I can't bring up Harley-Davidson bikes without someone else mentioning that the brand is dying, or that their clientele are aging out, and that they're too entrenched trying to please that aging buyer base to make a proper modern bike that can carry them out of the trap they've built for themselves. It's at this point that I ask if they've heard of the Harley-Davidson Pan Am.
I tell everyone unfortunate enough to be around me when adventure bikes come up the same thing: you have to check out a Harley Pan Am. The fact that The Motor Company built a bike that can hang with BMW’s big boxer flagship, and even be preferable in some ways, is incredible. So when the opportunity arose, I leapt on the chance to check out the 2026 Harley-Davidson Pan Am ST: a lower, leaner, Sport Touring version of that same brilliant adventure bike. Spoiler alert: it’s still brilliant.
What sets the Pan Am ST apart?
The Pan Am ST sits an inch lower than the more adventure-oriented Pam Am Special and Pan Am Limited, riding on smaller 17-inch wheels, wrapped with (Harley branded) Michelin sports tires. It has no crash bars, no hand guards, less fairing around the radiator, a single-piece seat, and a fixed, smaller windshield than its more adventurous brethren.
It does still have Harley's signature adaptive suspension that lowers at low speed, so you can flat-foot this still-pretty-tall bike comfortably, and it is fully adjustable (manually) as well, too. With only a minimal complement of armour and lightweight wheels, it tips the scales at 547 pounds, ready to roll - more than a hundred less than the last Pan Am I rode.
Motor Company Motor & tech
The engine is unchanged; it’s the same 1250cc Max Revolution V-twin, producing an impressive 150 horsepower and 94 foot-pounds of torque, routed through a 6-speed transmission with a standard quickshifter. The fuel tank (that's so integral to its style) remains the same size at 21 Litres, which should net you a generous cruise range of 400 or more kilometres, even if you’re hard on it (...and you will be). And unlike some of its fancy-pants European contemporaries, it has a fuel gauge.
It also has a 7-inch TFT display that looks great and works well, with an interface that is easy to navigate, customize, and understand, with the added benefit of bluetooth phone connectivity. Short of over-the-top tech like adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring, it has all the features you could reasonably want to see on a modern machine, out of the box.
ergonomics and comfort
You sit bolt upright, with fairly low foot pegs, and a narrow seat with surprisingly high handlebars for a very relaxed riding position. It’s definitely set up to be firm, it doesn’t glide over bumps quite like its taller siblings, but it generally rides quite well and comfortably, with my only nitpicks being a stock seat that I always felt I was sliding too far forward on, and I personally feel like this bike would be better served by slightly shorter handlebar risers. Both are easy enough fixes. Fit and finish on this Made-in-Thailand tester felt top-notch, too.
It may look big and intimidating, and 150 ponies between your legs sounds scary (to be clear: it certainly can be), but it’s a very easy, forgiving bike to ride. The clutch throw is a light with a very broad bite point, aided by the engine’s generous torque spread and tractable throttle response. The shifter doesn’t have the same tactile delicacy as some others, but it won’t miss or drop a gear, and the quickshifter is pretty terrific once you’re on the move.
Sporty touring
This is a great engine. It doesn’t have the stump-pulling grunt of a traditional Harley engine, but it has plenty of flexibility, and never really feels like you’re in the wrong gear. It cruises at around four grand on the highway, and will happily leap ahead with a twist of the wrist, without having to shift. Through clever use of variable valve timing, it can have this instant mid-range shove and an appetite for revs, as it just gets exponentially more voracious as you climb towards its 9,000 rpm redline, and the generally tame exhaust sound has built into a furious mechanical bark.
Coming into a corner, the Brembo 4-pot brakes are easy to modulate and feel very natural, with progressive bite, and the quickshifter and slipper clutch will quietly forgive you if you’re a little too eager. It's easy to change direction and feels planted, easily able to trim or widen a line mid-corner without being upset. Just be careful with that front end, it will get very light if pulled hard from a dig.
Whether you’re commuting or kicking ass, it’s satisfying to ride, and it’s eager enough that it’ll encourage you to kick ass and have fun with it as often as you can - like any good Harley, it has an infectious personality.
Wrap it up
The 2026 Harley-Davidson Pan Am ST takes an already great bike and dials it in for even better road use, if you know you rarely run off the beaten path. It's fast and fun enough to be an excellent weekend toy, and it’s practical and comfortable enough to be a great daily commuter, too. For $26,299, it offers all the high-end features you could want, very impressive performance, and style like absolutely nothing else on the road. For anyone that says this storied brand is in trouble and trapped in their ways, I'll always point out the Pan Am - in on or off-road guise - to shut them up.