Episode 35: Is Harley-Davidson Running Away From King of the Baggers?

Did Harley-Davidson just drop the mic, or did they take their ball and go home? In Episode 35 of the Motorcycle.com Bore & Stroke podcast, Ryan, Dennis, and Troy dive headfirst into Harley-Davidson's decision to pull out of MotoAmerica’s King of the Baggers series to go all-in on the global FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup alongside MotoGP. Is this a classic case of Harley being sore losers after coming up short in the KOTB championship, or is it a calculated strategy to showcase American iron on the international stage? We break down what this seismic move means for the future of MotoAmerica, Indian Motorcycle's lone dominance, and why Dorna and MotoGP are rolling out the red carpet for 200-horsepower heavyweights. In this episode, we cover: The Big Topic: Harley-Davidson exits King of the Baggers for the Bagger World Cup. Strategic global expansion or salty exit strategy? The Domino Effect: What happens to MotoAmerica's most polarizing class without Milwaukee's factory support, and where does Indian go from here? The Return of the Crown: Harley-Davidson brings back the iconic Road King (as the Road King ST)! The Immortal V-Twin: Suzuki’s legendary 645cc V-Twin lives on. Italian High Performance: Ducati's upcoming heat with the next-gen Streetfighter V4 SP and Diavel V4 S. Join the crew for all the hot takes, technical banter, and deep industry analysis! 00:00 Intro 00:34 Advertisement 01:40 Today’s Topic 02:53 Check out our past episodes! 03:54 THE NEWS 04:10 The Harley Road King is coming back — in ST trim 08:44 Road Glide and Street Glide are also back as non ST models 09:46 Suzuki’s bringing the SV650 back, now with the SV-7GX engine 14:13 Some new V4s from Ducati are on the way 17:54 Can-Am Recalls 23:30 Harley-Davidson pulling out of King of the Baggers — Good call or sore losers? 33:07 Advertisement 33:55 Why it makes sense for Harley 39:40 Global-scale impact(s) 47:06 What does MotoAmerica do now? 57:51 What happens with Harley/Bagger World Cup? 1:05:33 What do YOU think about Bagger racing and its future? 1:06:44 Once again - check out our past episodes! 1:08:20 Rate us and/or leave us a comment 1:10:35 Advertisement