2021 Harley-Davidson range to be unveiled on January 19, includes India-bound Pan America 1250

Aditya Chatterjee Published: December 14, 2020, 01:45 PM IST

Harley-Davidson has recently announced that it will be unveiling its 2021 range of motorcycles on January 19, 2021 through a virtual event. How is that relevant to India, you ask. , in a letter addressed to its customers assuring them support on warranty, sales and service with their new distribution partners Hero MotoCorp. The motorcycles that Harley-Davidson will showcase includes the India-bound Pan America 1250 tourer that will take on the likes of BMW R 1250 GS, upcoming new-gen Triumph Tiger 1200 and the Ducato Multistrada V4.

"We're thrilled to bring the world together virtually to showcase the inspiration and passion behind our 2021 motorcycles, including a glimpse of our first adventure touring motorcycle, Pan America," said Harley-Davidson VP Marketing Theo Keetell.

The company has also mentioned that the production version of the India-bound Pan America 1250 will be showcased on February 22, 2021. The headlight and the fairing it sits in is almost too modern in shape and style and not just a little bit boxy. But clearly visible underneath the LED head lamps are a set of black upside down forks, spoke wheels, radially mounted brake calipers and knobby tyres. A massive radiator is clearly visible ahead of the engine, once again, showing that the new platform's engines are water-cooled and this time Harley isn't hiding that at all. The tightly packaged V-Twin also shows that the gearbox is integrated neatly into the package. The 1250cc V-twin of a motor will produce 145PS of power and 122Nm of torque.

The Harley-Davidson Pan America looks promising - the prototype showcased at the 2019 EICMA suggests it will be a proper adventure touring machine

Sort of like the Triumph Tiger, the Pan America uses a tubular trellis subframe that is mostly exposed. A simple, flat-topped seat - always good for touring, and minimal bodywork round out the Pan America. In the side profile, the tank looks outsize and that probably marks out a substantial fuel tank capacity, a regular feature on motorcycles of this type. The Pan America is a slightly awkward looking motorcycle but this is the first time, we've cast eyes on it. It tries to blend the functional requirement of an adventure tourer with the design ethos of Harley-Davidson which was never going to be an easy task.

About the other motorcycles, unfortunately, the naked streetfighter Bronx, which looked quite promising in the images will not make it as the project is believed to be shelved. However, Harley will launch the Custom 1250 that enters production next year.