King of the Baggers is one of those race series you've got to see in person, as nothing on TV or social media delivers the same visceral experience as a full grid of 700-pound behemoths race toward the first turn and, somehow, make it. They're loud, they're obnoxious, and these gorillas somehow dance around as if they were petite ballerinas that weigh as much as their tutus.
This year's season was clinched by Indian Motorcycle, while last year's was taken by Harley-Davidson. And that's been the sort of off-and-on relationship to the championship since the series was founded about six years ago. Back and forth between the brands, though with factory and privateer teams also switching it up throughout. Again, this series is all about spectacle and noise and grunt and a rivalry—sometimes friendly, sometimes not—between these two distinctly American brands.
That, however, could all be coming to an end, as while Harley-Davidson hasn't declared what its intentions are for the 2027 season, its factory-backed riders seem to be hinting that the Motor Co. isn't returning to the grind come next year. And for American bagger fans, that'll be a gut punch, to say the least.
Now, myself and the rest of the internet could be reading too much into this. Again, Harley hasn't said what its plans are outright, and we all could be getting worked up for nothing. But I want you all to read Kyle Wyman's words, who is the lead Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Race Team rider, which he gave at the end of the season at New Jersey Motorsports Park, in which Wyman came in 4th in the first race, and 1st in the second.
"This team has changed my life and changed my career. This one’s going to feel really good for a long time," said Wyman, adding, "How can you sum up what we’ve done with this program? You just can’t. We’ve created a lot of memories and impacted a lot of people in a positive way. I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group. I want to give a huge thanks to Harley-Davidson, to all of our partners and our fans. The fans have been incredible. It’s great to give them one more win."
The finality in his words seem prescient, don't you think? As if he's closing a chapter that he can't quite publicly state just yet, but undoubtedly knows is coming. Again, this also could be that Wyman is just closing out the season. But Road Race Report quoted Wyman's teammate Bradley Smith—who ended in P2 in the overall championship—as saying there were some changes coming that might require him to "look elsewhere for next year." It's unclear what he meant, but given he snatched second overall, I wouldn't imagine that Harley would be looking to outright replace him at the team.
That has led many to speculate that Harley-Davidson could be looking to just focus on its recently announced partnership with MotoGP and its recently introduced Bagger World Cup, a single-make series that's sponsored and raced exclusively by Harley-Davidson. And, honestly, it makes a lot of sense.
MotoGP's new owners, Liberty Media, are desperate to make waves here in the States with the series. Harley-Davidson is as iconic an American brand as you can get. Having them as a support series, and possibly giving them some further commercial time on air to bring in more Americans, could be a great move. Not only for MotoGP, but also for Harley-Davidson, which has been suffering abroad in recent years due to it being a tariff pawn in the great world economic game. Moreover, MotoGP, even its support series', have far larger audiences than motorcycle racing here in the States.
But again, nothing has been confirmed. Everything is rumors and gossip. Wyman and Smith's comments, however, are interesting to ponder, though.
