[cycleworld.com] - What Will the Future of Bagger Racing Be?

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Many a motorcycle racing purist has made fun of bagger racing, but Kevin Cameron sees many similarities to early Superbike racing.

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Kevin Cameron has been writing about motorcycles for nearly 50 years, first for Cycle magazine and, since 1992, for Cycle World. (Robert Martin/)A fair number of people make fun of the Baggers class, but that was true of Superbikes in their day. In Europe they were derided as “diesels” and in the US they were “sofas” or “buses.” Others suggest Baggers are here today, gone tomorrow. That was true of the AMA’s two production-based Harley-Davidson classes, beginning with the 883 class (which gave a number of future champions their start) and, later, the 1200 Sportster class.

Purity is all very well—at one time that meant the FIM classes created in 1949: 125, 250, 350, and 500 (plus sidecar). Then beginning in 2002, that was changed to the present Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP format—all powered by four-strokes, and with Moto2 having a spec Triumph triple engine.


Bagger racing has had a positive effect on the race attendance and aftermarket sales. (Brian J. Nelson/MotoAmerica/)In the US, purity before “The Big Change” that began in 2009 also meant an all-four-stroke format: 600 and 750 Supersports plus Superbike. Is there a “should” with regard to motorcycle racing? Is there a “right kind” of motorcycle racing?

After the economic rumble-tummy of 2008, sales of motorcycles in the US dropped 60 percent and sportbike sales nearly disappeared. How’s that for a sales shock? The 600s that had enjoyed annual sales of 20,000 units at one major brand dropped to 20 units. Will that influence production-based racing classes? In other words, where does “purity” go when the basis for it leaves the market? Vintage racing?

Earlier, in the US, racing was U-Build-It. You started with a BSA Gold Star or Triumph 500 twin or Harley WR/KR, and you bought and/or made speed parts to build it into a racer.* In the process, you became a decent machinist, welder, and fabricator. Also mechanic plus engine and chassis tuner.




As time passed, fewer people had the skills or ambition for that well-traveled road, so here came the production racer era. Yamaha was the big provider, offering the little twin TA125, the bigger twins TZ250 and 350, plus the “too much of everything” (KR’s words) TZ750.

In other words, racing changes because the nature of the motorcycles we ride changes. Baggers may be gone in a couple of years, or they may keep on keepin’ on; who knows? Right now, people are having fun with it and big corporations (Harley-Davidson’s annual gross is close to 6 billion and Polaris Inc.’s is between 7 and 8 billion) are finding it worth having actual factory race teams, giant transport trucks, and large staffs. Why should they be pretending it’s the 1990s and trying to sell sportbikes?

Some critics whinge that the baggers are expensive. Reality check:

1. Is there any affordable racing?
2. Is there affordable racing that gets the grandstand and market attention Baggers is getting? Öhlins is selling a ton of those Baggers twin-shock setups with the gleaming gold reservoirs that twinkle betwixt seat and bags—for street Harleys.
3. Anyone care to pick up the expenses for a small Superbike team that is not dead slow?

Right now, Baggers races are short (two eight-lappers at Road Atlanta last weekend). So were the early Superbike events—typically 50 miles. I used to see the holed crankcase sets, stacked for rubbish pickup outside the Daytona Superbike garages in the 1976–1982 era. Con-rods broke. Bearings spun. Valves dropped in.


Look at the trickness of a MotoAmerica King of the Baggers racebike and compare that to those in the Superbike class; they are more similar than you may first think. (Harley-Davidson/)Baggers now have rev limits: 7,000 for the Harleys, 7,700 for the smaller-displacement Indians. Before those limits there were some smoky blowups and long track cleanup delays. Delays are deal breakers for television. Eight laps at Road Atlanta are just over 20 miles.

Even in such short races there is visible tire fatigue. In Superbike and MotoGP the rider’s weight is roughly half that of the bike, so by hanging off to the inside in corners, their riders can conserve their vulnerable tire edges by deliberately holding the bike more upright. But with a 620-pound weight minimum, the 175 pounds of rider, racing suit, boots, and helmet is between a quarter and a third of the bike’s weight. That makes hanging off less effective in protecting the tire edges. On track, you can see it.

The highlight at Atlanta was Race 2, taking place on a mostly-dry-but-blotchy track, with enough water here and there to raise modest spray. 2023 champion Hayden Gillim (H-D) took the lead at the first corner. The plan: Get away first plus pulling an early lead could be best if you’re on rain tires (all the Harleys were). Use the grip while it exists, then let the strivers burn up their tires trying to catch you.

Alas, the Indians were on slicks and Troy Herfoss (years of Australian Superbike experience) just up and motored past Gillim to win by 14 seconds. Gillim, meanwhile, had work to do just staying with Max Flinders (Mad Monkey Motorsports Indian). Down through the esses on L5, Flinders’ rear tire let go on a long stripe of wetness. But the magic of Baggers is that Flinders’ tire regained grip, the bike was too heavy to high-side, so after that sideways snap the action died away. Onward to a podium finish!

Tyler O’Hara (Indian, on slicks) had meanwhile cruised past the dueling pair and out of sight. It was Herfoss by 14 seconds.

Slicks work well on a dryish mixed-conditions track. Adding interest on the same weekend was the World Supers Assen ride of Nicholas Spinelli (standing in for the injured Danilo Petrucci). He chose a Pirelli intermediate tire and was able to blaze away from the field to the tune of 25 seconds in Race 1.

What is an intermediate tire? In the Pirelli case, it is a rain tire with half as many drainage grooves, stiffening its tread considerably and making it cooler-running. Intermediates were often used back in the 500 two-stroke days, but today, GP tire people dismiss them as unnecessary. Didn’t look unnecessary to Spinelli!

Baggers racing continues to have my interest because it’s a happening class, making leaps of lap-time progress.