Talk about ugly

[Mad Mike]

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Good point. My biggest concern would be reliability on extended trips.i have seen quite a few bad reviews of the HD. Haven't seen one negative review of the Tenere. Now i just need the balls to try it out.

Then you picked the right bike...a Tenere probably won't see a dealer or recall. If you had picked a HD, BMW, or KTM the dealer network would be a factor to consider for touring.

We know based on decades of history the Euro bikes will way more need parts snd service than a Japanese bike. HD PanAms are too new to know.

 

[Priller]

Anyone bashing the Panam for being ugly is missing out on a key element of ADV bike marketing: the bikes sell best when they're ugly. It's a badge of honour, as it suggests form over function and a level of durability. Military vehicles are also ugly, for example. The GS is super duper ugly, the various Tigers are ugly, the Tenere 700 is ugly, the Tuareg is ugly, and everything KTM makes (bar the Super Duke) is hideous. It's part of the class. Here's a list of bikes in the category, and to my eye, only the Honda AT and Guzzi V85 are in any way attractive, and even then, it's a weird sort of ungainly attractive:

2022 ADVENTURE BIKE BUYER’S GUIDE - Dirt Bike Magazine

This isn't to denigrate the class. Far from it, they're mostly fantastic motorcycles, and the look perfectly fits the fantasy they're selling. No different from race rep sportbikes selling a fantasy of being Marc Marquez or HD-style cruisers selling the fantasy of being a tough rebel that is happiest on the open road.

I don't mind the Panam, personally. I'd never buy one, but as a sportbike refugee I'm definitely not the target market for the brand. It's unique looking and will never be confused with anything else (unlike so many of the GS ripoffs in the class: I'm looking at you, Triumph!) and instantly tells you what it's supposed to be with a glance.

 

[caje]

Are looks the first thing you guys consider on a bike? I'd be lying if I said I didn't care about looks at all, but it's definitely not the most important thing to me. Things like performance, features, reliability, comfort, fit and finish all come before looks. I'd still buy an ugly bike if it checks all the other boxes, but I'd never buy a good looking bike if it was lacking in another important area.

I wouldn't buy an ugly bike even if it checked all the other boxes - there has to be a minimum level of appeal. My Versys is right at the limit. It is cheap, practical and fun to ride, but it's pretty meh in the looks department which is kind of a bummer.

I agree with the poster above that in general, adv bikes are ugly, especially once you add crash bars and all the other accessories.

 

[TK4]

Good point. My biggest concern would be reliability on extended trips.i have seen quite a few bad reviews of the HD. Haven't seen one negative review of the Tenere. Now i just need the balls to try it out.

It took Yamaha nearly 5 years to bring the T7 to North America. I'd hope the bugs would be worked out by then.

 

[nobbie48]

Anyone bashing the Panam for being ugly is missing out on a key element of ADV bike marketing: the bikes sell best when they're ugly. It's a badge of honour, as it suggests form over function and a level of durability. Military vehicles are also ugly, for example. The GS is super duper ugly, the various Tigers are ugly, the Tenere 700 is ugly, the Tuareg is ugly, and everything KTM makes (bar the Super Duke) is hideous. It's part of the class. Here's a list of bikes in the category, and to my eye, only the Honda AT and Guzzi V85 are in any way attractive, and even then, it's a weird sort of ungainly attractive:

2022 ADVENTURE BIKE BUYER’S GUIDE - Dirt Bike Magazine

This isn't to denigrate the class. Far from it, they're mostly fantastic motorcycles, and the look perfectly fits the fantasy they're selling. No different from race rep sportbikes selling a fantasy of being Marc Marquez or HD-style cruisers selling the fantasy of being a tough rebel that is happiest on the open road.

I don't mind the Panam, personally. I'd never buy one, but as a sportbike refugee I'm definitely not the target market for the brand. It's unique looking and will never be confused with anything else (unlike so many of the GS ripoffs in the class: I'm looking at you, Triumph!) and instantly tells you what it's supposed to be with a glance.

Basically, if you crashed it into a tree, your wife wouldn't notice.

 

[xrljoel]

Not sure about that, HD ate both BMW snd KTMs lunches last year in North America - more PanAms were sold than GS and 1290 combined. Not bad for a bike that only shipped for half a model year.

It will take another year to see whether HD can retain the #1 spot this year.

KTM didn't bring any 1290's to the US or Canada in their first year.

No New 1290 Models Are Coming to the USA from KTM

If you liked what you saw with the 2021 KTM 1290 Super Adventure S, and you live in the United States, well...we have some bad news for you.

www.asphaltandrubber.com

I would expect the HD to outsell it anyways, particularly in their first year, but if you sold a single unit and outsold your competition then the press release is more hollow boast than anything else.

Whether they can keep up the numbers depends largely on whether they can shake out all the bugs noted in another thread elsewhere.

I wouldn't be surprised if HD focusses ALL their energy on the new sportster model while letting the Pan Am languish. The new sportster and any other cruiser iterations with that motor or related designs is where they'll make their money.

I saw the PanAm in person. The colors of the one in the picture highlights it's ugliness and to my eye makes it look a bit cheap. The dark grey one looks MUCH better.

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