward in performance and specification that will take Sportster into a whole new world of riding dynamics, the price has also been hiked by 50 per cent. In this new generation of Sportster though you can certainly see a massive return in value that clearly illustrates where that extra money has gone. The new Sportster S is expected to make its debut on Australian soil around November 2021. $26,495 is the price of admission to the new era of Sportster which means that for the first time ever the most affordable entry point into the Harley range will likely be a Big Twin, as after the last remaining stocks of the previous generation Sportsters are cleared the 1745 cc Milwaukee-Eight powered Softail Standard will become the most affordable Harley-Davidson model at $21,495.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
That is also understandable as where once the V-Rod was the sharpest tool in the Harley-Davidson dealership, leaving aside the short lived but now legendary relatively light and flickable XR1200X that while not boasting the power of the V-Rod, certainly bested it for riding dynamics and cornering performance.
Harley-Davidson XR1200X was the sportiest Harley ever made in the modern era
Now the new Sportster S propels the brand into proper sports naked territory when it comes to engine performance thanks to the brilliant new Revolution Max 1250 60-degree V-Twin. In Sportster S guise this high-tech new DOHC powerplant boasts much less power than the Pan America models it first debuted in. While Pan America boasts 150 horsepower at 8750 rpm and 127 Nm of torque at 6750 rpm, the quoted figures for Sportster S are 121 horsepower at 7500 rpm and the torque figure remains the same at 127 Nm but arrives 750 rpm earlier in Sportster S. Harley say they have tuned the engine to be more torque focussed with smaller ports and valves that meet a combustion chamber profile that is also designed to flow stronger at lower rpm along with milder cams and variable valve timing phasing that should endow the engine with better low-rpm performance.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Unfortunately while the engine performance is impressive, albeit still 80 horsepower short of the more focussed Europeans, the chassis performance is unlikely to thrill. The Showa suspension specification is certainly sporting enough but with a shockingly low 51 mm of rear travel and limited ground clearance, Harley are only quoting 34-degrees of lean angle, spirited riding will no doubt be the spark throwing affair that riding a Sportster hard always was. Hopefully bump compliance is improved despite that tiny amout of rear suspension travel, fingers crossed. A mid-control conversion kit will be available but we are unsure if that will open up any more sporting potential. A pillion kit will also be an optional extra as will be a detachable windshield and tail-bag. The powertrain is a stressed member of the chassis, eliminating the traditional frame. A welded tubular steel trellis swingarm features a braced design and stamped X-member to further stiffen the chassis, while its shape adds distinctive style to the motorcycle.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Most competitors will exceed 50-degrees of cornering bank angle before running into clearance problems, so the key to riding a Sportster fast will retain that quintessential riding style that all Harleys demand in order for them to be punted hard. The new street-fighter styled Bareknuckle will likely raise the stakes further and become the new undisputed king of performance for Harley. That new model was to be ridden by the press at a launch around the famous Nurburgring this week but the track sessions were rained out and most of the information on that new model remains under embargo.
Bareknuckle will likely become the new performance spearhead for H-D but the full specs of that model remain under embargo
While the styling of the new Sportster S is a big departure from most Sportster models there are cues there, primarily in regards to the high-mount 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust, that does echo the lines of the legendary XR750 flat-tracker.
Dave Sehl – Harley-Davidson XR750
The Daymaker LED headlight though is a thoroughly modern touch that is signature Harley-Davidson and will make Sportster S stand out from the crowd.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Rolling on tall 180/70-16 rubber at the rear and a fat 160/70-17 front the bike looks squat and the 753 mm seat height will make the bike very friendly to those short of stature and it retains the long and low look of so many Sportsters before it.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
At 228 kg ready to roll the new 1250 Sportster S is 30 kg lighter than an 883 Sportster and the stopping power moves to a high-spec Brembo Monobloc four-piston caliper, however, the bike only wears one of them up front while most competitors boast two.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
With the new generation engine we also move to an up to date suite of electronic safety aids that includes Riding Modes (Sport, Road and Rain), while a six-axis IMU delivers top shelf traction control and ABS with cornering and front wheel lift functionality. The IMU also looks after engine braking control to help stability while down-shifting through the six-speed gearbox which is also aided by a slip-assist clutch.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Instrumentation also makes a huge leap forward with a four-inch TFT screen complete with Bluetooth phone driven infotainment and navigation capabilities. Sportster S is pre-wired for accessory heated hand grips, and is equipped with two dedicated power points for heated riding gear (heated hand grips and heated riding gear/apparel each sold separately), plus a USB-C port for charging a phone or other device.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
An external ambient temperature sensor will be useful while tyre pressure monitoring is a great feature. Cruise control and a proximity-based security system are standard equipment.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
The steel fuel tank holds a modest 11.8 litres thus while it won’t quite have LiveWire levels of range anxiety one eye will need to be kept on the tripmeter.
Customisation will be a focus for Harley and their customers with this new platform, which Harley are referring to as a ‘Performance Custom’.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
We look forward to samping the future of Sportster later this year to see how this next step forward in the modernisation of the Harley-Davidson line-up performs.
2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster S
Harley-Davidson Sportster S Specifications
Engine
Revolution Max 1250T, chain-driven, DOHC, hydraulic self-adjusting lifters, intake & exhaust VVT; four valves per cylinder
Bore x stroke
105 mm x 72.3 mm
Displacement
1252 cc
Compression Ratio
12.0:1
Engine Torque
94 ft-lb (127 Nm) @ 6000 rpm
Power
121 hp (90 kW) @ 7500 rpm
Fuel System
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Air Cleaner
Downdraft intake, tuned velocity stacks, washable filter media
Exhaust
2-into-1-into-2; catalyst in muffler
Lubrication System
Semi-Dry Sump
Primary Drive
Gear, 49/89 ratio
Final Drive
Belt, 80/34 ratio
Clutch
Mechanical, 8 plate wet, assist & slip, 1090N
Transmission
Six-speed
Frame
Stressed-member, high strength low alloy steel trellis frame; stamped, cast, and forged junctions; MIG welded; aluminum forged mid-structure
So, Harley-Davidson has made an adventure bike.And you know what? They’ve had a red hot go at doing it and it’s actually pretty damn good!
Harley-Davidson Pan America
Milwaukee have evaluated the established peerage in the adventure-touring sector, examined what those bikes do well, where they could be improved upon, and then looked for points of difference they can bring to market in order to stand out from the crowd and make a statement.
The Pan America is expected to arrive in Australia soon at a competitive $31,995 Ride Away. Tubeless spoked rims and adaptive ride height suspension will be optional extras that come together as a package priced at $1485.
And Pan America is quite a bold statement
At the recent Australian launch Harley-Davidson head honcho Nigel Keough started proceedings by declaring, “we compete to win and aim to make Pan America Australia’s #1 adventure-touring motorcycle and we believe it will be a game-changer’”
It wasn’t said with rodomontade, Nigel is fairly softly spoken, but the intent was clear nonetheless.
Looking at the list of features you can tell how well Harley have studied the competition in the sector, examined the ingredients that make for a successful recipe, then for the most part simply added those same components before blending and then putting it in the oven to bake.
All the ingredients for success are there
Adventure Tourer check-list
150 horsepower twin – check
Radial Brembo stoppers – check
Lean-angle sensitive ABS and traction control – check (Bosch)
Electronic semi-active suspension – check (Showa)
Cornering lights – check
Tyre pressure monitoring – check
Cruise control – check
Heated grips – check
20+ litre fuel capacity – check
350km+ range – check
Comfortable ergonomics – check
Steering Damper – check
Slip-assist clutch – check
Hill Hold Control – check
Engine Braking Control – check
Ride Modes linked to corresponding different tunes for the suspension, ABS and traction control systems – check
Adjustable seat height – check
Adjustable screen – check
Large TFT screen with mobile app driven navigation – check
Powered USB ports at dash and under seat – check
Luggage systems both hard/soft as accessories – check
That’s a pretty damn good start!
Harley have then added a couple of points of difference that will genuinely improve the experience for many.
Single-piece aluminium cylinders with nickel silicon carbide-surface galvanic coating are a lightweight design feature. Rocker covers, camshaft covers and primary cover are lightweight magnesium.
The all new Revolution Max engine utilises hydraulic lifters that activate tiny roller-rockers thus there are no valve clearance checks required.That $500+ saving every 32,000 km or so though is somewhat clawed back by the fact that Harley have set the minor service intervals at 8000 km, rather than the now industry norm of 16,000km.That said, if you go 16,000 km without doing an oil change yourself at least once during that period between dealership visits on any modern motorcycle, then I reckon you’ve got rocks in your head. Oil and filters are pretty damn cheap and if you plan on doing any serious adventure riding, then it also pays to get to know your motorcycle. Doing some basic maintenance yourself at home is a good way to gain such knowledge, rather than trying to work it out by the side of some dirt track on the side of a mountain 500 kilometres from home… Here endeth the Texas Tea sermon from Pastor Trev, back to the bike…
The real breakthrough, the one that will really make a point of difference that riders will appreciate every single time they mount or dismount the motorcycle, is the new automatic ride height and lowering system which is deployed for the first time in Pan America.
The automatic ride height system truly is a game-changer for many
This is a true halle-fecken-lujah moment for the short of leg amongst us. This feature alone will capture the attention of many adventure-touring aspirants. When the machine comes to a stop it automatically sinks 25-50 mm closer to terra-firma, that figure depends on how much pre-load has been set on the suspension, and then raises up again as you move off from a standstill. It does it all automatically. Simply brilliant. Seriously, in such a competitive sector why has it taken until 2021 for this to come to market? Harley is kicking sand in the face of the established peerage good and proper with this feature, and good on them. Insert that Leonardo DiCaprio meme where he leans back and claps from The Wolf of Wall Street right here.
Inverted 47 mm Showa Balance Free forks control the 120/70-19 front while a BFRC shock helps ensure the power gets down to a 170/60-17 rear.The damping at both ends is semi-active and constantly adjusted on the fly to respond instantly to the corresponding road, load, throttle and braking demands being placed on the suspension.
Showa semi-active suspension is the business
It’s somewhat akin to voodoo but it works, and like the electronic Showa used on Honda’s Africa Twin, it is generally a little more taut in its response than the WP, Sachs or Ohlins set-ups used by other competitors. Don’t translate that to mean harsh as nothing could be further than the truth, it’s just that all the Showa offerings I have sampled make the speed of damping changes rather more evident than many comparative systems.
Harley-Davidson developed the lowering and ride-height levelling software in conjunction with Showa, thus the technology will be only available on Harley motorcycles for the next year. Only then will Showa be allowed to offer the system to other manufacturers. This is a normal state of affairs when companies partner to develop, engineer, evaluate, test and map new technology through a shared investment. KTM did the same with Bosch when the 1190 Adventure was the first motorcycle to hit the road with lean-angle sensitive ABS back in 2014, which then filtered out to other brands in 2015.
Harley-Davidson Pan America
The interesting part of the lowering story is that this effectively reverse-engineers something that Harley had been planning to try and introduce for some time on their cruiser line-up. The original idea was to have a slammed on the deck look, but then be able to raise the ride height when out of the city to provide more suspension travel, and thus comfort. Adventure bikes already have plenty of suspension travel,compliance and comfort, but the trade-off is generally tall seat heights that do little to instil confidence in newcomers, effectively ruling many vertically challenged people out of the large-capacity adventure-touring game altogether. This feature brings those people back into the game, and many are going to be enthusiastic players for Team H-D as a result.
Pan America is certainly going to make a big splash when it hits the market
Pan America is not a one trick pony though
It manages to seem a lot smaller than it is and while on the launch we didn’t do any proper serious dirt work, I think it is going to acquit itself quite well in such environs.With 210 mm of ground clearance and 190 mm of suspension travel, it is comparable with most of the 19-inch front opposition.
On unsealed surfaces I was somewhat surprised to find that the Pan America is the least intimidating of all the large adventure-touring motorcycles on the market. No matter how much experience I gain on big jiggers, it always takes some time to regain the confidence required to ride them with any sort of real aggression, especially if I have been out of the seat for a month or two.
The toe end of the rear brake pedal pad simply flips over with a finger to change it from a sit-down to stand-up placement
I’ve done plenty of serious sand and clocked up more than 10,000 kilometres on many of the main competitors to the Pan America and, in my opinion, the only bikes that instil more confidence as you first head off-road are those that wear 21-inch front rims. And off-road on a big bike, confidence is somewhat of a necessity. That confidence eventually comes on all the other adventure-tourers, but it comes more quickly on the Pan America due to some sort of Jedi mind trick they’ve managed to pull off that makes the bike shrink around you.
The user-friendly nature of the engine also plays its part. It never ceases to amaze me just how much modern ride-by-wire throttles can smooth out the power deliveries of powerful engines that otherwise might prove more than a little recalcitrant.
The power delivery is somewhat deceptive
I once owned a KTM 990 Adventure R that was a crazy mofo to ride, it tried to kill me often, but I loved it, and still miss it. Yet the latest KTM Adventure bikes have heaps more power than the 990 era bikes, but are absolute pussycats to ride compared to the 990 era engines.Seriously, don’t let the big numbers scare you, technology has made huge power accessible to the masses.
The 150 horsepower Pan America is the softest pussycat in town though.Pick up from a closed throttle is the smoothest in the business. The way the engine puts the power through to the back tyre makes it feel as though more than a few of those ponies might have gone missing from the paddock.
Twist it a bit harder though and spin that 60-degree v-twin past 6500 and the speed really starts to pile on.Again though, it is still a little deceptive, the electronic speedo is working hard to keep up but you just don’t get that real feel of the urge through the seat of your pants. The acceleration is there and the speed builds strongly, but you just don’t ‘feel’ it as much as you do on most of the competition.The engine is simply so smooth that it hides just how formidable it can be.
DOHC design permits independent Variable Valve Timing (VVT) on the intake and exhaust cam, optimised for the front and rear cylinder
Both the exhaust and intake cams in each cylinder head are advanced in low rpm situations to improve torque, and then that valve timing is pulled back as the rpm increases to deliver the top end horsepower. And this is not a few degrees of change, we are talking a monumental 40-degrees of difference in either direction, that’s massive. It is the most impressive variable valve timing system I have sampled.
Despite all this electrickery taking place between your knees there are no discernible steps in the power delivery, none. But you can definitely feel the engine start to take on a more ferocious new nature as you spin past that 127 Nm at 6750 rpm torque peak and the electronic tacho sweeps towards the 150 horsepower at 8750 rpm crescendo in quickening fashion.The 13:1 compression engine feels as though it wants to keep pulling well past that but the rev-limiter stops play at 9500 rpm. Some of the gears are quite close together which meant I did brush that limiter from time to time as I failed to feed it the next gear quick enough. That really high-lighted the lack of a quick-shifter.
That is a curious omission for a bike so loaded with almost every electronic feature imaginable.It makes me think that Harley have developed one, but some problems with it have delayed the deployment of the feature to the public. There are plenty of ‘not quite right’ quick-shifter set-ups that have destroyed not only gearboxes but also engines. This has become even more critical to get right with the latest generation of two-way quick-shift set-ups. I reckon something like this is why we don’t see a quick-shifter on the Pan America, yet… That, or that the smooth shifting and fairly faultless gearbox does not lend itself to the use of a quick-shifter due to some quirk inherent in the design of the shift drum.
Final drive is via chain
Obviously Harley’s traditional belt drive system was never going to cut it on a bike destined for any serious off-road use. Rocks and grooved belts just don’t go together.Harley have opted for chain drive over a shaft set-up and that is a move I am perfectly happy with.Shaft drives have their benefits for sure, but these days quality chains generally don’t need adjustment outside of service intervals or rear tyre changes. I would expect a 30,000 km chain life, perhaps more due to the smooth running nature of the engine. Modern o-ring or x-ring chains only need a wipe clean if covered in crud and a light spray of lubricant once in a blue moon.
Looks are somewhat polarising, but I don’t mind it all. Let’s face it, nobody makes a pretty adventure bike…
The water-cooled engine has a huge fan that reduces the temperature quite quickly when it gets a little hot under the collar if spending too much time standing still.Coolant also runs through the oil-cooler and there are vanes in the bodywork to direct airflow away from the rider after it has passed through the radiator.It is a dry-sump engine with a three-stage scavenge pump and oil jets under the coated pistons. The crankcase scavenge pump produces enough suction for Harley to employ low-tension rings that reduce friction. Exhaust valves are sodium filled to better resist heat build-up and Harley really do seem to have covered all the bases that should ensure durability.
The engine heat does sometimes get transferred to your inner thigh on the right
There is no getting away from the fact though that the inside of your legs basically cosset the rear cylinder head. But it is the routing of the rear header that can make your right leg much more uncomfortable than the left. Stop-start city traffic or first gear off-road work in summer I suspect will get uncomfortable mighty quick.
Overall though, who would have imagined that Harley-Davidson would bring to market the world’s smoothest running and user-friendly high horsepower twin? I can confidently tell you they have.
Certainly plenty of traditional Harley styling cues from this angle
The trade-off is that the engine performs so smoothly that it does leave you feeling that a little of the theatre is missing.While its competitors are European, and feel it, the Revolution Max engine feels so perfectly curated that you could easily mistake it for an engine born from one of the four Japanese powerhouses that have long set the standard for engineering prowess, rather than from the Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations facility in Wisconsin.
Those long accustomed to my scribblings on motorcycles for the last two decades will know I am not one for hyperbole or embellishment, but this engine is not only a revolution for Harley, it is somewhat of a revolution and revelation in its own right. I admire it greatly and am also a little bit awestruck at what the Americans have produced, but the fact remains that the way it goes about its business still left me a little cold, compared to its European competitors. It’s just missing that discernible wallop in the back of the pants when you hit the throttle, that in-turn produces corresponding action at the front of your pants…. However, I suspect that while the immediate attraction might be missing, the fondness might grow into more love and passion over the long-term rather than a simple one-night-stand.
Ergos and comfort are top notch
It was, however, love at first sight in relation to the ergonomics. The seat feels narrow when onboard but is still supportive and well cushioned. Granted, I haven’t done any big kilometre days in the saddle, but I suspect there will be no problems on the comfort score and I would happily set out to lap Australia on one tomorrow.
A pretty good place to park your bum
The standard screen is manually adjustable while on the move through four positions and various larger or smaller screens are available as accessories. I don’t reckon I would be changing it. Cruise control works well as do the three-stage heated grips.
Electronic suspension also dramatically helps rider comfort and enjoyment in every scenario. The semi-active suspension system has five modes, ‘Comfort’, ‘Balanced’, ‘Sport’, ‘Off-Road Soft’ and ‘Off-Road Firm’. Thus when you want to play boy racer or sit back and enjoy the ride, the perfect suspension set-up is only the press of a button away.
The different ride modes also change the semi-active suspension, ABS, traction control and engine braking tunes, along with the throttle response and ramp rate to the corresponding scenarios.Harley have also given riders a great amount of freedom to set the machine up with their own set of variables and save them in two extra user modes.
Harley-Davidson Pan America
A dedicated ‘Off-Road Plus’ mode deactivates ABS on the rear and places the front ABS in a minimal intervention mode but does not deactivate the system entirely.The ABS system is sophisticated enough that by the time you were in a scenario where complete deactivation would be advantageous, you are probably already in a world of shit anyway.If you have no experience with the latest and greatest ABS systems then you might be throwing your hands up in the air in protest, but for those of us that know how good these systems have now got its no longer a matter of concern. Eventually you just have suck it up and admit that the systems are generally better than you are in any given scenario, particularly an emergency one.
On the road the Pan America steers well, is agile and light underfoot. The launch day saw us on some good roads but mixed conditions and traffic in the places you didn’t want it prevented us from pushing that envelope to see what it could really do. The geometry seems great and the bike shows no hesitation going where its pointed, but we never really got it fully cranked at speed with enough aggression to really judge where it sits in the boy-racer pecking order.
Harley only claim 42-degrees of lean angle via the testing regimen they use to measure such things, but if that figure is calculated the same way the likes of the IMU on the BMW R 1250 GS measures angle of the dangle, then the Pan America will be dragging its undercarriage long before the German starts to feel even a little bit flustered.
I can’t yet judge this area of performance with any real authority before getting the bikes back to back on the same bit of blacktop, that said, I think the Harley will acquit itself quite well. Only those riders that like to lick the stamp and send it into the corners with real aggression will get to appreciate any marginal advantage displayed by the BMW, KTM, Triumph or Ducati in this area.It would be a plain insult to compare the sporting performance of the Pan America to any other model in the current Harley catalogue, it is playing in another contest entirely, and this is the big league full of competitors that have serious sporting potential.
The screen display on the Pan America supports infotainment generated by the rider’s Bluetooth-equipped mobile device. The motorcycle does not have an on-board infotainment system, and it is not equipped with speakers. Most infotainment functions also require a Bluetooth headset and speakers worn within the helmet.
The 6.8-inch TFT instrument panel is done quite well.It has a variety of displays to choose from that can be further customised to suit your tastes. The instrument panel and its surrounding binnacle is adjustable for angle to ensure it caters to riders of various heights. The resolution is good and even small text is legible. It is also a touchscreen but that functionality is only active when stationary.
Images of the instrumentation don’t really do it justice as pictures make it look a bit Fisher-Price, but from the seat it works better and looks better than you might imagine and has all the functionality you could desire. Turn-by-turn navigation is activated via the H-D app on your mobile phone that pairs with the Pan America via Bluetooth. Music works the same way and the whole set-up is very similar to that seen across most motorcycle brands in this day and age. It is executed in a nicer way than most though and only the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto set-up seen on the Africa Twin betters it in any measurable way.
Some of the launch bikes had some minor starting issues that Harley are expecting to have a fix for via a software update before the bikes go on sale. I am sure it will be fixed, but it is worth mentioning all the same.
There were some starting issues experience on the launch that are expected to be fixed by a software update
There is a whole lot going on with the switch-gear. There are so many buttons and switches that it seems all a bit too much but, to be fair, they are reasonably well thought out and functional. Still, there are way too many buttons and even though Harley tell us they have done a million miles of durability testing, 50 per cent of which was undertaken off-road, if all those buttons still work after running through a few bull-dust holes over a week in the outback I will be surprised. The competition has spent decades getting this right, and they still experience failures, so I can’t imagine Harley has got it 100 per cent right from day one, time will tell I guess….
So much going on here and there are more buttons below and above that you can’t even see in this shot, and there are just as many on the left switch-block also
And this perhaps is also the crux of the matter when it comes to Pan America. There is no question Harley have done an absolutely amazing job to write this opening chapter in what they hope will be a whole new profitable book for The Motor Company. But just how right have they got it?Will the early adopters be supported well enough through any teething problems to still be loving Pan America life in 12 or 18 months time?
One would hope that Harley have invested so much in this new platform that they will instruct their dealer network to move heaven and earth to ensure those that choose to put down 32-large on a Pan America feel as though they are part of that new adventure-touring journey with Harley, rather than just being on a Harley….That will decide how the next Pan America chapter is written, and from there whether it will be a short serial, or a tome of real significance that will leave an indelible mark on the future of motorcycling.
Harley-Davidson Pan America
Harley Davidson Pan America Specifications
Engine
Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 60-Degree V-Twin
Displacement
1,252 cc
Bore X Stroke
105 mm x 72 mm
Power
150 horsepower at 8750 RPM
Torque
127 Nm at 6750 rpm
Compression Ratio
13:01
Fuel System
Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Exhaust
2-into-1-into-1; catalyst in header
Charging
Three-phase, 45 Amp system (300 Watts @13 Volts, 1200 rpm, 585 Watts max power @ 13 Volts, 2250 rpm)
Electric Power Outlet
USB C-Type , Output 5V at 2.4 Amp
Drivetrain
Chain Driven
Front Fork
47 mm USD Fork with compression, rebound and preload adjustability. Special model only: Electronically adjustable semi-active damping control.
Rear Shock
Linkage-mounted piggyback monoshock with compression, rebound and preload adjustability. Special model only: Automatic electronic preload control and semi-active compression & rebound damping on Special model.
Suspension Travel
190 mm front and rear
Rake
25 degrees
Trail
4.3″
Wheelbase
1580 mm
Ground Clearance
210 mm
L x W x H
2265 mm x 965 mm x 1510 mm
Seat Height
850 mm (830 in low position or 870 in high position)
Front Tyre
120/70R19 60V Michelin Scorcher Adventure, Radial
Rear Tyre
170/60R17 72V Michelin Scorcher Adventure, Radial
Wheels
19 x 3 in. (F) 17 x 4.5 in. (R) – Cast alloy, spoked rims optional
Front Brake
320 mm twin discs. Radially mounted, monoblock, 4-piston caliper, with cornering ABS
Rear Brake
280 mm disc. Floating single piston caliper, with cornering ABS
Display
6.8 inch viewable area TFT display with speedometer, gear, odometer, fuel level, clock, trip, ambient temp, low temp alert, side stand down alert, TIP over alert, cruise, range and tachometer indication, BT capable – phone pairing to access phone calls, music, navigation (H-D App ONLY)
Oil Capacity
4.5 l
Coolant Capacity
2.2 l
Service Interval
8000 km
Fuel Capacity
21 litres
Fuel Economy
4.9 l/100 km
Weight (Fully Fueled)
254 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
455 kg
Warranty
24 months (unlimited mileage)
Ride Away Price
$31,995 Ride Away – $33,480 with spoked rims and adaptive ride height
The Harley-Davidson XL883N Iron is no longer going to be offered in the Australian or New Zealand markets
Word came in this morning that Harley-Davidson Australia will drop the affordable Iron 883 and 1200 models from their line-ups.
Harley Davidson Australia is walking away from the XL1200NS IRON
The Harley-Davidson 48, a much heralded and popular model when released a little over a decade ago at just over 16k ride-away, has seen some of that sheen wane over time and the 48 is also being dropped from the Australian and New-Zealand model line-ups.
Harley-Davidson 48
Harley-Davidson has long been the biggest selling motorcycle brand in Australia, when it comes to sales numbers of road bikes. However, H-D has lost the #1 road mantle of late to Honda and while much of the market is currently booming, Harley recorded an eight per cent decline in sales during the first quarter of 2021, compared to 2020. In fact, Harley is the only brand to have recorded a sales decline in the first quarter of 2021, while the likes of Honda are up almost 50 per cent, and Indian’s sales are up by almost 60 per cent.
The Softail Breakout is Harley’s biggest selling large capacity motorcycle
Harley’s Breakout, Street 500 and Sport Glide sales remain particularly strong and Milwaukee’s Touring line-up continues to dominate that segment of the Australian market. Thus Harley-Davidson sales remain strong, but just not as strong as has traditionally been the case.
The Street Glide Special currently dominates the Touring category in Australia
Harley-Davidson have revealed a new Electra Glide Revival model to kick off a new Icons Collection in what will be an annual program of one or two limited-edition models that look to the past, as this first machine does with its revival of the 1969 Electra Glide styling, but will also, in other limited-edition models to come, explore Harley’s visions for the future of motorcycling. Production of that model will never be resumed or repeated. Each Icons Collection motorcycle will be serialised, and the purchaser will receive a certificate of authenticity.
The Electra Glide Revival model is what Harley call ‘a retro-classic motorcycle for the nostalgist who longs to ride a bike with style both distinctive and timeless.’
Only 1500 will be produced and the pricing has been set at $40,495 ride away in Australia and $43,995 in New Zealand. Stocks of the 1868 cc Milwaukee Eight 114 powered model are arriving in dealer showrooms this week.
158 Nm (117 ft-lb) @ 3250 RPM from the Milwaukee Eight 114
The 1969 Electra Glide was the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle available with an accessory ‘batwing’ fairing and the accessory fairing and saddlebags were only offered in white moulded fiberglass.
Electra Glide Revival replicates that look with a Birch White painted finish.A period-inspired tank medallion and Electra Glide script on the front fender complete the look.Electra Glide Revival will be offered in a single colour scheme inspired by the original 1969 colourway: The two-tone fuel tank in Hi-Fi Blue and Black Denim bisected with a Birch White stripe, with Hi-Fi Blue paint on the fenders and side panels.A solo saddle with a black-and-white cover and a chrome rail, mounted over an adjustable coil spring and shock absorberThe seat also gives a nod to Harley-Davidson FL models from the 1960sChrome steel laced wheels and wide whitewall tyres add to the nostalgic look, as does the chrome on front fender rails and saddlebag rails, front fender skirt, Ventilator air cleaner cover, fork covers, and auxiliary lightsA single knob hydraulically adjusts the pre-load of emulsion-technology rear shock absorbers for optimal ride and control. The 49mm forks with dual bending valve suspension technology deliver linear damping characteristics for a smooth ride.Electronic cruise control holds a steady speed for comfort on long rides, while a halogen headlamp and incandescent auxiliary lamps provide outstanding illumination and maintain the nostalgic styling of the Revival model.
An infotainment system with colour touch screen powers two fairing-mount speakers and features advanced navigation and hand and voice commands plus Android Auto application and Apple CarPlay software compatibility.
Also, standard is the suite of Harley-Davidson RDRS Safety Enhancements, a collection of technology designed to match motorcycle performance to available traction during acceleration, deceleration and braking, including:
PRA No. – 2020/18609 Date published – 5 Nov 2020 Campaign number – 0176
Supplier – Harley-Davidson Australia Pty Ltd Traders who sold this product – Harley-Davidson Australia dealers Where the product was sold – Nationally Dates available for sale – 18 August 2020 – 19 October 2020
The software in the On-Board Charging (OBC) System on affected motorcycles may initiate a shutdown of the electric vehicle powertrain, without providing reasonable indication to the rider that a shutdown sequence has been initiated. In some cases, the vehicle may not be able to be restarted or, if restarted, may shortly thereafter shut down again. In some cases, indicator lamps may be illuminated on the instrumentation prior to loss of propulsion. These indicator lamps include: The Traction Control (TC) lamp, the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) lamp, and the Failure Indicator Lamp (FIL).
What are the hazards?
Unexpected loss of propulsion of the vehicle while in motion without the ability to restart or remain restarted may increase the risk of a crash, increasing the risk of serious injury or death of the rider(s) or other road users.
What should consumers do?
Consumers with affected LiveWire model motorcycles should contact their nearest Harley-Davidson dealer immediately to arrange a service. The dealer will install new updated On-Board Charging (OBC) System software to rectify the issue, at no cost to the consumer.
MotoAmerica Speedfest at Monterey staged a first of its kind road race for baggers and it didn’t disappoint as the big V-twins scratched and clawed their way around the iconic Laguna Seca circuit in ferocious fashion.
2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca
The victory went to S&S Indian’s Tyler O’Hara, the pre-race favorite. But it was not without drama as the Challenger-mounted Californian battled back from an off-track excursion in turn two to beat Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim by 1.9 seconds in the eight-lap introduction to the class at Laguna.
2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca – Hayden Gillim
Tyler O’Hara
“Three or four laps in, I was going into (turn) two and I didn’t have any moments going into turn two the whole weekend and just ended up tucking the front. I saved it and then actually went all the way off into turn two. Actually, at the start Frankie (Garcia) was telling me my bike was smoking and I was like, ‘You’re full of it. What are you trying to psych me out?’ But he was serious. I looked at the bike and looked down and I saw a little brake fluid on the pipe. I said, ‘Okay, well we can figure this out. Don’t pull me out of here. We’re just going to figure it out.’”
Tyler O’Hara – 2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca
“We didn’t have any rear brakes at all either, so that was a little interesting. We just did our homework and I was very fortunate that I was able to keep it on two wheels in the sand. Hayden was riding really good, and same with Frankie. It’s just so fun, like you said, being able to be part of this whole King of the Baggers. I haven’t seen people that excited about motorcycle racing in a long time. People were jumping up and down and hooting and hollering. It was just fun to put on a show with these guys. My hats off to everybody who rode a bagger this weekend because some of the bikes out there didn’t look too fun to be on. So hats off to the team.”
Tyler O’Hara – 2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca
Third place went to Indian-mounted Frankie Garcia with the Roland Sands Design-backed rider bouncing back from a painful crash during practice on Friday.
Ben Bostrom – 2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca
Travis Wyman was fourth, over 30-seconds behind Garcia, followed by Cory West, Eric Stahl, Tony Sollima, Josh Chisum and Logan Lackey.
Josh Herrin was a DNF – 2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca
King of the Baggers Results
Pos
Name
Make
Diff
1
Tyler O’Hara
IND
13:18.0
2
Hayden Gillim
HD
+1.994
3
Frankie Garcia
IND
+14.246
4
Travis Wyman
HD
+46.5
5
Cory West
HD
+56.032
6
Eric Stahl
HD
+01:21.8
7
Tony Sollima
HD
+01:29.7
8
Josh Chisum
HD
+01:46.0
9
Logan Lackey
HD
+1 Lap
Tyler O’Hara topped the podium – 2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna SecaJosh Herrin – 2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna SecaIndian took top honours in first and third – 2020 King of the Baggers – Laguna Seca
