Motorcycle News: Harley’s Ready For 2023 King of the Baggers Season

The Harley-Davidson MotoAmerica King of the Baggers racing team is prepared to open the 2023 racing season.

The season starts March 9-11 at Daytona International Speedway, site of the first two rounds of the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers roadracing series. Kyle Wyman and his brother Travis Wyman return to ride the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines. The Harley-Davidson factory team will leave nothing on the track as they fight to bring the championship title back to Milwaukee.

Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines.
Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines.

“In our 120th Anniversary year, we’re coming at it bigger and better than ever before, as we compete to win the championship and bring back the #1 plate to Milwaukee where it belongs,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “Our Screamin’ Eagle factory racing team is ready for the season – and with Kyle and Travis on the track, I’m excited for what is set to be a great season of racing for our community of racers and fans alike.”

The King of the Baggers series offers exciting competition between American V-Twin touring motorcycles prepared for competition and equipped with a fairing/windscreen and saddlebags. The 2023 season will see the King of the Baggers series expanded from seven to 14 races over seven double-header weekends held in conjunction with the MotoAmerica Superbike Series.

Harley-Davidson factory team will be sporting custom designed 120th anniversary race-modified Road Glide motorcycles
Harley-Davidson factory team will be sporting custom designed 120th anniversary race-modified Road Glide motorcycles

A fan feature for the 2023 season is the Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary VIP Ticket Package. Offered as a three-day or one-day package, these special VIP passes include admission with fan zone and paddock access, all the MotoAmerica races including the Mission King of the Baggers practice sessions, qualifying and racing action. Each pass also includes access to premium parking reserved for Harley-Davidson motorcycles on all three days of the race weekend, and participation in Harley-Davidson parade laps around the track on Friday and Saturday.

For the 2023 season, the Harley-Davidson factory team will be sporting custom designed livery, honoring Harley-Davidson’s 120th anniversary aboard their race-modified Road Glide motorcycles, Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.

Kyle (left) and Travis Wyman ready to big a championship title back to Milwaukee
Kyle (left) and Travis Wyman ready to big a championship title back to Milwaukee

Harley-Davidson invites you to kick off the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Today, Harley-Davidson is premiering ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Check it out on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel.

Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Travis Wyman
Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Travis Wyman

The Wyman Brothers
Travis Wyman, the owner of Travis Wyman Racing based in Las Vegas, finished second in points during the 2022 King of the Baggers season, with one race win (Road America) and three second-place finishes. The 31-year-old racer returns for his second full season with the Harley-Davidson factory team.

“I am excited about my second season on the factory H-D team and ready for the expanded schedule this year,” said Travis. “My consistent finishes last year put me in contention for the title going into the last round. With the two-race format, if Saturday does not go well, you get another shot on Sunday rather than waiting for the next race weekend. As other teams get these bikes figured out, I expect the level of competition to be tougher this season. Our Harley team is going to need to be on its game at every race.”

Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Kyle Wyman
Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Kyle Wyman

Kyle Wyman, 33, won three 2022 King of the Baggers races (Atlanta, Monterey and New Jersey) and had two other podium appearances to finish third in season points. Wyman began racing professionally in flat track aboard a Harley-Davidson XR750 and formed Kyle Wyman Racing at the age of 21 to compete at the highest level of professional road racing in the United States. Kyle Wyman is the 2019 Daytona 200 winner. He was King of the Baggers champion in 2021, riding for the Harley-Davidson factory team.

“It will be an honor to represent the Harley-Davidson brand during this 120th Anniversary season,” said Kyle Wyman. “It is incredible to be a part of the enduring history of Harley-Davidson. I’ve spent much of the off season working with the team to further develop our Road Glide race bikes, and I have a lot of confidence going into 2023. We will continue to see lap records fall this season, and everyone on the grid will be quicker.”

Harley-Davidson king of the Baggers race team anticipate a winning season

Available Support
In addition to competing in the series, the H-D Screamin’ Eagle team continues to work directly with MotoAmerica to promote the series by supporting all Harley-Davison competitors. Select performance products developed for the 2022 factory team bikes are available to all qualified racers. Teams should reach out directly to their local Harley-Davidson dealership for availability and pricing.

Top squads expected to run Harley-Davidson bikes at the front of the field include the four-rider Team Saddlemen effort with returning veteran racers Cory West and Patricia Fernandez-West along with Frankie Garcia and class newcomer Jake Lewis, all competing on race-modified Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles, prepared with the assistance of Hoban Brothers Racing. The Vance & Hines Racing team returns to the King of the Baggers series with proven series front runners James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim, also campaigning race-prepared Road Glide motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson is tuned to have a wheel up on the competition this season
Harley-Davidson is tuned to have a wheel up on the competition this season

MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers Contingency
Harley-Davidson will offer more than $185,000 in cash contingency for qualified Harley-Davidson racers competing in the Mission King of the Baggers series, with a contingency payout from first to 10th place in all 14 races and a $35,000 series championship bonus. Terms and conditions apply; please see www.MotoAmerica.com for full details, eligibility requirements and deadlines.

Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine
The Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 is a powerful street-compliant performance engine offered by Harley-Davidson. Built from the bottom up in Milwaukee, this 131-cubic-inch (2147cc) Screamin’ Eagle crate engine delivers 131 ft-lb of torque to the rear wheel, and may be installed in 2017-later Harley-Davidson Touring models. RC

Motorcycle News: Kyle Wyman Leads Harley-Davidson KOB Sweep

Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kyle Wyman led his brother and factory teammate Travis Wyman, and Vance & Hines racer James “Hogspoli” Rispoli to a sweep of the podium positions in the MotoAmerica Mission Foods King of the Baggers race on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. Kyle passed early leader Tyler O’Hara on the second lap of race and crossed the finish line 3.063 seconds ahead of Travis. Rispoli finished third, a half-second ahead of O’Hara’s factory Indian Challenger. Six of the top 10 finishers were aboard Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson King of the Baggers Sweep

Travis Wyman was the fast qualifier on Saturday, setting a new class record of 1:29.748 on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. But it was Kyle Wyman who won the King of the Baggers Mission Challenge 3-lap sprint race and winner-take-all $5,000 purse immediately following Q2. Both factory Harley-Davidson riders started from the front row along with Rispoli.

In the 8-lap King of the Baggers feature race, O’Hara jumped out into the lead from the second row of the grid. But Kyle Wyman kept the pressure on him with inside and outside moves at several points around the course and then passed him cleanly in turn 9 on the second lap. From that point, Kyle broke away and was never challenged for the lead.

Harley-Davidson King of the Baggers Sweep

“It was really greasy out there today, and I was cautious with how the edge grip was,” said Kyle Wyman. “O’Hara lost the rear coming out of turn nine and that allowed me to go by. I was happy to get clear and run my own race and manage the gap to the finish. It’s just great to get a 1-2-3 for Harley-Davidson and to reward the entire Harley-Davidson factory team who made this possible.”

“To come home second to Kyle is pretty amazing,” said Travis Wyman. “We did it the other way around at Road America. And now we’re tied in points. So these last two rounds are going to be pretty awesome for the fans.”

The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Factory Team Road Glide motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines.

Harley-Davidson King of the Baggers Sweep

After five of seven rounds on the 2022 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle and Travis Wyman are tied for second in the series standings with 86 points. O’Hara leads by one point with 87. The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory team returns to the track July 29-31 at the MotoAmerica Superbikes in Minnesota at Brainerd International Raceway.

MotoAmerica King of the Bagger Race Results – Laguna Seca

  • Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
  • Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
  • James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
  • Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Mission Foods/S&S Cycle
  • Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Mission Foods/S&S Cycle
  • Bobby Fong (Ind) Roland Sands Design
  • Taylor Knapp (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
  • Frankie Garcia (Ind) Roland Sands Design
  • Danny Eslick (H-D) Nowaskey Extreme Performance
  • Andrew Lee (H-D) Big Bear Performance
  • Patricia Fernandez (Ind) Saddlemen/Lloyd’z Garage
  • Zack Nation (H-D) Zack Nation Racing Revolution Performance
  • Eric Stahl (H-D) Jiffy Tune Racing

Motorcycle News: Harley’s New King of the Baggers Race Team Debut

A new Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory racing team will compete in MotoAmerica King of the Baggers, a road racing series held in conjunction with the 2021 MotoAmerica HONOS Superbike Series. The team is preparing a Harley-Davidson Road Glide® Special powered by a race-modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine for pro rider Kyle Wyman. In addition to its factory team effort, Harley-Davidson will offer a nearly $30,000 cash contingency program for qualified Harley-Davidson® racers competing in the three-race King of the Baggers series.

King of the Baggers successfully debuted as a one-off MotoAmerica invitational exhibition event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca last October and, after an exciting race, received a positive reception by fans and racers. MotoAmerica will host a three-round King of the Baggers series in 2021 for race-prepared, American V-Twin touring motorcycles equipped with a fairing/windscreen and saddlebags. The series is open to all qualified AMA license holders, with championship points being tallied at each round and a National Champion crowned at season’s end.

Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle King of the Baggers Race team 1

“Competing in the King of the Baggers series gives Harley-Davidson an opportunity to showcase our Screamin’ Eagle® performance products in the heat of competition,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president, and CEO Harley-Davidson. “Nobody knows more about building Harley-Davidson performance than our Screamin’ Eagle engineers. Harley-Davidson created the first factory hot rod baggers, the Road Glide® Special and Street Glide® Special models, for riders craving performance and touring comfort.”

The Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine is the most powerful street-compliant performance engine offered by Harley-Davidson. Built from the bottom up in Milwaukee, this street-tuned, 131-cubic-inch (2147cc) Screamin’ Eagle crate engine delivers 131 ft-lb of torque to the rear wheel as soon as the throttle is cranked, and may be installed in 2017-later Harley-Davidson Touring models.

Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle King of the Baggers Race team 1

Veteran road racer Kyle Wyman, 31 from Macedon, N.Y., formed Kyle Wyman Racing at the age of 21 to compete at the highest level of professional road racing in the United States. He started racing Harley-Davidson XR750s in flat track at the age of 15. Wyman was a contender and won six races in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XR1200 series, he won the Daytona 200 in 2019 and placed seventh overall in 2020 HONOS Superbike series, the premier MotoAmerica road racing class. Wyman is the son of Kim Wyman, owner of Harv’s Harley-Davidson in Macedon.

“I am very excited and honored to be the rider of the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide Special,” said Wyman. “To be a Factory rider for Harley-Davidson is something I’ve dreamed of since I was little, watching my hero Scott Parker win Grand National Championships on the Harley-Davidson XR750. I look forward to our first race at Road Atlanta and competing aboard this amazing machine.”

The MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series kicks off April 30-May 2 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and continues June 11-13 at Road America Elkhart Lake, Wis., and July 9-11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Calif.

CLICK HERE for the 2021 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Series Schedule