Harley-Davidson Ends Factory King Of The Baggers Effort, Shifts Premier Racing to MotoGP Series
Harley-Davidson will end its Factory Racing participation and official team support in MotoAmerica’s King Of The Baggers (KOTB) championship after the 2026 season, the company announced October 1.
The MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers series was launched in 2020 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as a single-race exhibition round, immediately drawing attention due to its unorthodox approach. The class, which rapidly developed from its humble debut six years ago, created a venue where American V-twin competitors Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle transform touring motorcycles into full-blown superbikes that produce lap times on par with Supersport machines.
The exit is part of what the company calls “the evolution of its racing program,” which creates two programs in 2027. The first is the brand’s premier racing program, centered on the FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup (BWC), a six-round spec-Harley championship run alongside MotoGP that finished its first season this past September.
The second is a grassroots effort, which the press release says will “develop accessible racing opportunities for riders across a range of disciplines and experience levels.” However, the press release does not define the scope of the grassroots opportunities or say when more information will follow.
A brief follow-up quote from H-D CEO Artie Starrs sheds some light on both initiatives: “Our evolved racing strategy inspires all of us to ride by putting the fastest Harley-Davidson motorcycles on the biggest stage, while bringing the same competitive edge to a broader audience through our grassroots program.” He continues, “Whether its bragging rights at the local drag strip, the podium at a flat track, or a dealership challenge – everyone has an opportunity to compete and win on a Harley-Davidson.”
Harley-Davidson said it will expand the World Cup in 2027 “with additional teams, riders, and races,” with details due in the coming months.
Harley-Davidson leaves King Of The Baggers with three out of six national championships. Kyle Wyman, with 27 wins, is the most successful rider in the category’s history. Collectively, the brand can count its domestic racing campaign as a success, having claimed an equal share of the titles.
“Thank you to MotoAmerica for their partnership and commitment to King of the Baggers,” said Jason Kehl, technical director and team principal. He also credited Indian Motorcycle Racing: “Having a rival that consistently pushed us to raise our level made our team better.”
MotoAmerica responded October 2, saying it shared fans’ disappointment and that the late timing presents challenges. It is exploring options to continue the class. Harley-Davidson’s direct and only factory rival in the class, Indian Motorcycle, has confirmed Hayden Gillim and Troy Herfoss for 2027.
Opinion: From Competing to Curating
The release raises eyebrows for what is said, just as much as for what isn’t. Chief among those curiosities is the most obvious hurdle left unaddressed: the MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers series is a wholly American product, one developed in H-D’s home market for our domestic roadracing series. Why would a brand willingly abdicate its claim to a throne it helped forge?
The optics of leaving after an underperforming 2026 KOTB season are equally tough to ignore. Vance & Hines, Indian’s factory team, won 10 of 14 races and secured six of seven poles, which allowed Gillim to clinch the title before the final round. We should note that the Vance & Hines team ran Harley-Davidson equipment from its first season in the championship through 2025, even securing a KOTB championship in 2023.
The Path of Least Resistance
Harley-Davidson’s Bagger World Cup runs on Road Glides prepared by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing, under an initial three-year agreement with MotoGP covering 2026 through 2028, with an option for two more. Harley has not disclosed a comparable commitment to MotoAmerica. However, this may be a simple case of H-D following the path of least resistance: the MoCo’s motorcycle division posted a $29 million operating loss in 2025, citing lower wholesale shipments and tariff costs.
This isn’t the first time H-D has reached for the word “grassroots” on its way out of a domestic series. In November 2020, the brand ended its factory efforts in NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Pro Stock Motorcycle and American Flat Track (AFT; formerly AMA Pro Flat Track), pledging to support racers through its dealer network instead. Neither series has seen a factory Harley effort since. And both sudden departures occurred with recent CEO changes. Indian, for its part, left American Flat Track after the 2024 season, when new production-engine rules made its purpose-built FTR750 ineligible. Rather than step back from racing, Indian pivoted its Wrecking Crew marketing name to King Of The Baggers. Since Indian’s departure from American Flat Track, H-D has secured the manufacturer’s title two years in a row. Unfortunately, the coveted rider’s title, the one racing fans remember, has remained out of the Milwaukee-based brand’s reach.
Choosing the Bagger World Cup moves Harley from competitor to curator. In a one-make series of H-D’s designs, a Harley always wins, and the brand’s limelight is never threatened. The World Cup shows which rider and team are best, not whether a Harley can best its competition. The release calls it a “development and demonstration platform,” and there is some evidence of Harley applying lessons learned on the racetrack during its KOTB tenure to consumer products. The H-D CVO Road Glide ST and limited-edition CVO Road Glide RR are showroom-ready products inspired by the brand’s time racing in the States.
The Wrong Showroom
Bagger racing is a wholly American invention, birthed from the aptly named Grand American Touring range, which also happens to be the brand’s highest-volume model family. Sending the racing bagger spectacle to European circuits is akin to the French tourism board sending mime troupes and seminars on existential despair to all 50 states. Everything on offer is authentically French, but almost no one in a foreign audience asked for it. Likely, that sentiment also includes the French.
And therein lies the disconnect. If racing is a marketing exercise as much as it is R&D, then the showroom is in the wrong place. According to SEC filings, Harley sold 82,698 new motorcycles in the United States in 2025, or about 62 percent of its 132,535 global retail sales, making its domestic market the clear leader. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) accounted for 21,454, or about 16 percent of total sales, down 10.9 percent. In the first half of 2026, U.S. retail sales rebounded 8.5 percent while EMEA fell 6.3 percent, according to the company’s second-quarter filing.
Left in the Wind?
Where this leaves riders, crews, and technical partners is up in the air. Indian has whittled its three-rider effort down to two confirmed factory seats for 2027. Whether Indian Motorcycle will support private efforts or if the current independent teams will soldier on is unknown. Without a factory Harley-Davidson rival, Indian Motorcycle would have less incentive to continue investing as aggressively.
Bradley Smith, a former MotoGP rider who finished second in King Of The Baggers this year, is the most natural World Cup fit. Kyle Wyman, who also made World Cup appearances in 2026, could follow, or stay in MotoAmerica on a privateer Road Glide. H-D Factory Racing’s James Rispoli has not announced his 2027, either, nor has inaugural Bagger World Cup champion Archie McDonald.
Harley has not released Bagger World Cup viewership figures or program costs. Perhaps more unnerving is the lack of grassroots details, or what support independent Harley teams will have in 2027.
Until Harley addresses the many bagger-sized questions in the room lingering after this announcement, the move erodes the momentum built by its domestic racing efforts. MotoAmerica calls KOTB one of its most popular and fastest-growing classes, and credits it with boosting both attendance and viewership. If the vocal public response from domestic fans is any indication, it could carry further implications for H-D. The true target and impact of it all remain unclear, yet viewed from a fan perspective, it’s a shot aimed squarely at H-D’s own two feet.
Source: Harley-Davidson, SEC, American Flat Track, NHRA
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