Despite what hardcore adventure riders will tell you, most adventure bikes never leave the asphalt. Not that there’s anything wrong with that—thanks to their ergonomics, adventure bikes work great as sports tourers too. Which is why The Motor Co. has just released the road-focused Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 ST.
Unveiled four years ago, the Pan America 1250 signaled Harley’s bold entry into the already crowded adventure bike scene. Powered by Harley’s then-new Revolution Max engine, it was well received at the time, with Lance Jones referring to it as “the real deal” while reporting for Bike EXIF.
The new Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 ST sits alongside the existing Pan Am models as an option for those who are honest about their adventure touring aspirations. It uses the same base spec as the premium Pan America 1250 Special model, but trades the bike’s off-road chops for a configuration geared towards canyon carving.
The ST is still powered by a 1250 cc Revolution Max V-twin motor—good for 149 hp and 124 Nm of peak torque. Harley has redesigned the exhaust by deleting the mid-chamber found on the Pan America Special, reducing wait and improving the soundtrack. The Pan America ST also gets a quick-shifter, plus a host of electronic aids that cover everything from selectable rider modes and linked ABS braking, to traction control, drag torque slip control, wheelie control, tire pressure monitoring, hill hold, and more.
The most obvious change is the Pan America ST’s revised running gear. It sheds the 19F/17R wheelset of its stablemates in favor of a pair of 17” alloy hoops, shod with Michelin Scorcher Sport tires. Twin four-piston Brembo Monoblock calipers grip 320 mm discs up front, with a single-piston Brembo caliper and a 280 mm disc at the back.
With no need to hop over rocks, the Pan America ST has had its suspension travel cut by three-quarters of an inch, bringing the ride height down a touch. Showa suspension components sit at both ends, complete with manually adjustable rebound and compression damping. American and Canadian models also get electronically-controlled preload adjustment and Harley’s adaptive ride height feature, which lowers the bike when stopped.
Harley has also tweaked the Pan America ST’s ergonomics to make it better suited to sporty riding. The seat is shaped to reduce its height by half an inch so that the rider sits a little more ‘in’ the bike. The radiator shroud is smaller, the hand guards have been removed, and the non-adjustable smoked windshield creates a lower profile than before.
These tweaks not only make the bike feel slimmer, but they’ve helped shed weight. The Pan America ST clocks in at 246 kilos [542 lbs] wet—12 kg lighter than the Pan America Special.
You can get the 2025 Harley-Davidson Pan America ST in grey, black, or red, with all three options sporting blacked-out components throughout. Waterproof hard luggage options are available too, if touring is your plan.
There’s no denying that the Pan America’s design is polarizing, but we love it in street trim—and it should be a hoot to ride too. More importantly, the lowered ride height and 17” rims are a great starting point for customizers who want to rip the Pan America ST apart and build the streetfighter that The Motor Co. won’t.
Source: Harley-Davidson
