High Temperature Ride Report - Heatwave in SoCal ongoing. Rode the Green Dragon to work in Oceanside and back to Ramona. Temperature when I left Oceanside about 2:30pm was 98F. Traffic on the Hwy 78 corridor was heavy and air temperatures between 99 and 101F all through Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido. I had to lane split for about ten miles through Vista and San Marcos as it was bumper to bumper and stopped. Coolant temps stayed just below 200F at speed and 220-225 stopped at lights. Heat off the right side of the bike was noticeable at stoplights and in heavy traffic, but not as bad as my Road Glide Ultra has been in the same conditions. BIke ran great! I have about 3K in miles and the bike is just feeling broke in good. So fun, and a runner!

 

I’ve noticed that the taste of chocolate in the UK is different to the US, obviously it’s the makeup of ingredients and what each country allows as a definition of milk or plain chocolate! On my trips to America and Canada I did get the taste for Hershey’s Kisses 😁, I have to say though I also like the Milk Chocolate version of Terry’s Chocolate Orange to 😋 😁👍

 

I dropped my PA off at the dealer today for it's 5k service, recalls, service bulletins. We'll see how they do and how much the ouch factor is when I go to pay.

They had already written up the work orders for everything and detailed out the work when I got there. So my dealer and service dept. so far has been very competent with the PA. I hope that tracks for a long time to come.

 

My 5K service was significantly cheaper than my 1K service, so I hope you have a pleasant surprise.

 

My 1k Service was only like $250. My dealer seems to be pretty straight and no surprises. My other friends that have bought and serviced there have been very pleased with them. At least one of their service techs has been formally educated at the factory on servicing / repairing the Pan America. And the Owner's Son / Sales Manager has been to the Zakar training and loves the PA. I'll report what it ends up being.

 

Yesterday I took the 21 PAS to the Bonnet Carre Spillway ATV area (mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Bonnet-Carre-Spillway/). It had just reopened earlier in the week, as it is subject to closure frequently due to flooding. I took I-10 W 30 miles out there and US-61 (Airline Highway) back. Bike ran great. Not super impressed with Bluetooth connectivity and the map function in conjunction with the HD app, both have been discussed at length on the forum. Also not super comforted with the jiffy stand.... It just feels flexible and weak, like the bike is going to tip at any moment. Temps 185-187 at highway speed (50-70 mph), 210-225 in traffic and on trail.

I stuck with dry trails, mostly dirt, sand, turf and gravel. All in the ATV area and surrounding levees and roads. There is a lot of mud out there (as you can imagine, it floods often and it's south Louisiana), which I avoided because I'm new with the bike and I had somewhere to be after so I wouldn't be able to wash it. The bike itself is awesome. Stable, good center, power for days, comfortable. What was clear is that the Anakee tires are not the answer. They had recently re-graveled some of the levee roads, which was still thick ballast type gravel (like railroad bed) and it hadn't been crushed down very well yet. Rear was moving around and slipping pretty good. Same with sand (obviously). I would think tires had a lot to do with this. I have been looking at the Dunlop Trailmax Mission, Metzeler Karoo 3 and Heidenau K60 Scout tires (among others) to find a better balance, with most of the riding and use probably being paved where I am. Would be interested in any input out there.

One thing for sure is that the bike is a head turner. Tons of looks, thumbs ups and rolled down windows ("That's a Harley!?") at lights. I took a swing on Lakeshore Drive (Lake Pontchartrain) on the way home and got a lot of thumbs up from the local traditional HD riders that gather there on the weekends. There were some distinct times where I felt a little shade from some as well (only a couple). Change is hard sometimes.

 

I finished adding the top case and the mounting plate:



if you look you will noticed that I also added:
- radiator guard
- skid plate
- exhaust guard

Last piece is not easy to notice:


but it is the Tall Adventurer windshield.

I’m 6’5” and the windshield is definitely not tall enough. At least, I get less push against the torso but I still need the earplug despite my C3 Pro.

 

Great thing to read. I have just mounted the K60 Scout. Beside "flat" mud, where you have just traction on the centre it works great. On road it handle like a charm. The front ire is noisy at a certain speed (50-64 km/h), above silent and good cornering grip. BCM needs a reprogramming for dirt tires btw.

 

Looks great! I got the rubber tank guards, which you might consider. I'm trying to decide between the HD skid plate and the Camel one.

 

I installed a vent in my Wedge Fairing windshield.