Its been a few years now since we first saw Harley Davidson’s Pan America, but now the production version of the bike has officially been unveiled.

They have released two versions available to buy; the base version which starts at £14,000 and the higher spec model, the Pan America Special which starts at £15,500. Of course these prices are for the very base spec, with a whole host of upgrades available to add on. This price point puts a little above the base spec BMW R1250GS however the base model Pan America comes with some great features as standard such as multiple riding modes, cornering ABS, cornering traction control, an adjustable screen, cruise control, an IMU and hill-hold control.

The 1250cc V-twin engine is pretty much on par with the 1254cc BMW in terms of capacity but has a bit more grunt with 150bhp at 8750rpm compared to the 136 bhp at 6250rpm of its German rival. For some people the Pan America’s chain final drive will be seen as a negative compared to the relatively care free shaft drive of the BMW however it could be seen as the more sportier option.

At its core is the brand new Revolution Max engine which looks to be the basis of a fair few bikes coming out of the Harley Davidson garage. Although the angle between the cylinders is 60 degrees to keep it compact, the firing interval is a more traditional 90 degrees thanks to crank pins that are offset by 30 degrees. That means you won’t be hearing the traditional H-D ‘potato-potato’ noises from this V-twin, although the company says it has put efforts into making the engine sound distinctive nonetheless. The Revolution Max features a cam phaser on for each of its four camshafts, allowing the shafts to be rotated in relation to their sprockets to advance or retard the timing. You wont have to worry about changing any belts as the cams are chain driven which is make for less service worry.

There are also a handful of riding modes available Sport, Road, Rain, Off-Road and Off Road Plus, each changing the ABS, traction control and engine braking settings. Off Road Plus goes as far as disabling the ABS on the rear wheel and deactivating the linked brakes. There’s also a custom mode that allows you to tailor your own settings for the engine torque delivery, traction control, ABS, throttle response and suspension settings and a ‘Custom Off Road Plus’ mode that maintains the user’s performance choices but adds the other ‘Off Road Plus’ settings.

Of course there are plenty of add ons to the Pan America including; three luggage options, choice of seats, bar risers and a centre stand (standard on the special), alternative pegs, a Screamin’ Eagle exhaust and air cleaner and spoked wheels.  There are also a few colours options to choose from, the base version comes in black as standard or an option of a grey alternative for an extra £250. The special has an option of metallic grey or green at £250 or the two-tone orange and white scheme for £450.

It’s safe to say this is uncharted territory for the American manufacturer and we will look on with eager eyes to see if they establish a foothold with their new Pan America.

Do you think the Pan America will be a success and rival the likes of the BMW GS? Email us at [email protected] or drop us a message on Facebook.