king of the Baggers

You hear them before you see them.
I am down by the wall on the front straight at Road Atlanta, as the King of the Baggers riders approach the hill and bridge after turn 10B. The bikes haven’t come into view yet, but their growl is already wafting through the paddock and down pit lane. Suddenly they are visible, one by one diving under the bridge then plunging down the hill and throttling hard right onto the front straight. I set the pit board over the fence, displaying Harley-Davidson Factory Racing team rider Bradley Smith’s position, gap to the rider behind him, and laps left. He’s holding off Indian’s Troy Herfoss for 3rd, as the whole field of bikes roar past at over 160 mph, then lean right up the hill at turn 1.
I feel them in my chest, as they blast past me at speeds these bikes shouldn’t be capable of.

Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup Kickoff: Observations

by Road Dirt Crew | Mar 31, 2026 | Industry & Racing | 2 |

Time will tell whether or not the new racing class of Harley competition baggers will take off like it has here in the States, but already the series produced a decent grid of teams for the opening round at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas over the weekend. The paddock and grid saw teams from Australia, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Indonesia as well as USA line up to race. The races both days delivered KotB level action, with races coming down to the final laps and final sprints to the checkered flag.

What Is It With King Of The Baggers?

by Rob Brooks | May 6, 2025 | Industry & Racing | 3 |

A guy standing next to me on the bridge, wearing a black patch-filled biker vest and a Harley-Davidson cap, commented, “The best race is about to begin! I came here specifically for this race today. Why would anyone want to leave now?!” Clearly most folks in attendance agreed with him. Everywhere around the track, for both the Saturday and Sunday races of this class, fans were pressed against the fences, to both see and feel this most remarkable category of motorcycle racing. And they were not disappointed.

MotoAmerica 2024 Wrap-Up at NJMP

by Rob Brooks | Sep 30, 2024 | Industry & Racing | 9 |

The 2024 MotoAmerica motorcycle road racing season ended very differently than it began. Jake Gagne and the Attack Yamaha Racing team were preparing to take a record 4th-in-a-row Superbike championship, Rahal Ducati Moto was predicted to claim the Supersport championship with PJ Jacobsen, Kayla Yaakov and Corey Alexander all contending in the class, early pundits were predicting Kyle Wyman would return the factory Harley-Davidson team to the top rung in the King of the Baggers series, with the other series (Twins Cup, Stock 1000, Super Hooligans, and Junior Cup) all up for grabs.
By season’s end, the landscape looked much different.

Daytona Bike Week 2024: Reflections

by Rob Brooks | Mar 13, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 2 |

I must confess upfront – in all my years of motorcycle riding, with all of the races, rides, regional rallies, etc., I have never personally attended Daytona Beach Bike Week. I’ve just never been a big fan of crowded rallies. The last large “bike week” I attended was in 1999, a rain-soaked Myrtle Beach Bike Week. Never really paid them much attention prior, and haven’t had the desire to return since.
Until this year gave me three good reasons…