Rumor: Harley-Davidson Pulling Out of MotoAmerica Bagger Series

by Dean F. Adams

Monday, September 28, 2026

For the record, I've never watched a Bagger race in my entire life. Not one.

Rumors were rampant at the New Jersey round of the MotoAmerica series last weekend that Harley-Davidson has decided to kill its domestic "FACTORY HARLEY-DAVIDSON RACE TEAM" Bagger operation—which is what all their signage, which I could not avoid, proclaimed.

Presumably, Harley-Davidson will continue to support the Harley-only MotoGP support/spec Bagger class.

This comes after roughly six years of Harley racing factory bikes in MotoAmerica’s Bagger class. Throughout that time, Harley’s representatives were absolutely staunch—to the point of obstinate—in pushing one message: BAGGER RACING IS THE FUTURE OF RACING IN AMERICA. Or: BAGGER RACING MAKES MORE SENSE THAN SUPERBIKE IN THE U.S. BECAUSE HARLEY SELLS MORE BAGGERS THAN YAMAHA SELLS R1s.

They were relentless. And, much as they had been with Buell and later the DMG-era XR1200 spec series, the underlying message was always the same: if you didn’t support the class, you simply didn’t understand the modern racing environment.

"You don't get it."

Since there are only two manufacturers in the MotoAmerica Bagger class, this would leave only Indian competing at the factory level next year. There are, of course, independent teams racing Harley-Davidson equipment in the class.

Truly, for MotoAmerica, this must be bizarro-world stuff.

One of MotoAmerica’s stated goals when it was formed was to develop American riders capable of returning to MotoGP. More than a decade later, that has yet to happen with any real success.

And yet a class Rainey and company could scarcely have conceived of in MotoAmerica’s opening seasons—because the basic premise of “let’s leave the saddlebags on ’em” seems so completely counter to that original mission—has become MotoAmerica’s most successful export to MotoGP.

Truly bizarre.