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Harley-Davidson has pulled the wraps off the meat of its 2025 lineup, with tweaks ranging from a bit more suspension travel for the Sportster S to stepped up performance in the form of the Milwaukee-Eight 117 high output engine for some cruisers. But putting the "new" in news are two models making their debut: one for the road and one for the long road.
On the performance end, we have the Pan America 1250 ST, a more street-focused version of Harley-Davidson's first-ever adventure bike. On the comfort end, we have the Street Glide Ultra, in which Harley-Davidson's perennial top seller gets comfort, luggage, and technology upgrades for long-haul use.
Pan America 1250 ST
The Pan America 1250 ST fills that niche between sport-touring and sport bikes on one hand and adventure-touring machines on the other. Some call them crossovers, and Harley-Davidson calls it the "Adventure Sport" category. Either way, we're talking about motorcycles built for riders who want a little more comfort than the sportier competition, but don't want to give up performance and don't need the off-road capability of the ADV bikes. Those riders can now choose the ST for the same $19,999 starting price as the Pan America 1250 Special.
The ST shows its intentions with its 17-inch cast aluminum wheels front and rear with Michelin Scorcher Sport tires in common sporty sizes, as opposed to the Michelin Scorcher Adventure tires with a 19-inch front on the ADV Pan America. Compared to the 1250 Special, the ST has 0.75 inches less suspension travel front and rear, for a total of 6.75 inches, which also contributes to a lower seat height. Just like the taller ADV version, the ST still gets the Adaptive Ride Height (ARH) feature that lowers the motorcycle as it comes to a stop. At its lowest, that puts the seat just 29.4 inches high with a rider on board and ARH activated. Well, at least that's the case in the United States and Canada. Pan America STs in other markets don't get ARH.
The Revolution Max engine is essentially the same, but in keeping with its sportier intent, the ST is fitted with a bidirectional quickshifter. Weight is reduced with a new exhaust that eliminates the midchamber and visual weight is also minimized, to create a sportier look to match the ST's modified mission. The radiator shroud is trimmer, the windscreen is shorter (and non-adjustable), and the ST loses the ADV-style brush guards.
As with ARH, the suspension differs in the U.S. and Canadian markets compared to elsewhere in the world. All Pan America 1250 STs have Showa suspension. The North America models have electronic preload adjustment, which is necessary for ARH to work, in addition to manual damping adjustment. Outside North America, adjustments are all manual.
The Pan America 1250 ST comes slathered with a full array of electronic rider aids. The rider can choose from Road, Sport, and Rain ride modes, plus two custom modes. Both braking and traction control are lean-angle-sensitive and also provide wheelie control and limit rear-wheel slip under deceleration. Speaking of braking, the ST gets top-level Brembo components and the front and rear brakes are electronically linked.
To extend the Pan America 1250 ST's capabilities, Harley-Davidson is offering Sport Side Cases and a matching top box that are a little sleeker and less boxy looking than the luggage made for the Pan America 1250 Special. The luggage still uses integral mounts to keep the motorcycle looking clean when it's not in use.
I've written before about how some people won't stop complaining that they never got the Bronx that Harley-Davidson promised them, and I've pointed out that it's just not going to happen because it doesn't fit in Harley-Davidson's current business strategy. The Pan America 1250 ST is likely the closest we'll ever get to a Bronx. While some owners have complained about reliability issues with the Pan America, the ST, if it lives up to its promise, will be the most versatile, high-performance street package ever to come out of a Harley-Davidson factory.
The Pan America 1250 ST could also give the manufacturer a boost. After the initial flurry of interest in the Pan America adventure-tourer, sales have not been huge, accounting for under 4% of Harley-Davidson's unit sales. A new model appealing to ADV-adjacent street riders could boost those numbers in return for a relatively small investment by Harley-Davidson.
Street Glide Ultra
While the Street Glide Ultra is, technically, the other new model for 2025, functionally it slots into the same role as the Ultra Limited. But with the new name comes some upgrades.
Plus, it just makes sense. The Street Glide is always one of Harley-Davidson's top models and the company's focus is on its Grand American Touring segment, so why not give the Ultra treatment to the popular Street Glide?
That Ultra designation means this version of the Street Glide comes with a variety of features for long-haul comfort and capability. The fairing lowers and revised fairing offer not just more weather protection, but also more temperature management. The lowers have integrated vents, as does the fairing, which lets the rider adjust airflow into the cockpit to suit the temperature and reduce buffeting. The windshield is four inches taller than the one on the regular Street Glide and larger, fork-mounted air deflectors let the rider choose more or less wind protection. Air deflectors on the frame below the seat are there to direct engine heat away from the rider and passenger.
For more comfort, the Ultra comes with heated hand grips and a newly redesigned seat that Harley-Davidson says provides a more neutral seating position for the rider to reduce fatigue. That seat is just 26.9 inches off the pavement.
The other piece of the Ultra package is a full set of luggage, which provides 4% more capacity than the 2024 Ultra Limited and more than double the capacity of the Street Glide bagger with just saddlebags.
On the performance side, the Street Glide Ultra gets the Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine, instead of the 114 found in last year's Ultra Limited, which Harley-Davidson says is good for a 12.9% increase in horsepower (to 105) and a 6.6% increase in torque (to 130 foot-pounds). Performance is also helped by a 49-pound weight reduction.
The Street Glide Ultra comes with Road, Sport, and Rain ride modes, plus a custom mode. The full set of rider aids is included, with lean-angle-sensitive traction control and ABS.
The 12.3-inch touch screen is not only much bigger than before, but also brighter, according to Harley-Davidson. It's compatible with Apple CarPlay and wireless connectivity now allows over-the-air software updates.
Of course the Street Glide Ultra carries over the redesign of the traditional batwing fairing that Harley-Davidson introduced last year, with the sleeker shape and integrated turn signals and mirrors. Lighting is all LED.
Despite the boost in power, the Street Glide Ultra lists at $30,749, almost $2,000 less than last year's Ultra Limited.
| 2025 Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 ST | 2025 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $19,999 | $30,749 |
| Engine | 1,252 cc (76.4 ci), 60-degree, liquid-cooled, four-valve, V-twin | 1,923 cc (117 ci), air-and-liquid-cooled, eight-valve, V-twin Milwaukee-Eight 117 |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Six-speed, chain | Six-speed, belt |
| Claimed horsepower | 149 @ 8,750 rpm | 105 |
| Claimed torque | 91 foot-pounds @ 6,750 rpm | 130 foot-pounds |
| Frame | Steel trellis, aluminum midsection | Steel tubular |
| Front suspension | Showa 47 mm inverted fork with electronically adjustable preload and manually adjustable compression and rebound; 6.75 inches of travel | 49 mm dual bending valve fork |
| Rear suspension | Showa monoshock with automatic electronic preload control and manually adjustable compression and rebound damping; 6.75 inches of travel | Dual shocks, adjustable for preload; 3.0 inches of travel |
| Front brake | Brembo dual radial-mount four-piston calipers, 320 mm discs with ABS | Dual four-piston calipers, 320 mm discs with ABS |
| Rear brake | Brembo single-piston caliper, 290 mm disc specify ABS | Single-piston caliper, 300 mm disc with ABS |
| Rake, trail | 25 degrees, 3.7 inches | 26 degrees, 6.7 inches |
| Wheelbase | 61.8 inches | 64 inches |
| Seat height | 30.4 inches laden, 29.4 inches lowered by ARH | 28.5 inches; 26.9 inches laden |
| Fuel capacity | 5.6 gallons | 6.0 gallons |
| Tires | Michelin Scorcher Sport 120/70ZR17 front, 180/55ZR17 rear | Dunlop D408F 130/60B19 front, Dunlop D407T 180/55B18 rear |
| Claimed weight | 542 pounds wet | 866 pounds wet |
| Available | Now | Now |
| Warranty | 24 months | 24 months |
| More info | harley-davidson.com | harley-davidson.com |
