H-D Screamin’ Eagle Team Tackles King of the Baggers
A new Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory racing team will compete in MotoAmerica King of the Baggers. It’s the 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, H-D also offers a nearly $30,000 cash contingency program for qualified Harley-Davidson racers competing in the bagger-centric series.
King of the Baggers successfully debuted as a one-off MotoAmerica invitational exhibition event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca last October. After an exciting race, it received a positive reception by fans and racers. MotoAmerica hosts a three-round King of the Baggers series in 2021. The competition focuses on 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. A National Champion gets crowned at season’s end.
“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.”
H-D offers the Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine as the most-powerful street-compliant engine they make. Built in Milwaukee, this street-tuned, Screamin’ Eagle crate engine delivers 131 ft-lb of torque. It may also be installed in 2017-later Harley-Davidson Touring models.
Screamin’ Eagle Pilot
Veteran road racer Kyle Wyman, 31 from Macedon, N.Y., formed Kyle Wyman Racing at the age of 21. Since then, he’s competed at the highest level of professional road racing in the United States. He started flat track racing Harley-Davidson XR750s at the age of 15. Wyman contended and won six races in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XR1200 series. He also won the Daytona 200 in 2019. Additionally, he placed seventh overall in the 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. It continues June 11-13 at Road America Elkhart Lake, Wis., and July 9-11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Calif.
