Last year, Harley-Davidson proudly crowed that the Pan America 1250 Special was the best-selling “adventure touring” motorcycle in the country. There’s a good reason for the storied Wisconsin brand to phrase their achievement in precisely those terms. What exactly is an “adventure touring” motorcycle? That’s a good question.
Broken down simply, it’s about as vague as answering what either of those machines might be on their own. What’s a touring motorcycle? One you can “tour” on! Yeah, okay, but are you “touring” if you take your bagger to go get groceries? Or are you only “touring” when you’ve packed overnight luggage? Are you “adventuring” only when you ride on a gravel road, or is a pizza run also an adventure?
We’re poking fun to make a more earnest point, which is that there’s no watchdog organization counting the beans that tell Honda or Suzuki or KTM or Ducati what they can call their two-wheeled appliances and how to enumerate their sales. Even states don’t have clear demarcations between what’s a street-legal motorcycle and what’s strictly made for dirt.
Harley-Davidson
The Pan-American 1250 Special in Numbers
So here’s the greasy back-of-the-napkin math on the Harley-Davidson Pan-American 1250 Special. It’s a 569-pound, 150-horsepower monster targeted directly at BMW’s equally beefy R 1250 GS, which happens to be the chief competitor in the vaguely defined adventure-touring category. Harley has two innovations to up the ante—both its amazing Revolution Max V-twin and an automatically adjustable-to-your-height suspension. The latter drops the bike a few inches to just over 30 inches when you come to a stoplight. That’s not just comfier for shorter riders. Everyone has more control on a lower motorcycle.
While other bikes offer more ground clearance and lower weight, Harley’s arguing you want its V-twin’s extraordinary muscle and nobody should have to sweat riding a really tall bike. And? Well, simply put, the bigger “adventure” segment is more about looking the part of riding off-road than shredding the gnar on every ride. This isn’t a novel idea: How often do expensive SUVs touch dirt? Exactly.
Here are three big takeaways from riding Harley’s Pan America for a few weeks.
It’s the Engine, First and Last
We’ll get to the suspension in a moment, but the experience of riding the Pan Am is almost deceptive. It feels like you sit “in” the bike, rather than on it. That’s partly because there’s a lot in front and above the core of your body, with the tank rising and giving way to an integrated fairing/headlamp unit that holds the TFT display. And, ahead of that, a clever height-adjustable windscreen that lets you raise it to block the blast of a highway run or lower it so you can see off-road terrain and obstacles more readily.
Harley-Davidson
The geometry of the Pan America helps a great deal when you have the power of an econobox Honda Civic driving a two-wheeled lightning bolt that happens to weigh about a fifth of such a car.
Still, this isn’t some sort of screeching monster. That V-twin is actually very easy to control, with power ramping very smoothly, and a ready delivery rising from about 2,200 RPM. The actual fun of riding the Pan Am isn’t at the top end near the 9,500 RPM limit, but in the fat middle, just boring holes winding along roads. You can be lazy with shifts and just use the throttle for muscle, as needed. The Revolution Max doesn’t seem to care. It gets its mean face on at about 5,000 RPM and will yell in a throaty bellow from 7,000 and up, but hey buddy, go gently! Remember that “tourer” part of the label.
Harley-Davidson
Well, Maybe It’s Actually the Suspension
If the byways you’re plying aren’t intestinally wound but instead, gentler, wider arcs, then the Pan-Am will make you grin like a total idiot. It helps that Harley shod it with extra-wide (120/70R-19 front / 170/60R-17 rear) Michelins handling cornering duties. While this is an adventure bike (or is it a touring one?) it’ll lean hard, a lot like a sportier rig. Much of your riding exuberance will get swept up by Harley’s integrated, lean-sensitive traction control. That will mostly prevent your antics from biting you in the behind.
But don’t forget: This is a pretty heavy bike. If the path starts to really tighten, you’d better be ready with the Brembos. Luckily, you’ve got stopping mojo to spare: 320mm rotors in the front and a 280mm disc in back. Also, these are linked, reading the pressure you’re using on the lever or pedal, and spooling that into both front and rear grabbers. This is a smart feature, and Harley’s wise to integrate it. It allows you to ride fairly aggressively and still use your brakes to control your line, or trail brake out of corners to set up the next one.
Faults: The Pan Am wants to understeer, a lot like the average sports sedan, but the behavior is wholly predictable. Once you know what the bike will and won’t do, dialing in your riding style follows instinctually.
You can also adjust how firm or soft you’d like the suspension. Both manually, and when you toggle between presets, from Sport through Road, Rain, Off-Road, and Off-Road Plus. While we can’t imagine toggling through the TFT all day to noodle with the ride quality, it’s pretty cool to be able to set out on a ride on roads you know and play around with how the bike feels, sessioning the same asphalt. Naturally those settings all control engine output, too; though to be honest, for pavement, Sport and Road are pretty perfect in dry conditions.
Off-Road
When you get into the slop, as with the competition’s bigger bikes, you’re aware of the Pan Am’s weight. Luckily Harley did study the recipe for enabling reasonably adept dirt play, which starts with its Off-Road Plus mode. Maybe they should label it On-Road minus but, because this setting spikes the auto-lowering feature of the suspension, it snuffs out rear-wheel ABS, which is critical to induce a bit of slide that can help change directions in heartbeat; it also pauses linking of front and rear braking. Add to that the ability to kill traction control entirely, which, again, gives back more modulation on technical dirt. Now, you have a moto that’ll let you play in the loose and gritty.
Harley-Davidson
The rub here is still the heft and limited ground clearance of just 6.9 inches. In really deep mud or when trying to clear rockier apexes, the best plan of action will be very careful line selection and a lot of throttle to power out of trouble.
Are you wondering then, if it’s a legit off-roader?
Better to ask: Do you want to dump your $20,000 motorcycle while ripping it through the woods? Hey, remember we started all this off with the muddled category of “adventure touring.”
You can ride this bike off-road, yes. But a lot like that big, burly BMW, Harley’s targeting a rider who probably wants to ride a lot of paved backcountry roads that occasionally give way to gravel two-track. Here you can do that all day and tilt the Pan America at lean angles that are steeper than any hog they sell can handle, with a different look and vibe. AKA: This isn’t your grandpa’s Harley, and that’s darn refreshing.
And finally, duh! The Pan American is selling like ice cream in August, so who are we to quibble?
There’s no doubt when the weather turns colder as we settle into winter, stouts take center stage. And while we enjoy all its iterations: standard stout, imperial stout, and robust barrel-aged stouts, we think this malty, chocolate-filled beer’s close cousin deserves a little respect as well. Of course, we’re talking about the oft-overlooked porter. And the best porters, oh buddy, they’ll have you rethinking your seasonal bevvie of choice.
For those uninitiated, the porter style had its genesis in England like many other iconic beer styles. It first appeared in the 1700s and is (you guessed it) named after porters—individuals tasked with transporting luggage.
A confusing origin story
“Stout is the direct descendant of porter. In the 1700s, it was common to use the word ‘stout’ to refer to a bolder, higher-alcohol version of any beer style, much in the same way we use the word ‘imperial’ today,” says Zach Fowle, advanced cicerone and head of marketing for Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, AZ. “Porter was the most popular beer of the day, and over time, “stout porter” became a popular variant. But by the late 1800s, demand for regular porters evaporated, and stout porter shortened simply to stout.”
But more has changed between the 1800s and today than just our penchant for wearing top hats. “Today, most brewers seem to market beers as either stout or porter based on vibes, rather than on any notable stylistic differences,” he says.
Specifically, porters are known for their dark, almost pitch-black color and rich, sweet flavor profile. If you were to drink a porter and a stout side by side, you might even have difficulty discerning the differences between the two.
Stout versus porter is an enduring topic of discussion in the brewing industry. “While there’s no debating the porter came first—and stout used to be called stout porter, so it was a stronger version of a porter—the lines have become very blurred over the years,” says Rob Lightner, co-founder of East Brother Brewing in Richmond, CA.
“I would venture that even among professionals, a blind taste test would often yield inconclusive results,” says Lightner.
The difference between porters and stouts
Porters tend to be on the milder, more chocolatey end of the spectrum, Lightner says, whereas stouts are typically a little stronger and more roasty. Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule
Fowle agrees, “Porters tend to be fruitier, sweeter, and less bitter than stouts, with cocoa and caramel flavors in balance with dark malt bitterness. And stouts are usually hoppier, drier, maltier, and more coffee-forward—and may even have a touch of acidity.”
Whether or not they fit neatly into boxes, one thing’s for sure: both make for incredible cold-weather brews.
“As the nights grow longer, drinking a light, summery beer just doesn’t seem right,” says Fowle. “Porter is the perfect style for the transition to winter: warming and toasty yet not too heavy, with flavors of coffee, chocolate, and pie crust that correspond with autumn weather and holidays.”
It’s the perfect time to broaden your repretoire. Sweet, robust, warming, and well-suited to the season, here are the best porters to drink now.
Courtesy image
1. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
There are few porters more well-respected than Deschutes’ iconic Black Butte Porter. It’s brewed with Cascade and Tettnang hops as well as 2-row, Chocolate, Crystal, and Carapils malts as well as wheat. This 5.5% ABV year-round offering is great for cold-weather drinking because of its mix of roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate. It’s a robust, subtly sweet beer perfect for imbibing on a crisp fall night.
The key to 360-degree muscle: 90-degree eccentric isometrics. It might seem like we’re throwing a lot of geometry at you, but the concept behind time under tension (TUT) is simple, says Joel Seedman, PhD, owner of Advanced Human Performance: “Perform the lowering phase of a movement in a slow, controlled fashion, usually 3 to 5 seconds; pause in the stretched position, typically around 90 degrees; then perform the lifting phase in a powerful yet controlled fashion.” Believe us, a time-under-tension workout can humble even seasoned lifters…Eccentric isometrics are like the pressure cooker of training.
“Rather than mindlessly performing slow-tempo reps, you’re using the increased time under tension as a means to fine-tune your body mechanics and alignment, which requires more mental engagement and focus,” Seedman adds.
If you want to forge functional muscle mass and strength while simultaneously bulletproofing the joints and connective tissue, give this 10-move, full-body eccentric isometrics workout a go.
Directions
Perform the following moves as 90-degree eccentric isometrics following the above protocol. Use heavy weight, but not at the detriment of proper form. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between circuits. Perform once every 2 to 4 days for optimal results.
Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength
Circuit 1
Marius Bugge
A. Barbell Back Squat
Set a squat rack up with heavy weight, then grasp bar and step under it. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then stand to unrack bar and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale, hinge at hips and slowly bend knees to 90 degrees. Pause, keeping natural arch in low back, then extend through hips to powerfully stand. 3 x 4-6 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Renegade Row
Start in the top position of a pushup with hands shoulder-width apart on moderate-to-heavy dumbbells (shown). Explosively drive right elbow back to row dumbbell toward ribs while balancing on opposite hand and feet. Pause, then slowly lower weight, stopping a few inches above floor. Switch sides after all reps are done. 3 x 5 reps each side
Circuit 2
Marius Bugge
A. Dumbbell Bentover Row
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing you. Push hips back and hinge torso forward so it’s nearly parallel to floor, soft bend in knees. Dumbbells should be near shins. Drive elbows back to row weights toward ribs. Pause, then slowly lower down for 3 to 5 seconds. 3 x 4-5 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised
Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back with dumbbells in either hand. Engage core and lift legs off floor, flexing feet. Press weights overhead, palms in. Slowly lower to 90 degrees, staying tight and compact. Pause, then drive weights up directly over chest. 3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 3
Marius Bugge
A. Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat
Stand lunge-length in front of a flat bench, holding heavy dumbbells in each hand by your sides, palms facing in. Rest the ball on top (shoe’s laces) of your right foot behind you on the bench. Slowly lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then drive through your heel to stand. Switch sides after all reps are complete. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Marius Bugge
B. Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Drive right leg up, foot flexed, knee aligned with hip, making a 90-degree angle. Hinge at hips as you slowly lever your torso toward floor, lowering weights and driving right leg back for counterbalance. Hold, then squeeze glutes to reverse. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Circuit 4
Marius Bugge
A. Pullup
Hang from a pullup bar using an overhand grip with legs extended and feet flexed. Engage lats and draw shoulders down your back, then pull yourself up until chin is higher than hands. Pause at the top, then slowly lower. Pause at bottom, then reset before your next rep. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press
Hold a bar with moderate-to-heavy load at shoulder level with forearms perpendicular to floor. Kneel at end of bench with feet flexed to grip edge for support. Inhale, engage your core and glutes, then press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward so it passes your face, exhaling at the top. Slowly lower until elbows are at 90 degrees, then hold to maintain tension. Begin your next rep from here. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 5
A. Dumbbell Pushup
Place hands on dumbbells (this provides greater range of motion) at shoulder width and feet wider than shoulder width with just toes touching the ground. Keep head neutral and hips high to increase tension on core, chest and tris and reduce stress on spine. Slowly lower to the floor. Stop once elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then push up to start. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
B. Biceps Curl
Stand with feet hip-width apart with moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in each hand hanging by sides. Engage biceps to curl the weights up, keeping upper arms still. Pause at the top, then lower slowly. Don’t let arms drop all the way down to keep greater time under tension on biceps. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
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If you haven’t picked up a jump rope since elementary school, you’re missing out on a fantastic cardio workout. Not only will you burn a ton of calories in a short amount of time—200 to 300 calories in 15 minutes—but jump ropes can also improve your coordination and agility. Better yet, jumping rope doesn’t require much space, so it’s easy to do at home, and it’s often more mentally stimulating than jogging or swimming.
Choosing a Jump Rope
When deciding which jump rope is best for you, it’s important to determine what your goals are. While lightweight speed ropes are popular for cardio-focused training, weighted or drag ropes will be best for those focused on strength training.
No matter what your training goals are, we’ve got you covered with this roundup of 10 jump ropes from top brands including Crossrope, TRX, Rogue, and more.
The Best Jump Ropes of 2022
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