A Not so typical day.
A few days after all the new kit was installed, I tagged along with the crew from Heavy Duty Motorsports on one of their shop rides - and it proved once again why I really do like this bike so much.
Riders and their passengers on 70 bikes met up at the Oxley store and headed south on a run through Beaudesert to Rathdowney, past Lake Moogarah and on to the Harrisville Pub for lunch.
The first section of the ride was Freeway and open country riding across the floor of the Scenic Rim.
The Pan America was easy to fit in with staggered convoy riding. Engine braking is comparable to a M8 or Twin Cam’s so there’s no need to ride the brakes when travelling in close company. The amount of engine braking is also programmable in the custom riding modes.
On the freeway it’s a capable touring machine. With the new saddle and screen its very comfortable and wonderfully solid on the road. It holds a line very nicely.
I stopped to take ride photos just past Rathdowney. By the time I packed up the cameras, kitted back up and resumed the run, the group was long gone.
That didn’t bother me too much though. The Boonah-Rathdowney Road and out to the dam section of the route brought us to the first twisty roads of the day. I switched the bike to Sports mode and cracked it open under the premiss of ‘catching up’.
Again, the bike was fantastic. On the change of modes the semi-adaptive suspension hardens up and the throttle responses become much more immediate. It handled the conditions tight, twisty and bumpy sections like the most of capable sport-tourers.
Self-control needed.
I figured to catch the pack before they got to the Pub.
That was until I started passing what looked like some very interesting dirt roads around Mt Barney. I should have gone to the Pub and been social. I didn’t. Given the option of going to the pub or the lure of ‘rarking up’ on Cotswald Road – the pull of the dirt proved too strong.
I dialled in ‘Off-road’ mode. The suspension and the immediacy of the power delivery softens, the tracking control ramps up and the fun begins.
After several very satisfying side roads sojourn I got to the Harrisville quite some time after the main group.
After exchanging greetings, I jumped straight back on the bike and went off looking for even more Adventures before heading back to base.
Thanks to the crew at Heavy Duty Motorsports for letting me tag along. It was a well-run event, and I had another fantastic day on the incredibly versatile Pan America.
But a word of caution. ADV bikes are all about getting away from it all and exploring.
Being on this bike is so much fun, it can make you anti-social.
Pan America Day Ride
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