Harley Dudes Have Finally Come For The Pan America
The Harley-Davidson Pan America is, in terms of market positioning, a weird bike. It's a Harley in all the functional ways — expensive, comfortable, built for touring, powered by a v-twin — but stylistically it's a whole other beast. Adventure is new for Harley, and when the bike launched it left folks to wonder whether the bar-and-shield loyal would ever warm to it. Well, now we have our answer: They're painting these ADVs up like choppers all the same.
This Pan America showed up on Facebook Marketplace with some truly terrible photos, but they're enough to show the vibe this bike is going for. Purple wheels and crash bars match the flame print laid over the white fairing and tank, street tires adorn the alloys. It has color-matched enduro-style unpadded foot pegs, and a truly massive muffler. This is all absurd for the Pan America's intended function, but it goes to prove one thing: The Harley kids are all right.
Read more: You Can Buy A 400-HP V-Series Cadillac For Less Than A Honda Accord
Pinstriping and flames are classic Harley couture, but the white/purple/blue color scheme almost feels more Busa Boy to me. Sure, this exact paint scheme would fit fine on a Sportster, but picture it on a Hayabusa — doesn't it fit a little bit better there? Maybe this bike's painter lived a prior life as a Busa owner, and the Pan America moved them into Harley ownership. Truly expanding the brand.
This Pan America is far and away my favorite one I've ever seen, simply because some owner — either the seller or someone prior — took the time to make it their bike. I'll always respect that, no matter what I think of the end result. You've lowered the resale value to make something yours, and that's always worth celebrating. When you really get down to it, what's more Harley-Davidson than customizing your bike to better fit your personal vibe?
Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox...
Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Here's how to avoid potholes when haggling to purchase a used car
Looming tariffs on new cars are expected to ripple through Canada's car market, even down to your local used car dealership. Tack on the sales tax, licensing fees and other add-ons, and the price of a used car can easily add up. You can purchase a used car from a private seller — this could be your neighbour or someone listing their car on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji — or a dealership registered with the Ontario Motor Vehicles Industry Council (OMVIC), which regulates motor vehicle sales in the province. 'I strongly recommend people buy from a registered dealer so that OMVIC has their back if something goes sideways,' says Lorraine Sommerfeld, a consumer advocate and automotive journalist. A good place to start is OMVIC's directory, which lists registered dealerships and salespeople. If you go through a dealership, be prepared to wade through a laundry list of fees and charges that can include everything from administration, registration and licensing fees to a fee for wheel locking nuts if they are installed on the vehicle. A frequent road tripper and financial planner points to credit card offers, loyalty programs and The Motor Vehicle Dealers Act requires dealers and salespeople to include all fees in the advertised price of a new or used car that you plan to lease or buy. This is known as 'all-in pricing,' says Maureen Harquail, CEO and registrar of OMVIC. The two exceptions to all-in pricing are sales tax and licensing fees, she adds. All-in pricing on a used car can include the dealer's administration fees for preparing the paperwork of a sale and the set OMVIC transaction fee of $12.50. The price you see in a sales ad can also include pre-installed products and services, such as a tire protection package, rust protection, nitrogen-filled tires, paint protection, theft deterrents, wheel locks and extended warranties. 'If these pre-installed products and services were not included in the advertised price, the consumer can ask the dealer to remove these add-ons from the bill of sale,' says Harquail. This is why it's important to read the bill of sale carefully before you buy your used car. Refinancing your mortgage can include securing a lower rate with a different lender, changing OMVIC requires that all fees and charges in an advertised price be itemized and listed separately on the bill of sale. ' On used cars especially, warranty is a snake pit,' says Sommerfield. But depending on the type of used car you're in the market for, an extended warranty, which offsets repair costs after the car's manufacturer warranty has lapsed, may save you money and trouble later on. As Sommerfield points out, many cars are now equipped with electronic and software components that can malfunction. 'It could be a whole module that's $12,000 to replace.' Sommerfeld says dealerships 'make all their money on all the extra stuff,' so it's important to do your research on what add-ons you actually want and need. For instance, Sommerfield generally doesn't recommend tire or paint protection. Tire protection, she adds, 'doesn't cover you wrecking your wheel cover … and I'd do my own rustproof.' And when negotiating, Sommerfield advises caution. Everything from account numbers and subscriptions to social media instructions and passwords are 'If you're in a situation where you don't feel comfortable and you're getting pushed around, vote with your feet and walk out — there's always another car.' You can also file a complaint or report a tip to OMVIC if you believe your rights were breached at a dealership. 'Stick with registered dealers, ask for referrals from friends you trust and walk out if the pressure is too high.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
How A Shop In The UK Beat The Nürburgring's Van Lap Record In A Diesel Volkswagen
None of Jalopnik's full-time staffers have kids, and yet, we're still about as pro-van as a transportation site gets. I mean, what can I say? They're just so darn practical. Maybe you don't put much stock in Nurburgring lap times, but van lap times? Now that's some Very Important News. For the last several years, the record to beat was Guy Martin's time of 9:28 in a 700-horsepower Ford Transit Super Van. Now, that record has been beaten, too, and Road & Track recently talked with Dan Silvester, the guy who recently lapped the 'Ring in 8:27. In a diesel Volkswagen van. As you can imagine, Silvester's Volkswagen Caddy is a far cry from the stock Ford Transit that Sabine Schmitz set a time of 10:12 on "Top Gear" back in 2005. Still, it isn't quite as powerful as you might assume. There's no electric powertrain yanked out of a wrecked Tesla or supercharged V8. Instead, it's just a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that makes 356 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque. The modifications required to turn it into a Nürburgring record-holder came from Darkside Developments, a British tuning shop that specializes in diesels. As Road & Track put it: At a glance, the Volkswagen Caddy is a utilitarian work van, but Darkside Developments's expertise turned the part-VW Touran, part-VW Golf machine into a proper track car. Upgrades range from a Wavetrac limited-slip differential up front and KW Clubsport suspension all around to a 4Motion AWD conversion kit from an Audi, Porsche Cayenne brakes, and the requisite bits of interior racing kit. In other words, it's a shell of its former self, much like the Ford Transit that Martin took into battle back in 2021. Read more: These Supercars Lose Value So Quickly, They're Almost A Steal According to Silvester, part of the reason you don't see more extensive aero mods on the outside of the van has less to do with keeping it anonymous and more to do with achieving a higher top speed. As he told Road & Track: I don't know if it's just the shape of the van itself because it had plenty of power, and, if you put that power plant in a Golf, it'll probably do 160 mph. But the van just really didn't want to go much more. I think we got up to 140 mph on the back straight. We had no aero on the van at all either. We didn't put any splitter or a spoiler on it because we thought we wanted to use all the power we've got without causing too much drag, and we didn't want to ruin the profile of the van and keep it looking like a van. Despite not being able to hit the top speed they may have liked, they still smashed Guy Martin's time by a full minute. That said, it doesn't technically count as a new official lap record because it was set on a public track day, and the lap time wasn't officially confirmed. They may have used a VBox system to time the lap, so there's no reason to believe Silvester didn't lap the 'Ring as quickly as he claims, but still. You have to jump through all the necessary hoops if your want your Nurburgring van lap record to be officially official. It's also a fascinating interview, so be sure to head over to Road & Track to read the whole thing. Or just give them a click so Hearst knows you want to see more van content. Because, in a world full of SUVs, the car world deserves more van content. If you want more details on the build, you can also take a look at that here. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Mercedes Electric Semi Truck Delivers Backwards Load To Break New World Record
This week Mercedes-Benz Trucks set a new record for driving a load over the road entirely in reverse, as well as a closed course record for continuous reversing. The driver, Marco Hellgrewe, described as a German Armed Forces officer and "truck enthusiast" was picked to reverse the brand new all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 to set the records, and absolutely delivered. The day began at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben where Marco pushed the truck in reverse for a new record of 124.7 kilometers without stopping. Once that record had been achieved, Marco drove out onto the public streets, still in reverse, and drove over 30 kilometers from Oschersleben to the new Daimler Truck Global Parts Center in Halberstadt. The key to breaking a new record in reversing a tractor trailer is taking your time and having a police escort. The 30 kilometer drive in reverse took around two hours to complete, meaning the truck was travelling at just under 10 miles per hour for the entirety of the journey. "For me, a big dream has come true: to drive a long distance in reverse on public roads with an all-electric truck and semitrailer. And even being able to do it with the electric flagship eActros 600 from Mercedes-Benz Trucks – which has now become my second home, so to speak," says Hellgrewe. Read more: These Are The Most Annoying Things About Your Cars This isn't the first time a reverse record has been broken in recent years, though it's probably the biggest and heaviest of the ones we have covered. Back in 2018 Audi and ABT Schaeffler built an electric RS3 that went 130 miles per hour in reverse, which was absolutely trounced by the Rimac Nevera in 2023 setting a reverse top speed of 171.34 miles per hour. The prior tractor trailer reverse distance record was set by an Irish farmer in 2017, running almost 21 kilometers backing up. Mercedes-Benz Trucks worked with the mayor of Halberstadt for this project with both parties seeking attention for road safety, electrification, and "truck driver image." Truck drivers are essential to the mechanics of everyday life, bringing the things we need to live from wherever they're made to wherever we are. The job is a tough one with long hours and challenging working conditions, and truckers are vital to any functional economy. The talent that it takes to drive a big rig in the tight confines of any European city must be commended, but to do the whole thing in reverse must be on a completely different level. I'm seriously impressed, how about you? Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
