H-D Factory Racing put the performance of its race-prepared 2024 Road Glides on display in a test conducted in conjunction with DORNA, FIM's Madrid, Spain based MotoGP rights holder, at the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in November - a week after the EICMA 'Milan Show' in Italy.
The test took place on November 18, just 24 hours after the 2024 MotoGP season finale. Originally slated for Valencia, the final round of the 2024 MotoGP Championship had been postponed due to the disastrous floods and loss of life just before the race had been due to be held in Valencia.
Barcelona was pressed into action at short notice as an alternate venue where the MotoGP teams "raced for Valencia instead of racing at Valencia". It was set up as a flood relief fund raiser and saw Harley donate a Road Glide for a charity auction.
The test was designed as a Bagger Racing 'proof of concept', with some of the great and the good of past and current MotoGP grids finding out for themselves what all the Bagger Racing Hype was about. By all accounts all involved were very positive about the experience of lapping a course that will often see speeds of over 210 mph (340 km/h) on an albeit much lightened and race-prepared proverbial 800 lb Gorilla from Milwaukee.
The test was the first European MotoGP race circuit appearance for the Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide motorcycles that are raced in the United States. H-D Factory Racing riders Kyle Wyman and James Rispoli piloted their bikes on a tight, fast 4.657 km (2.894 m) 14-turn circuit that is notoriously attritional - hard on men and machines both.
Additional guest riders included former MotoGP and World Superbike pilots, Simon Crafar, John Hopkins, Randy Mamola, and Marco Melandri among others.
"We were riding alongside our heroes and were able to share our body of work with people we respect so much," said Wyman. Rispoli added, "What an amazing day for Harley-Davidson. To be on track at the same weekend as MotoGP was incredible. And to share this project with some legends of the sport was unreal. Their reactions after riding our bikes were priceless."
After Wyman and Rispoli had warmed the bikes up, Crafar, Hopkins, Mamola, and Melandri each took sessions on them and were impressed with the power and performance of the Bagger racing motorcycles.
Mamola in particular reported: "the torque is amazing, and the smoothness. This is why I've loved motorcycles since I was 12 years old. It's a motorcycle. And it's a freaking race bike. Everything is so sweet about the bike. Everything is in the right place. It stops really well, the transmission is insane, and it's smooth. The only difference is she's a big bike."
Marco Melandri said "my laps got better and better as we go. Once I tested the lean angle, I felt much better. It's not so heavy, and not so big when you ride it. And the engine and the torque is amazing." Okay, fair enough, all good.
While overcast and cool conditions prevented outright lap time attacks, Wyman and Rispoli reached measured top speeds of over 171 mph (275 km/h) on the fastest sector of the track. For a Harley, that is really very, very good. Though, for reference, the all-time MotoGP record for the same track was set in the summer of 2024 at 221.46 mph (356.4 km/h).
However, whether carried away on a wave of excitement, or on a wave of fundamentally flawed brand hubris, Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley-Davidson appears to have something spectacularly foolish in mind.
"Racing is a core pillar of the Harley-Davidson brand, showcasing our commitment to performance and innovation," he said. Fair enough. Yes, sure, it somewhat is in the brand DNA but mostly on ovals or drag strips. Nonetheless, Harley's press release on the event went on to quote him as stating that "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 step in realizing these ambitions and demonstrating our dedication to racing excellence."
To judge by further remarks reported from the event, it sounds like the man who made (theoretically) abandoning direct race team operation in favor of supporting dealers one his first decisions on becoming CEO, is now seriously considering trying to engineer the most spectacularly expensive and ill-advised volte face in motorcycle manufacturer racing history.
He appears to be serious (at this stage) about trying to find a formula and deal whereby Harley Baggers can race in Europe and globally in a World Championship series staged at MotoGP rounds. Presumably at select rounds, not all 22 of them, or in all the 18 countries that the series visits (including some that Zeitz pulled Harley out of), but either way the word 'ambitious' doesn't even go near it.
Far-fetched though this might all sound, with MotoGP now coming under the US control of Formula 1 owner Liberty Media, and Liberty Media having not been slow in talking about its desire to see MotoGP "re-Americanized", anything is possible, I guess.
But has anybody told Zeitz how many additional motorcycles Harley would have to be able to make, and then sell, in order to liquidate the investment before it liquidated them? Down the decades, MotoGP has been a mountain where many much better equipped OEMs have gone to die. It's a financial graveyard.
For a man who is said to be a 'Brand Genius' it might also help if they had something more that just T-shirts that the MotoGP demographic might actually like and be able to buy. If this is a trojan horse to bring the low-cost Harley badged bikes built and sold in Asia into Western markets, then great, sure, then there could be an argument.
But nothing like the argument that Zeitz would have to face having with his dealers and existing customer base. Please, someone enrol him on a 'Capitalism 101' course before he is allowed to finally crash the brand completely.
Priority number 1, 2 and 3 right now, the Alpha and Omega of priorities, should be getting serious about helping his dealer network stay in business and his employees staying in work. Not following KTM into potential oblivion.
