Bagger racing

[andyvh1959]

Harley and Indian rule the King of the Baggers racing. No surprise there when it s a two brand racing series. I saw the Baggers racing at Road America and was able to see the bikes in the pits close up. Not stock baggers in any ways for sure. These bikes look like a Bagger from a distance but the closer you get the differences are real obvious; forks, suspension, footpegs in place of floorboards and the footpegs positioned much further back, lower handlebar, raised seat, etc. Basically all methods to get a Bagger closer to a Superbike setup. In the rules book HD is allowed much more mods for the air cooled engine versus the Indian water cooled engine. But the stock Indian engine is already much closer to the racing power level than is a stock HD engine. The rules also require a 635 pound minimum racing weight.

Too bad its just two brand names. If there was a Superstock version of the Baggers program it could open it up the class to the 1700 Vaquero, the Yamaha Eluder, the BMW K16B, the Gold Wing FXB, maybe even a Moto Guzzi MGX21. It would be fun to hear these bikes running fully open exhausts and revving at speeds not common to what we see and hear on the roads.

[RACNRAY]

There is a another organization called bagger Racing League that have additional classes where other brands and engine Styles can run, but unfortunately the aftermarket high-performance industry really hasn't stepped up to the plate for anything other than the Harleys and now the Indians. But the king of the Baggers class does allow flexibility in engine displacement and also allowing turbocharging and supercharging. As I am on my second Indian which is a Challenger the superiority of that engine design proves itself in the rules restrictions which allows the Harleys to run the 131 cubic in crate engine while the Challenger engine is limited to 112 cubic inches. The Challenger engine is in its infancy as compared to the Harley engine and no doubt there is more development being going on across the board

[andyvh1959]

Would be cool if other brands got into the KoB league. But aside of the Yamaha 1800 Eluder I doubt if other brands/engines can make the power and run with the HD and Indian. The VN1700 can make more power than stock by a good measure but I wonder if the bottom end and tranny could withstand the abuse of flat out racing.

[alwhite00]

I'd like to see a Victory Cross county running out there. Probably put em' both on the trailer. ��

[andyvh1959]

Would be, though the Victory would need some engine mods to get closer to the power and torque of the Indian and Harley. A Stage 3 Victory can make about 115hp, still 20 to 30hp lower than both Bagger racing Indians and Harleys.

[spby52]

I really enjoyed the MotoAmerica racing in Atlanta in April...beautiful track and seeing the bikes including baggers in the pits..spoke to both the Harley and the Indian guys about modifications....the only way Harley ever is going to match up is with a water cooled engine..should have built one around the vrod platform...oh well....

[GeorgeHouston]

Sorry for reviving a dead thread but I need reviews on Viking Bags baggers (https://www.vikingbags.com/motorcycle-baggers-bags). Are they any good? I have used the Viking Bags products in the past but nothing pricey so a bit hesitant to pay large sums to Vikings.

[redjay]

I have a Viking trunk that is wrapped in fake leather. It is holding up well but I don't park the bike in the sun for hours on end. Yamaha had an issue with their fake leather covered bags (V Star 1300 and others) splitting at the seams likely due to extensive exposure to the sun. Mine never split but it is parked in a garage when not in use. Rather than replace the bags that had split seams some guys would paint the bags or have them wrapped.

[GeorgeHouston]

Can you share the link? I can't find anything on their website (http://vikingbags.com/) I guess they are closing the store.