It was a huge departure for the historic American manufacturer, but it seems as if the gamble has paid off as the Pan America adventure bike tops the sales charts in the Adventure Sports segment in the US, mere months after the bike was launched.

It's Official: The Pan America Is A Hit!

Harley Davidson this week announced that the Pan America adventure bike - it's first attempt at building anything other than a cruiser (apart from the Livewire, of course, but we're talking ICE-powered bikes here) - has topped the sales charts for the segment in the USA.

The adventure segment has become the most important class of motorcycle around the world and, as a result, is the most important in terms of generating sales and, therefore, revenue, for any manufacturer. Harley Davidson took a huge risk in entering the market in this class, but it seems they have got their sums right.

Of course, such success goes way beyond the loyalty of US customers for the brand. The Pan America is a brilliant adventure bike in its own right and can hold its head up high against the best that European and Japanese manufacturers can offer. It has all the technology and ability you could ever need while still being easy to operate. It lays a strong claim to being the best bike the company has ever built, if you look at handling and performance, on-road as much as off-road.

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman of Harley-Davidson had this to say:

“Taking inspiration from our heritage, we wanted to create a motorcycle that redefined the adventure touring category and most importantly was designed and built in America. With the Pan America Special now the #1 selling ADV motorcycle model in North America, we targeted a selective expansion into adventure touring as part of the Hardwire Strategy with the goal to reach new and existing Harley-Davidson customers. Pan America is squarely built on our mission to deliver a timeless pursuit of adventure for our riders. Those who now own or have tested one of our Pan America’s absolutely love this bike - having sold out of our 2021 allocation, we are excited about what the future has in store for Pan America and for the Adventure Touring category at Harley-Davidson.”

Whether you think that the Pan America is good or not, it just goes to show that there is definitely more to Harley Davidson than overpriced, overweight and too simple cruisers. Over the past year, it has shown that it is not afraid to explore new avenues and bring the traditional H-D kicking and screaming into the 21st century. The new Revolution Max engine is a peach and is already seeing service in the new Sportster S model. On the strength of that bike and the success of the Pan Am, you would have to say that the future is looking bright for the iconic 'Bar and Shield' brand.