Bagger Racing. That's right folks. In further proof that if humans get ahold of at least two “things that go,” they will find some way to race 'em every single time, I present you with the Bagger Racing League. These ain't your grandpa's tourbikes by any stretch of the imagination as they roll with engine performance and potential lean angles that will quickly embarrass one of what you might call a “traditional” bagger. These high-performance machines butted heads from June 25th through the 27th at the first-ever Battle of the Baggers that was brought to us by aftermarket giant Drag Specialties at the Utah Motorsports Complex, where it was well received to say the least.

Battle of the baggers

The entire weekend was electric, says League founder Rob Buydos. “There was a real feeling of witnessing something unique and historic. The races were dynamite, and we couldn't be happier with the outpouring of support from both fans and the motorsports industry as a whole.}, and we couldn't be happier with the outpouring of support from both fans and the motorsports industry as a whole.}”

Needless to say, I reckon this bodes well for the future of this nascent racing league. Another big draw, at least for the Americans both at the venue and watching on their devices via the FITE app that lets you watch it live, or pull it out of the archive to view at your leisure.

This race was billed as a further test between the two American manufacturers, Indian and Harley-Davidson, as they jockey for the top slot. Perhaps many looked to this new racing format for redemption after the absolute shellacking Indian's Wrecking Crew race team doled out not just on Harley, but the rest of the flat-track world in recent years. Those people were disappointed. There were only two race brackets that had an Indian present in an absolute sea of Harleys.

Indian vs Harley showdowns

First up, there's the Custom Dynamics Bagger GP that saw Michael Barnes take the tall podium on an Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special over Tyler O'Hara who scored silver on an Indian Challenger. Secondly, the NAMZ Big Twin race finished with Rennie Scaysbrook at the top on his Indian Chief with Sean Ungvarsky in second on an H-D FXLR.

In conclusion, the only races between the two produced a 1-and-1 result – a tie. However, considering the attention this event garnered, I expect to see more participation from the Indian sector moving forward, if for no other reason than to make the field more competitive as these two foes from antiquity duke it out on yet another surface on a new platform.

Harley vs Indian, who wins the battle of the baggers? That's still to be determined.

Further Reading

Harley-Davidson

Read more Harley-Davidson news.

Indian Motorcycle

Read more Indian Motorcycle news.