BREAKING: Harley-Davidson Enters The ADV Segment In India With The Pan America 1250

Harley-Davidson's abrupt departure from the Indian two-wheeler market came as a shock to us all, especially those who owned a Harley. The sudden exit left Harley owners worried about future service, or the lack of it. However, their prayers were soon answered as Harley-Davidson announced a strategic partnership with the world’s largest bikemaker, Hero MotoCorp. As per the new JV, Hero MotoCorp will be the sole distributor of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in India. Taking its first step to regain a foothold here, Harley has launched its 2021 lineup, which includes a very special model: the Pan America 1250.

What’s The Price? Who Are Its Rivals?

The Pan America 1250 is priced at Rs 16,90,000 (ex-showroom), which puts it in the same league as the Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin, the much more expensive BMW R 1250 GS, and the upcoming Ducati Multistrada V4.

How Many Variants Are There?

The Pan America 1250 is available in two variants: Standard priced at Rs 16,90,000 and Special at Rs 19,99,000 (ex-showroom).

What’s New?

The Pan America is a whole new breed of bike for the manufacturer. It’s powerful, tech-loaded and feature-packed, unlike most other Harleys. At the heart of the matter lies a Revolution Max 1252cc liquid-cooled V-twin engine that makes 152.2PS at 9,000rpm and 127Nm at 6,750rpm. It even gets modern updates such as Variable Valve Timing (VVT) for an even spread of torque throughout the rev range. This motor is mated to a six-speed gearbox with a slip-and-assist clutch.

The bike also gets an exhaustive set of electronic nannies to keep you safe. This includes lean sensitive ABS, traction control, linked braking, torque slip control, and hill hold assist. Besides, the bike gets five riding modes: Rain, Road, Sport, Off-road, and one rider customisable mode. All of this can be controlled or tweaked via a 6.85-inch TFT touchscreen with a non-reflective glass panel. Read more about it here.

The Special variant gets an Off-road Plus riding mode and a customisable Off-Road Plus mode, over and above the aforementioned features. These riding modes on the Special variant also automatically alter the bike’s semi-active suspension.

• The Mighty Suzuki Hayabusa Is Back To Feast On Its Prey
• Suzuki Takes The Wraps Off Its Latest Litre-Class Offering
• This Is The KTM 790 ADV’s Chinese Cousin
• Sharper, More Feature-packed KTM 390 Duke Spotted Testing

The overall hardware is quite impressive as well -- semi-active suspension, Brembo 4-pot monoblock calipers, a 19/17-inch spoke wheel setup, and Michelin Scorcher dual-purpose tyres. More details here.

Aside from launching the Pan America 1250, Harley has also announced the prices of its 2021 model lineup for India. Here’s the complete price list:

ZigSays

Harley has nailed the pricing of the Pan America 1250, despite the motorcycle being imported as a CBU (Completely Built Unit). At a starting price of Rs 16.90 lakh, it sits right in between the Honda CRF1100L Africa Twin and the BMW R 1250 GS. What’s even more impressive is the kind of equipment the bike has to offer for this price, making it a rather compelling proposition. 

To add to this, Hero MotoCorp will be expanding its service, parts, and accessories business beyond the current 12 cities to a pan-India level through its extensive dealer network. Harley’s new ‘Hardwire’ strategy, coupled with Hero’s vast network, should hopefully work its charm here.