Tag: Baggers
It’s time for Bazball as Herfoss secures a podium finish in a challenging wet race weekend marred by mechanical issues and a title setback.
Defending Moto America King of the Baggers champion Troy Herfoss faced a tough weekend at Road Atlanta in Georgia, where teammate Loris Baz claimed his first victory.
After finishing third in a rain-soaked first race, Herfoss faced a DNF in Race Two, leaving him in fourth place in the standings.
Baz, making waves as a new addition to the series, secured a convincing victory in the first race, overtaking both Herfoss and Kyle Wyman of Harley-Davidson on the final lap to win by just 0.199 seconds.
Disaster nearly struck at the start of Race Two when pole-sitter Wyman seemed unable to engage first gear, resulting in him being stranded on the grid while he scrambled to get his Harley moving. Fortunately, the small grid minimized the impact. However, the situation escalated when Kyle Ohnsorg crashed heavily, causing Rocco Landers’ Harley to collide with the downed Indian and resulting in a red flag.
Following the restart, Wyman and Herfoss led the pack, but Herfoss’ engine failed on the back straight just two laps in. Wyman eventually secured his 21st career Baggers victory, closely followed by Baz in second and Bradley Smith in third.
Herfoss took the weekend’s events in stride, stating, “This weekend has been quite unfortunate for us. We worked hard to find speed for Race Two. I felt good on the bike, but then I noticed some smoke and wheelspin, and realized I was in trouble. It’s a significant points loss, so I have to be fully committed now.”
As a silver lining, Herfoss won the two-lap Challenge sprint, which, while carrying a $5,000 prize, unfortunately does not provide any points. Wyman now has a substantial lead in the championship standings, with the next round taking place at Road America from May 30 to June 1.
Loris Baz – “It shifted from just trying to survive to realizing I was catching up. There were so many close calls; I almost crashed multiple times. I was managing the rear, but my main concern was the front. During the practice laps before the race, I had a bad feeling about the front. I didn’t expect to fight for the win, but after the restart, I noticed others were also struggling. It took time to overtake Troy because of my concerns, but after a couple of laps, I could see I was gaining on Kyle in several spots. I switched from securing second to taking the risk to catch him. I was pleased with my performance despite the tension.”
Kyle Wyman – “It’s too early to talk about the championship yet. Many things may change in the upcoming rounds. I’m focusing on doing my best. I’m proud of my performance in the wet. Typically, I progress slowly, but I was quick to warm up today, which made a difference. I got a good start, and while I thought I had the win halfway through, the rear grip started to fade. I felt strong up front but struggled with the rear. I wasn’t sure about my lap times toward the end, but I believe Loris picked up speed. He was close behind, and I made the cautious choice to take the points rather than risk it.”
Troy Herfoss – “Today wasn’t my day due to some issues with the bike. When Loris passed me, I noticed we had similar issues, but he took more risks. I was aware that I wouldn’t beat Kyle unless I made significant adjustments. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t find the connection with the bike. Working hard in the dry has yielded some progress, but this weekend has highlighted areas for improvement. I hope for some dry conditions in the future to really compete.”
King of the Baggers Standings
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K Wyman | HD | 95 |
| 2 | L Baz | Ind | 61 |
| 3 | B Smith | HD | 52 |
| 4 | T Herfoss | Ind | 44 |
| 5 | T O’Hara | Ind | 34 |
Many might have questioned why Loris Baz took a different path with an Indian motorcycle in this year’s King of the Baggers championship. This category within the MotoAmerica series definitely doesn’t align with the traditional image of motorcycle racing that many have from across the Atlantic…
First and foremost, the motorcycles used—either the Harley Davidson Road Glide or Indian Challenger—are massive machines that aren’t really designed for this kind of racing.
For instance, the Indian motorcycle, which the French rider represents alongside the Australian Troy Herfoss and Californian Tyler O’Hara, exemplifies this.
Starting with a 112 cu-in (1934cc) motorcycle producing 126 hp and 181.4 Nm of torque at 3800 rpm, it weighs in at 372 kg dry. However, mandatory modifications include the removal of rearview mirrors, the kLaxon, the supportdeplaque registration, the box àtools, and the bekeel lateral. Additionally, the security bars must be removed, while thecentral and lateral footpeg supports are required to be welded for safety reasons, with the minimum weight set at 281.23 kg (620 lbs.).
The frame must retain its original structure, which leads to some interesting handling on American tracks, although minor adjustments to increase ground clearance are permitted, and the swingarm can be modified freely. This aspect is often seen as a weak point of the design.
On the other hand, the liquid-cooled, double overhead cam engine, known as PowerPlus, has fewer restrictions, with only the fuel system required to stay stock. Practically every other component, including cylinder heads, camshafts, valves, pistons, connecting rods, and crankshafts, can be upgraded. This opens the door to substantial horsepower gains; we’re likely pushing close to 200 horsepower now, which, while modest relative to the engine size, is significant considering the engine’s design and its racing limits of 7700 rpm (7000 for Harley Davidson).
Safety is crucial, so the minimum weight requirement is set at 281.23 kg (620 lbs.), and top-quality suspension systems (like Öhlins) are allowed, with a budget cap of $8000 for both front and rear. Additionally, there are no price limits for high-end brakes (such as Brembo GP4). On the aerodynamic front, parts may be constructed from carbon fiber while retaining the saddlebags and fork crown, the latter of which can be slightly modified in shape.
Indian 2023
Of course, none of the bikes come with ABS, Traction Control, or a Ride Height Device, and the exhaust system is nearly unrestricted (measuring 115 dB/A at 3000 rpm). With Dunlop slick tires, these beasts are unleashed—more akin to tigers than house cats—at the Daytona circuit, where they can achieve notable improvements in top speed, especially when drafting behind three or four other bikes pushing the air ahead…
According to the highly specialized journalist Sean Bice, Tyler O’Hara ( S&S/Indian Motorcycle) managed to propel his Indian Challenger to an astounding speed of 310 km/h (193.0 mph) on the fourth lap of the eight he completed in the second race of the Mission King Of The Baggers championship at Daytona (officially noted as 304.16 km/h)! This speed surpasses that of the fastest rider in the Daytona 200, which accommodates Panigale V2s!
Did someone say “the world turned upside down”? Regardless, even if Loris Baz had to settle for a speed of 297.88 km/h, he certainly enjoyed the ride…
Thanks for the stunning opening image: @scottodell_motoart
Indian King of the Baggers
The concluding day at Daytona commenced with a 15-minute warm-up for the King of the Baggers 2025
For the first time during this Florida event, the pristine weather was shifting, yet a dry track welcomed the 13 competitors. Among them, 3 opted to play it safe, including the pole sitter and winner of the Race-1 Challenge, Kyle Wyman (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing).
In the absence of the official Harley Davidson, it was initially Hayden Gillim (RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson) who set the pace on his Road Glide, followed by Bradley Smith (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing), who took the lead midway through the session and maintained it.
Ultimately, despite Kyle Wyman‘s strong performance, a trio of Milwaukee motorcycles topped the standings ahead of the trio of official Indians.
Loris Baz finished 5th despite suffering a severe elbow injury, having been thrown to the ground by James Rispoli at the opening of race-1 (watch the video here).
The second race of the King of the Baggers got underway half an hour late, due to prior setbacks with the Daytona 200.
The starting grid for these 8 laps mirrored that of race-1.
Here are the race highlights:
As the red lights extinguished, Loris Baz (S&S/Indian Motorcycle), hindered by a knee injury, lost a position at the first corner but managed to continue. In the second corner, the leader Kyle Wyman slowed down and was overtaken by defending champion Troy Herfoss (S&S/Indian Motorcycle). Was this a tactical move?
Probably, as both riders then accelerated side by side, with James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing), Bradley Smith, and Loris Baz trailing closely behind.
The drafting phenomenon is quite remarkable on the two banking sections used, enabling Kyle Wyman to reclaim the lead before once again surrendering it to Troy Herfoss. As they returned to the Infield, 6 motorcycles battled closely, with Tyler O’Hara (S&S/Indian Motorcycle Indian Challenger) catching up to the detached top 5. This moment saw Bradley Smith, who had been 2nd on Friday, make a slight mistake, but it’s not easy to lift a 300-kilogram motorcycle!
Up until the halfway point, the dynamics were straightforward among the four leading riders: Troy Herfoss and Kyle Wyman exchanged positions multiple times on the banking, closely monitored by James Rispoli and just a bit further back, Loris Baz.
This was when James Rispoli fell again at turn #6. The stewards retrieved his machine, but it refused to restart. This advancement allowed Loris Baz to move up to 3rd place, trailing just behind the two top contenders. Cautiously, #76 avoided getting involved in their duel, focusing on securing his podium spot. While he may have considered attacking in the final entry on the banking, he was still a bit far away.
Ultimately, the situation did not change, and Kyle Wyman successfully withstood the last-minute challenge from Troy Herfoss, securing Harley Davidson its third victory of the weekend.
Daytona Loris Baz King Baggers 2025 Daytona Loris Baz King Baggers 2025
On Friday in Daytona, the opening round of the championship
King of the Baggers 2025 featured the second qualifier, the 2-lap ‘Grid and Go’ Challenge, and the inaugural 8-lap race.
Below are the participants and their machines, a category that may be new to many of our readers.
On Thursday, Kyle Wyman (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing) dominated the first qualifying session ahead of
Loris Baz (S&S/Indian Motorcycle), showcasing a fantastic start from the Frenchman and a balanced duel between Harley Davidson and Indian.
On Friday morning, unlike the previous day, the second qualification, originally set for only 15 minutes, extended to 30 minutes for reasons unknown to us, all under a pristine Florida sky.
For the first 6 minutes, names kept swapping at the top of the leaderboard, until Kyle Wyman became the first to go under the 1’50 mark, ultimately finishing his session at 1’49.383, ahead of Troy Herfoss (S&S/Indian Motorcycle), Loris Baz, and Bradley Smith (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing).
Seeing Kyle Wyman and Troy Herfoss at the top of the table shouldn’t surprise the bookmakers, whereas Loris Baz and Bradley Smith are much more intriguing…
On the track, the tires of these heavy motorcycles were put to the test, even on the front…
Next up was the Grid and Go Challenge, a 2-lap race for the top 6 finishers, purely for fun (and a $5000 prize). The term “Grid and GO” denotes the starting procedure for this race, where racers align on the grid and commence the race immediately without a formation lap.
Starting from 3rd place on the grid, Loris Baz had a terrible start, entering the first corner in last position while Kyle Wyman led in front of Troy Herfoss and James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing). The trio quickly pulled away as the Frenchman engaged in a significant push to seize 4th place.
At the beginning of the second and final lap, Troy Herfoss made a mistake and was overtaken by James Rispoli. Loris Baz found himself battling Tyler O’Hara (S&S/Indian Motorcycle Indian Challenger). The machines twisted in all directions as they approached the ring for the last time, allowing Troy Herfoss to regain 2nd place before the chicane, but James Rispoli reclaimed his spot in the final banking.
Loris Baz ultimately finished 4th, ahead of his Californian teammate Tyler O’Hara, with Bradley Smith, racing under Monaco’s colors, rounding out the field.
You can catch the action starting at 1:56:30 in this video.
Over 3 hours of racing, it was 8 laps that the 13 drivers tackled in the first “real” race of the King of the Baggers.
What if we let you view the highlights of the race, courtesy of the video broadcast by MotoAmerica?
For those pressed for time, keep in mind that only 8 drivers completed the race, and an unfortunate collision occurred between Loris Baz and James Rispoli right from the first corner, with the latter propelling the Frenchman to the ground. Both drivers are fine, but their race ended there.
Unsurprisingly, Kyle Wyman and Troy Herfoss quickly broke away, aided by the incident. The chase was led by Bradley Smith and Tyler O’Hara, but even before completing the first lap, defending champion’s Indian, Troy Herfoss, got stuck in the barriers: a difficult day for the Indians!
Thus, a clear path opened for Kyle Wyman as Bradley Smith capitalized on the position after fending off Cameron Petersen (SDI Racing) for most of the lap.
The sequence of events continued throughout the day’s two meetings, not to forget the Daytona 200 at 19:10 p.m. over 57 laps.
Saturday, March 8, 2025:
15:45 p.m. – 16:00 p.m.: King of the Baggers Warm-up
22:05 p.m.: King of the Baggers Race 2 (8 laps)
Daytona King Baggers 2025
This weekend, from March 6 to 8, 2025, the DAYTONA 200, the 83rd edition of America’s most renowned motorcycle race, will unfold. For over seventy years, this event has presented a challenge to the world’s greatest motorcycle racers, transitioning from the tough sands of Daytona Beach to the iconic “World Center of Racing”!
Among the categories featured this weekend by MotoAmerica, we will certainly keep an eye on the Daytona 200 competing alongside the Supersport, as well as this year’s Mission King of the Baggers. This is due in part to the recent signings of Loris Baz with Indian and Bradley Smith with Harley Davidson. Moreover, this exciting competition is just as intriguing as it is unconventional!
For live coverage of the races and sessions, be sure to check out MotoAmericaLivePlus with a subscription, just like for the rest of the championship. If you’re passionate about these events and need assistance, we might be able to secure a discount like last year. Otherwise, we will provide daily updates on the action while waiting for the videos to be available on YouTube.
Here’s the schedule for the various sessions of interest, noted in French time.
Thursday, March 6, 2025:
16:05 – 16:35: King of the Baggers Practice 1
16:45 – 17:15: Daytona Supersport Practice 1
20:10 – 20:40: King of the Baggers Qualification 1
20:50 – 21:20: Daytona Supersport Qualification 1 Group A
21:30 – 22:00: Daytona Supersport Qualification 1 Group B
Friday, March 7, 2025:
16:10 – 16:40: Daytona Supersport Qualification 2 Group A
16:50 – 17:20: Daytona Supersport Qualification 2 Group B
17:30 – 17:45: King of the Baggers Qualification 2
18:00: King of the Baggers Challenge (2 rounds) Grid and Go
19:15 – 19:30: Daytona Supersport Time Attack
21:05: King of the Baggers Race 1 (8 laps)
Saturday, March 8, 2025:
15:20 – 15:35: Daytona Supersport Warm Up
15:45 – 16:00: King of the Baggers Warm Up
19:10: Daytona 200 (57 laps)
22:05: King of the Baggers Race 2 (8 laps)
As a reminder, last year, Josh Herrin, riding a Ducati, triumphed in the Daytona 200, finishing with a 45-second lead, marking his third victory. The pole sitter, Tyler Scott (Suzuki), secured second place, followed by Hayden Gillim (Suzuki) in third, after Bobby Fong (Suzuki) faced disqualification due to an oversized fuel tank. The race was clouded by controversy surrounding Bobby Fong’s disqualification. Initially in second place, Richie Escalante (Suzuki) ended up fourth after running out of fuel on the final lap.
This year, the contentious sponsor of the triple winner appears to have disappointed him…
In the King of the Baggers event, Kyle Wyman clinched victories in both races aboard a Harley-Davidson Road Glide. The Australian Troy Herfoss (Indian Challenger) finished as the runner-up in both races, with James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson) taking third place.
The official teams for 2025 are as follows:
To jog your memory, here are videos from the 2024 races.
King of the Baggers Course 1:
King of the Baggers Course 2:
Daytona 200:
Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025 Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025 Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025
A 2020 Road Glide Special transformed into a world-class Performance Bagger. The team over at Laidlaw’s Harley-Davidson got …
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F Bomb Baggers showing off two of their 30″ Baggers. One a 2007 the other a Brand New 2015. Check them out on Instagram and …
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The iconic American brand Harley-Davidson created a buzz at the recent MotoGP tests by bringing its renowned baggers to the Barcelona circuit. This venture, a product of collaboration with Dorna, ushers in exciting new possibilities for Harley-Davidson and the motorcycle world championship.
The Harley-Davidson bikes, emblematic of American culture and synonymous with the open road and cruising, are poised to transform their image through a distinctive partnership with MotoGP. These substantial machines, often viewed as detached from competitive track performance, made a remarkable appearance during MotoGP testing at the Montmelò circuit. This move signifies a pivotal moment in the American brand’s strategy for international expansion and a key development for MotoGP’s presence in the North American market.
Harley-Davidson’s presence at Montmelò stems from a partnership with Dorna, the MotoGP organizer, which aims to broaden Harley-Davidson’s appeal beyond U.S. borders while bolstering interest in MotoGP within the United States, a crucial market. This collaboration is also timely with the forthcoming investment from Liberty Media (owner of Formula 1) as the majority stakeholder of Dorna in 2025, reinforcing a global vision for MotoGP.
The highlight of this partnership was the demonstration of the Harley Davidson Road Glide, motorcycles from the King of the Baggers category in MotoAmerica. Weighing close to 280 kilograms, these bikes impressed with their performance capabilities.
Full lap around a slick Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit — @harleydavidson
pic.twitter.com/bcqD2oZSCk— Kyle Wyman (@KyleWyman)
November 21, 2024
These Harley-Davidsons are only 20 seconds slower than a MotoGP bike and 9 seconds behind a Moto3
Clocking a lap time of 1’54 seconds at the Montmelò circuit, these bikes are just 20 seconds off the pace of a MotoGP motorcycle and 9 seconds behind a Moto3, showcasing impressive performance for machines built primarily for road use.
Rider Kyle Wyman of Harley-Davidson Factory Racing demonstrated the bikes’ capabilities, achieving knee-down lean angles, precise cornering, and a top speed of 275 km/h thanks to their twin-cylinder engines generating nearly 180 horsepower.
Renowned riders such as Marco Melandri, Randy Mamola, James Rispoli,
Simon Crafar, and John Hopkins also had the chance to experience these baggers. Melandri praised their power and torque, describing his experience as “fascinating yet intimidating” due to the weight and unconventional ergonomics of these bikes. “The engine is a cannon; the torque reminded me of a Honda V5 engine,” he remarked on
speedweek, appreciating the absence of electronic aids that made riding even more thrilling.
Established in 2020, the King of the Baggers category has quickly gained popularity in the MotoAmerica series. In 2023, it made its first international appearance at the Grand Prix of the Americas, setting the stage for a potential inclusion in the MotoGP schedule. Although nothing is confirmed yet, Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz has expressed a desire to elevate this competition to a global stage.
Through this collaboration, Harley-Davidson and MotoGP are laying the groundwork for a partnership that could redefine motorcycle racing perceptions. By merging the raw strength of baggers with the skills of MotoGP riders, this venture promises to engage a broader audience while bridging the worlds of racing and touring motorcycles. One thing is certain: Harley-Davidson is just getting started in terms of surprises.
