Ditch the dirt | Harley-Davidson introduce sportier new Pan America ST model

Most adventure bike owners feel no need imitate Chris Birch by sending their pride and joy down the nearest mud and rut strewn green lane.

Harley-Davidson know this, which is why they’ve come up with the Pan America ST for 2025 – effectively a 17-inch wheel equipped, road-focussed version of their resident globetrotting adventure bike.

• Related: Harley-Davidson Pan America review

In essence, what the Milwaukee brand have done is take the standard 258kg Pan Am, strip off its big cumbersome wellies and put on a fresh pair of sporty trainers.

The idea being to offer all same the wind protection, comfy upright riding position and electronic gadgets as before, but improve the handling and stability on sealed roads.

To achieve this, the bike gets new cast aluminium rims shod in fresh tyres which are made especially for the role.

This rubber comes from Michelin’s Scorcher Sport range and is sized 180/55R17 for the rear and 120/70R17 on the front. These replace the 170/60R17 and 120/70R19 dual-purpose Michelin Scorcher Adventures fitted to the ST’s sibling models.

Aside from these alterations, Harley have also played around with the suspension and brakes. The ST gets shorter travel springs at both ends, which, in combination with the smaller front wheel, lowers the centre of gravity and should drop the seat height a touch as well.

Upfront are Showa balance free 47mm forks, while outback now sits a Showa balance free monoshock. Both feature electronically adjustable preload and manually adjustable compression and rebound damping.

On to the anchors and taking care of the majority of stopping duties is a pair of Brembo Monobloc radially mounted four-piston calipers which grip 320mm discs. Trailing in the rear is a single piston caliper, also from Brembo, and a 280mm rotor.

• Related: Harley-Davidson CVO Pan America long term review

The 1252cc liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin motor powering the new ST is the same Revolution Max unit fitted across Harley’s other, more dirt-centric versions of the platform, pumping out a claimed 149bhp at 8750rpm and 91lb.ft of torque at 6750rpm while gaining Euro5+ compliance.

Likewise, the frame, bodywork and the majority of electronics go unchanged and carry over from the base bike. That means standard fit cruise control, cornering ABS, phone pairing which enables navigation via a 6.8-inch TFT screen, and more.

What is expected to differ are the riding modes, with these likely being limited to just Road, Sport and Rain, with Off-Road and Off-Road Plus settings binned. The ST also gains an up and down quickshifter as standard, which is usually a £335 optional extra.