Inspiration Friday: Harley-Davidson Milwaukee-Eight 131 Racing

Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kyle Wyman led his brother and factory teammate Travis Wyman, and Vance & Hines racer James “Hogspoli” Rispoli to a sweep of the podium positions in the MotoAmerica Mission Foods King of the Baggers race on Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. Kyle passed early leader Tyler O’Hara on the second lap of race and crossed the finish line 3.063 seconds ahead of Travis. Rispoli finished third, a half-second ahead of O’Hara’s factory Indian Challenger. Six of the top 10 finishers were aboard Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Travis Wyman was the fast qualifier on Saturday, setting a new class record of 1:29.748 on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. But it was Kyle Wyman who won the King of the Baggers Mission Challenge 3-lap sprint race and winner-take-all $5,000 purse immediately following Q2. Both factory Harley-Davidson riders started from the front row along with Rispoli.

In the 8-lap King of the Baggers feature race, O’Hara jumped out into the lead from the second row of the grid. But Kyle Wyman kept the pressure on him with inside and outside moves at several points around the course and then passed him cleanly in turn 9 on the second lap. From that point, Kyle broke away and was never challenged for the lead.

“It was really greasy out there today, and I was cautious with how the edge grip was,” said Kyle Wyman. “O’Hara lost the rear coming out of turn nine and that allowed me to go by. I was happy to get clear and run my own race and manage the gap to the finish. It’s just great to get a 1-2-3 for Harley-Davidson and to reward the entire Harley-Davidson factory team who made this possible.”

“To come home second to Kyle is pretty amazing,” said Travis Wyman. “We did it the other way around at Road America. And now we’re tied in points. So these last two rounds are going to be pretty awesome for the fans.”

The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Factory Team Road Glide motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines.

After five of seven rounds on the 2022 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle and Travis Wyman are tied for second in the series standings with 86 points. O’Hara leads by one point with 87. The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory team returns to the track July 29-31 at the MotoAmerica Superbikes in Minnesota at Brainerd International Raceway.

MotoAmerica King of the Bagger Race Results – Laguna Seca

1. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
2. Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
3. James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
4. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Mission Foods/S&S Cycle
5. Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Mission Foods/S&S Cycle
6. Bobby Fong (Ind) Roland Sands Design
7. Taylor Knapp (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
8. Frankie Garcia (Ind) Roland Sands Design
9. Danny Eslick (H-D) Nowaskey Extreme Performance
10. Andrew Lee (H-D) Big Bear Performance
11. Patricia Fernandez (Ind) Saddlemen/Lloyd’z Garage
12. Zack Nation (H-D) Zack Nation Racing Revolution Performance
13. Eric Stahl (H-D) Jiffy Tune Racing

The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory racing team will return to the track in 2022 to defend its MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers road racing series championship.

The team will field returning riders Kyle Wyman (#1), the 2021 Mission King of the Baggers champion, and his brother Travis Wyman (#10) aboard race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by race modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines.

The MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series features American V-Twin touring motorcycles prepared for competition and equipped with a fairing/windscreen and saddlebags. The seven-race series, with each round held in conjunction with the MotoAmerica Superbike Series, opens with a doubleheader on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, March 10-12.

“The MotoAmerica King of the Baggers race series provides exciting racing on motorcycles everyone can relate to,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “For Harley-Davidson, King of the Baggers is also an opportunity to demonstrate the championship winning capabilities of our industry-leading performance baggers and to showcase our Screamin’ Eagle performance products and engineering capabilities. The lessons we learn on the track benefit the performance parts we develop for Harley-Davidson customers around the world.”

In addition to competing in the series, the H-D Screamin’ Eagle team is happy to announce that they are working directly with MotoAmerica to promote the series by supporting all Harley-Davidson competitors. Select performance products developed for the 2021 championship bike are now available to all qualified racers. Teams should reach out directly to their local Harley-Davidson dealership for availability and pricing.

Fast Brothers

Kyle and Travis Wyman are the sons of Kim Wyman, owner of Harv’s Harley-Davidson in Macedon, N.Y. and grew up around Harley-Davidson and flat track racing.

Veteran road racer Kyle Wyman, 32, scored two wins and a second-place finish in the three-race 2021 Mission King of the Baggers series, notching 70 points to lead scoring by 25 points.

Wyman began racing professionally in flat track aboard a Harley-Davidson XR750 and formed Kyle Wyman Racing at the age of 21 to compete at the highest level of professional road racing in the United States. He won the Daytona 200 in 2019 and in addition to winning the Mission King of the Baggers crown placed ninth in 2021 HONOS Superbike series. In 2022 Wyman will not compete in Superbike and will focus his full attention on defending the King of the Baggers championship with the Factory Harley-Davidson team.

“I’m really eager to be defending this championship with the Harley-Davidson Factory Team,” said Kyle Wyman. “The longer season is going to require us to be prepared to be consistent and for the bikes to be durable and reliable, because it’s still a short enough schedule that one bad result can be very significant in the points race.

“Starting the season with a doubleheader at Daytona will be a special challenge because we’ve never raced these bikes on the high banks, which requires such an extended run at sustained high RPM,” said Kyle.

Travis Wyman is the owner of Travis Wyman Racing, based in Las Vegas. The 30-year-old racer finished the 2021 MotoAmerica season in second place in the Stock 1000 series, and fifth place in the Mission King of the Baggers series after scoring second and fourth-place finishes in only two attempts, and 11th place in the HONOS Superbike series.

“Having joined the Harley-Davidson Factory Team mid-season last year and with limited seat time, I was a little behind the curve,” said Travis. “Now I’ve had a chance to gel with the team and I understand how to go fast on this bike, and this year I expect to be racing with Kyle for the championship. With the expanded schedule I’ll also have a chance to race on some tracks I’ve done well at in the past, including Daytona and Road Atlanta. It should be an exciting season.”

Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle VIP Package

Harley-Davidson riders and fans can join defending champion Kyle Wyman, Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team as they kick off the King of the Baggers season on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway during Daytona Bike Week.

The Harley-Davidson VIP Ticket Package includes a seat to see all of the action along with exclusive Harley-Davidson perks including premium parking and the unique opportunity to ride your Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Daytona International Speedway.

The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle VIP Ticket Package includes:

• 3-Day Pass: Admission to all of the MotoAmerica racing including Mission King of the Baggers and the 80th running of the Daytona 200. See practice runs, qualifiers, and all of the races.
• Exclusive Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Parking: Access premium parking reserved for Harley-Davidson motorcycles on all three days of the event.
• Harley-Davidson Track Walk: Get up-close and personal with the legendary banks of Daytona with a track walk and guided tour provided by the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle King of the Baggers race team.
• Harley-Davidson Parade Lap: Strap on your helmet, and ride two laps around Daytona International Speedway on your Harley-Davidson motorcycle with fellow H-D enthusiasts.

About the Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine: The Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 is the most-powerful street-compliant performance engine offered by Harley-Davidson. Built from the bottom up in Milwaukee, this 131-cubic-inch (2147cc) Screamin’ Eagle crate engine delivers 131 ft-lb of torque to the rear wheel, and may be installed in 2017-later Harley-Davidson Touring models.

MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers Contingency

Harley-Davidson will offer a $110,000 cash contingency program for qualified Harley-Davidson racers competing in the Mission King of the Baggers series, with a contingency payout from first to 10th place and a $35,000 championship bonus. New for 2022, all contingency place payouts earned by H-D Screamin’ Eagle factory team riders will be redistributed to qualified place winners making more contingency available to private teams. Terms and conditions apply; please see www.MotoAmerica.com for full details, eligibility requirements and deadlines.

2022 Mission King of the Baggers Schedule

• March 10-12: (Doubleheader) Daytona International Raceway – Daytona Beach, FL.
• April 22-24: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Braselton, GA.
• June 3-5: Road America – Elkhart Lake, WI.
• July 8-10: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, CA.
• July 29-31: Brainerd International Raceway – Brainerd, MN.
• September 9-11: New Jersey Motorsports Park – Millville, NJ.

Harley-Davidson today revealed the new Apex factory custom paint option for select Harley-Davidson Grand American Touring models. The dynamic new paint scheme debuts at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Apex custom paint is inspired by the long and successful competition history of Harley-Davidson, the world’s most iconic motorcycle brand. A racing legacy established more than a century ago in hill climbs, enduros, and fairground flat tracks continues today as the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory team defends its 2021 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers championship.

“Apex factory custom paint gives riders the opportunity to express the thrill of speed and competition on the bodywork of their bagger,” said Brad Richards, VP of Design and Creative Director – Motorcycles. “This paint scheme communicates velocity and forward momentum with lines and colors inspired by Harley-Davidson competition motorcycles.”

The Apex paint scheme features a graphic outline on the fuel tank which mimics the shape of the tank on the legendary Harley-Davidson XR750 flat track racing motorcycle. On models with a fairing the graphic sweeps back to align with the tank graphic and leads with an angle that suggests speed. The lines on the front fender connect visually to those on the side covers and saddlebags, creating a flowing effect. When viewed in profile, the motorcycle appears to be in motion.

The color scheme starts with a base of Vivid Black paint. A graphic element adds Gauntlet Gray panels surrounded by an accent stripe of Jet Fire Orange – the original color applied to the XR750 competition models. Each panel is designed with inner drop shadows and a subtle Bar & Shield pattern that fades in and out throughout the scheme. This fade effect was inspired by the checkered fade seen on Harley-Davidson Factory Team race bikes. Clear coat paint is applied as a final layer. The Apex custom paint is applied in-house at Harley-Davidson York Vehicle Assembly and Harley-Davidson Tomahawk Operations.

The Apex custom paint will be offered globally for the remainder of the 2022 model ordering period as a factory-installed option for nine Harley-Davidson Grand American Touring models:

• Road King Special model
• Street Glide Special model (Chrome and Black trim versions)
• Ultra Limited model (Chrome and Black trim versions)
• Road Glide Limited model (Chrome and Black trim versions)
• Road Glide Special model (Chrome and Black trim versions)

Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories will offer Tour-Pak luggage carriers and custom front fenders painted to match the Apex paint scheme. This will allow riders to further customize a motorcycle ordered with Apex factory custom paint.