Quirky Things I Learned About the Pan America

[@jampyzerozero6921]

Great video, I have to agree about the side stand, but I learned a few new things. Thanks!!!

[@bartlawhorn9599]

I have owned a 21 PAS and those codes drove me crazy and even had to ride over an hour home in limo mode. Dealership swapped me out even for a 22PAS and yes it had codes too until they did the Starter Clutch Gear Update/Change and now I’m at 11,000 miles with zero issues. Not one code in over 9,000 miles. I’m finally loving my PAS.

[@GreatEgret]

They drive me batty. I need to get in touch with my dealership.

[@dcxplant]

The cold weather warning is to warn of possible ice on the road. Riders all have different temps they perceive as "cold". This waring gives a warning "hey, water will freeze now" warning.

[@GreatEgret]

Yeah, I know. Here’s how I’ve responded to this in other comments and videos: 1. I see the benefit for those that don’t live in cold climates to have a “danger, possible ice” warning. But have it say “Danger possible ice”. Anything else is comical. 2. Ice can be present above the ambient temp that ice freezes. There’s a hill five blocks from my house that has tree cover preventing the sun from melting ice that formed below it from water runoff. I found this out the hard way one 45° morning. My riding skills allowed me to manage this steep and icy hill, but no warning would tell me this ice was there when it’s above 32°F. A good rider knows their skills relative to the riding conditions. Those that need to be told it’s “cold” won’t ride anyway. Those that choose to ride in the “cold” know that ice can be present even if the ambient temps are above freezing.

[@4LowRocks]

It's a corporate liability lawyer-required feature.

[@GreatEgret]

@4LowRocks how come other brands don’t do the same thing then? How come other Harley models don’t do it?

[@4LowRocks]

@GreatEgret Yeah I get it. I had a car that did that - warned of possible ice on the road. The more TFTs propagate throughout the sport, I'll bet you'll see more and more of this kind of thing.

[@simplybeingshipley]

Thank you. I’m considering adding one of these to the stable.

[@BulldogBadger]

Awesome video Joe, looking forward to next weeks installment 😎

[@GreatEgret]

Thanks! I appreciate you watching every video!

[@tvd1188]

good stuff. took delivery of my new PAS this week so i'm quickly finding these things out. I will say, having a 20+ year old sportster with tall shocks prepared me for the side stand and battery/tender thing. It will live on the tender at home so i'm hoping thats enough. Still trying to figure out how to enter the pin though.. screen disappears in less than 2 seconds.

[@GreatEgret]

Yeah, you gotta have a quick draw on the pin with the PA. It disappears quickly if you don’t get that first number in in time.

[@chueb]

I'm 6'5, I test rode this bike the other day and I loved it. Should I go with the pan America or a BMW adventure bike

[@GreatEgret]

Everyone compares the PA and the GS, with good reason. They are in the same class. Your comment encouraged me to make a video on this, but here’s the comments version: 1. The biggest difference is the final drive. If you don’t like maintaining a chain, go with the GS. If you like the benefits of a chain (lighter weight, Better power delivery, less to repair/replace in a catastrophic failure), go with the PA. 2. They are both great bikes at a similar price point, but the GS just feels more refined. The PA has some things that just don’t feel premium. 3. Every motorcycle brand has reliability issues both BMW and Harley have tons every year, but Harley is going though some growing pains with this bike. In most cases, dealerships have stepped up and replaced entire engines. Harley does have a stronger dealership network than BMW. but the issues Harley is having with the PA can’t be ignored. The MoCo will take care of you if something catastrophic does go wrong with the bike, but this is an adventure bike. A rider should feel confident in its reliability before setting out on an adventure. 4. At the end of the day every rider should buy the bike that puts the biggest smile on his or her face. These very expensive bike purchases are not investments, they are emotional purchases. Your dollars per smile should be the greatest factor. Look for this video in the next few weeks. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@chueb]

@@GreatEgret yes sir thank you, ill subscribe. Ill wait for your video to come out to help me decide 👍

[@chueb]

@@PeterAngles-ks9fp yup, learned this the hard way. I lost 8k buying that piece of trash.

[@1wesleydb]

6'4 and the PanAmerica is a good fit with the seat up. The windshield is for 5'10 and under "tall people problems". MotorGuzi might be good for a tall guy too

[@chueb]

@@1wesleydb yeah I bought the piece of shit pan America. Traded it in for a low rider 8k over MSRP because the pan am broke down on me and Harley couldn't fix it. I should've sued them.

[@donhenderson5100]

Hey Joe. The 'cold' feature made me laugh. I like center stands. Great for service. I'd like to add on to my 06 KLR650. Big thumbs up for that on the PA.

[@GreatEgret]

Hey Don! With all the chain bikes I’ve owned, a center stand made things so much easier. That and loading for adventures.

[@BulldogBadger]

Dark mode man here too!! My old peepers appreciate it 😂

[@GreatEgret]

Sometimes I won’t use an app if it doesn’t have dark mode.

[@lorenmars5244]

So Pan Am needs a 300 cca batt? What crank amp on the lithium? Is it important?

[@GreatEgret]

I wish it were as simple as a direct number of cca from AGM to lithiom ion. Unfortunately it’s not. There are so many factors when considering a li-ion. Among them is not just the cold cranking amperage, but also the the speed of amperage delivery. Harley won’t approve a one for the PanAm. I guess the most recent update solves the cranking and other electrical issues. I haven’t taken mine in yet, so I can’t personally say for sure.

[@woadshaman]

Honks me off they beefed up the windshield mount on the 2023 - wish they had done that on my 2022.

[@GreatEgret]

100% agree!

[@woadshaman]

Cold weather warning may be to let you know roads might ice up. If you are out and cold front goes through making roads dangerous - that could be useful.

[@GreatEgret]

Yeah, you’re right. I think the manual might say that too. I can see this being useful for someone in Texas or Florida where freezing temps happen, but are rare.

[@willp2042]

Well introduced. I own PAS 21, like it however I dont like the Revolution Max engine sound, is there anyway we can kill its sound?

[@GreatEgret]

Thanks for watching! The way you can kill it is really good earplugs 😃 Joking aside, you can alter the sound with expensive exhaust swaps, but that doesn't really change it much or even kill it. I'm with you though. I'm not a fan of the sound either.

[@willp2042]

@@GreatEgret haha...I got you. Well, even installed the Screaming Eagle but the " excavator ' sound still exist...

[@grayghost1423]

Good luckbwith the PA.

[@stevewhitfield1635]

I own a Sportster 48, and I will be in the market for a touring bike in the future. I am enamored with “Adventure Bikes.” After comparing the Harley with the BMW, and the Honda African Twin, I’m leaning towards the Triumph. I don’t like the looks of it very much, but for the money I want the one with the most features. A chain final drive is a deal breaker for me. I love your videos. They are well done and very informative.

[@GreatEgret]

That Tiger is a fantastic bike! There isn’t a single adventure bike that has good looks. Function over form, as they say. Thanks for watching the vids, Steve! I appreciate it.

[@retiredbiker]

You forgot the warning letting you know that you dropped it on its side. Really? the dirt lodged in my helmet wasnt warning enough? Great video.

[@GreatEgret]

Hahaha! I did forget that one 😂

[@crazycooter1510]

Be interesting to see if this latest update that just dropped truly fixed the low voltage on crank freakouts.

[@GreatEgret]

I’m going to set an appointment soon. I’ll keep you posted!

[@dmac5497]

As I am the owner now of my second PA, first one was a 21 that was bought back as a lemon, what I can say is the oem battery is definitely the source of alot of issues, what I ended up doing after many trips to the service dept was going with a much larger Braille battery that has double the cca's 99% of my issues ended after the battery upgrade, and that's good as I'm sure you know the resale on these is terrible so you might as well fix the bike and get some miles and smiles out of it.

[@GreatEgret]

I need to get a better battery before my long trip in a few months. You’re 100% right about the resale value of the PA. If I sold mine now, I’d lose about $10K unless I did a trade-in with a Harley dealership.

[@dmac5497]

@GreatEgret I wouldn't bank on the trade in with HD, bought my 22 for 22,500 with ARH and laced wheels, added virtually every HD accessory (6k+)minus the junk quick shifter, with 2500 Mike's on it they offered me 14 lol 🤢

[@GreatEgret]

@@dmac5497 wow! $14! That’s crazy!

[@phildiegidio4658]

Be careful with the battery issue. The bikes charging circuit may not be able to supply enough current to support the Li battery. Extra current means more heat too. Enjoy your bike.

[@GreatEgret]

That’s good advice. Thanks. It’s probably irresponsible of me to say simply that I’m switching to a lithium ion without an explanation why and which one. I’ll cover that in a future video. For the time being, I’ll say that I’ll be switching to the Antigravity ATX12-HD RE-START battery which is a direct replacement for the OEM AGM battery.

[@alexanderkyte4675]

My Harley tourer never had an issue starting in 40-50F cold, until I switched to lithium. A whole year of fussing and I switched back.

[@GreatEgret]

To be honest, I think my Pan America will be fussy no matter what battery I use.

[@OhioGuy82]

I have to explored the battery issue. I was told by my dealer service manager that HD does not approve of a Lithium-Ion battery for the Rev Max. He, I and everyone else who own the PA or PAS agrees the stock battery is inadequate. I even suggested a higher capacity AGM that will fit in the stock location. Still looking for an answer.

[@jimmcdonald5537]

Great video, truly. The battery remains an unknown “iffy” prospect. Dennis Kirk indicates the Heavy Duty Re-Start AG-ATX12-HD-RS Lithium Battery is not compatible with our bikes . . .

[@Petesmotoadventure]

She does have her quirks. I despise the jiffy stand. HD is the only MC that I know that allows a motor to start while in gear with the stand down. When you started it sounds like the starter clutch on yours might need to be replaced, mid 2022 the bike got an upgraded starter. There is a service bulletin check to see if you can get yours replaced. Under warranty. The one other quirk for me is the front fender, way to short. My radiator gets clogged with mud and sand.

[@GreatEgret]

I bought mine in late July of 2022. This was a start in 22° weather, so I hope I don’t need a starter clutch. I have a long trip coming in April. This bike needs to be in top shape!

[@brenthill3241]

They probably had a lot of left over batteries after cancelling the real Sportster.

[@GreatEgret]

Ha! I wouldn’t doubt it. And spot on about the “real Sportster”.

[@paulwojnar2291]

Fellow 2022 PA Special owner. Currently have 10,000 trouble free miles. Great bike with as you said some quirks. What modern machine doesnt have some quirks. No surprise to me as we humans are quirky critters hence our machines that we design and build have quirks also. Maybe so we can relate to them better. Any way love you show and will be watching. Being from NE Pa I also was very entertained when riding to work one early December morning at 28 deg F. and the Big Red "Hey its Cold" warning came on the display. My thought was NO SHIT. we

[@GreatEgret]

“Maybe so we can relate to them better.” I like that. Thanks for watching, Paul. Hopefully I keep things entertaining around here.

[@FranBunnyFFXII]

As Doug DeMuro would say "Quirks and Features" haha.

[@GreatEgret]

How have I never heard of Doug DeMuro?! I must live underneath a motorcycle content rock. My life is better off now with the quirky Doug DeMuro in it 😂

[@gymshoe8862]

In this video I learned there is a market for electronic overload. Buyers seem to want this never-ending avalanche of information/controls. Its not just motorcycles, but cars, phones--the overcomplication is bothersome. I ride to clear my head--to take the steering/suspension in my hands and enjoy a fast ride free of having to learn a new batch of protocols. Try to convince me the future reliability will be a step forward. It won't.

[@GreatEgret]

Dude. I’m there with you. That’s why I bought a CRF300L today. Simple, but as effective and useful as a hammer.

[@stephennault1442]

Any great regrets?

[@stephennault1442]

Is the lithium battery actually available? The Harley-Davidson app shows no battery options as of.12/20/2023...what is up with that?

[@GreatEgret]

Tons of regrets. I sold it last June. I did a vid on why a few months ago. I’m guessing the lithium battery is still available. H-D website is a mess.

[@BulldogBadger]

Seems trouble codes are a daily thing on this bike lol

[@GreatEgret]

Hehe. I like to really pound a point home. It’s crazy how many are thrown on this bike.

[@uutube243]

Just purchased 2023 special. All electrical issues solves , melted coolant hose address so 2023 solved new bike teething problems. However kickstand is the worse I’ve ever seen. It’s screwed to the engine not frame as there is not frame those why so squishy flexible and never knows if damn bike will just fall down by itself. *im having the optional kickstand installed this weekend see if helps. Larger pad. Ride isn’t that great. Even with low seat in low position to tall for 5’8” and under. Nut crusher while riding. Over all not impressed. The engine should go in a nightster size frame and then Harley would have a winner.

[@GreatEgret]

I have moments where I miss riding the PA. Mostly because of that engine, but the rest of it was just a hassle.

[@greenrush4313]

You have to switch bikes or NO new content???????????????????

[@GreatEgret]

Man, this video is a year old! I’m not that big of a KZbinr that I can buy bikes for content. I buy the bikes that make me happy and sell of the ones that don’t. Currently have a Sportster, Honda CRF300L Rally, and an Africa Twin. These are the bikes I’ll create content around for the foreseeable future. There may be a few buy and flips in there on occasion.

[@greenrush4313]

true dat@@GreatEgret

[@FLYBOY123456789]

Billie Bob...did not catch your name...therefore, the problem is not with the HD PA bike, it's your choice, you should have purchased a BMW and you would NOT have had any of those problems....

[@GreatEgret]

These aren’t problems. They’re quirks. Every bike has weird things about them. Including the GS.