Baggers in Barcelona Test with MotoGP

If there was any doubt MotoAmerica King of the Baggers has captured the minds of the racing world and also brought new audiences and attention to American roadracing, Harley-Davidson and Dorna’s announcement that factory Road Glide race machines would join MotoGP for a postseason test has erased it.

“Racing is a core pillar of the Harley-Davidson brand, showcasing our commitment to performance and innovation,” Jochen Zeitz said in a press release. Zeitz is chairman, president, and CEO of Harley-Davidson and he’ll be present at the test after also visiting the Circuit of the Americas round in Austin, Texas, earlier this year. “Partnering with Dorna/MotoGP, we aim to expand our racing footprint globally, fueling the passions of our customers and fans. This MotoGP test is a pivotal first step in realizing these ambitions and demonstrating our dedication to racing excellence.”

Related: MotoAmerica Talent Cup is the American Road to MotoGP

Factory rider Kyle Wyman will lead the test taking place after the final round of the MotoGP series. Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona is hosting the final round and the first test of the 2025 season after the race was moved from its characteristic Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia following historic, catastrophic flooding in the weeks leading up to the event.

“Harley-Davidson is an iconic brand, and we are always interested in ways to partner with them to attract more fans to MotoGP, the most exciting sport on earth,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, in a press release.

Wyman reposted the viral video of Jorge Martín dragging his shoulder in Catalunya’s turn 5 and said, “I just want to reach for an elbow down Monday in this corner. Shoulder not necessary.”

Joining Wyman on track riding the factory race-prepped Road Glides at the test are grand prix racing legends John Hopkins, Marco Melandri, and Simon Crafar, adding significant perspective as well as rider-specific interest in markets outside of Spain.

What the test and potential partnership means has not been made clear and Harley-Davidson had no additional comment. The press releases stated “a media briefing about the future global aspirations of Harley-Davidson racing” would take place.

A Harley-Davidson representative did confirm there is currently no official partnership between H-D and Dorna.

Even with its relatively small grids in MotoAmerica, King of the Baggers has captured the attention of longtime fans and also brought entirely new fans to the series. It’s also the only class with full-factory racing efforts. As of this writing, MotoAmerica had no official comment on the test.

Indian Motorcycle is notably absent.

The expectation would be a fully fledged racing series rather than an exhibition class. Given the nature of the test and the language of the release, it has the appearance of being a Harley-Davidson-only bagger racing series, but, again, there is no confirmation of anything other than Harley-Davidson-mounted world-class riders testing at Catalunya Monday and the promise of more information from the test-day press conference.

Let us know in the comments what you think about the possibility of a world-championship bagger racing series.