Indian Motorcycle CEO hits back at Harley-Davidson over King of the Baggers exit

Indian Motorcycle CEO Mike Kennedy has hit back at Harley-Davidson’s decision to pull its factory team and official support from the King of the Baggers (KoTB) championship, saying the move risks taking away one of the most important rivalries in American V-twin racing.

Harley-Davidson announced last week that it would end its factory King of the Baggers programme after the 2026 season, choosing instead to concentrate its racing efforts on the FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup (BWC) from 2027. 

The new series is built around Harley-Davidson Road Glide machinery, meaning the company will no longer go head-to-head with Indian in MotoAmerica’s two-horse bagger championship.

MotoAmerica subsequently said it was disappointed by the decision and its timing, adding that it was exploring options for the future of the class. The championship has effectively been built around the rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian, with the two manufacturers sharing six titles since KoTB became a full-time series.

Now Kennedy has given Indian’s response, and there is little doubt where the company stands.

“We are disappointed that Harley-Davidson would quit American bagger racing and walk away from something that has unified so many American V-twin riders regardless of which brand of motorcycle they ride,” said Kennedy.

The Indian boss argues that the rivalry itself is what makes KoTB work, rather than simply providing a platform for either manufacturer to promote its motorcycles.

“Rivalry, and the inherent possibility of losing, is what makes competition truly meaningful and what drives brands to rise up, innovate and prevail,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s our industry and American V-twin riders that benefit most from this.”

That is a fairly direct message from Indian, particularly given the circumstances surrounding the 2026 championship. Indian has just completed its strongest KOTB season to date, with Hayden Gillim securing the title and setting a new single-season record with eight wins. Indian also finished the campaign with 10 race victories and a podium sweep in Race 1 at the New Jersey finale.

Harley-Davidson, meanwhile, has pointed to a change in its overall racing strategy rather than simply abandoning bagger racing. The company says the Bagger World Cup will be expanded for 2027, while it also intends to increase its focus on grassroots racing.

There is, therefore, a slightly awkward situation developing. Harley says it is investing in bagger racing, just not the particular version of bagger racing where it has to race Indian. And Indian is making it clear that it has no intention of following Harley out of the MotoAmerica paddock.

“Our path remains unchanged,” Kennedy said. “Indian Motorcycle remains committed to partnering with MotoAmerica in an effort to continue one of the greatest competitive spectacles in V-Twin Motorcycling; pure competition where the only guaranteed winners are the fans and V-twin riders.”

The irony of all this is that Harley’s own statement about leaving KoTB acknowledged the importance of Indian to its success. Harley-Davidson Factory Racing technical director and team principal Jason Kehl described Indian as a “fierce” rival and said having a competitor that consistently pushed Harley to improve had made its own victories all the more meaningful.

Kennedy is effectively making the same argument from the other side of the fence: without a genuine rival, winning means rather less to the riders, the teams and the fans.

It also marks another chapter in what has become an increasingly public spat between the two American V-twin manufacturers. Earlier this year, Indian found itself responding to allegations surrounding an anti-Harley influencer campaign, with the company defending its right to compete aggressively against its long-standing rival.

This time, though, the argument is less about advertising and more about racing. Indian wants Harley back on the grid, and it is making no secret of the fact that beating Harley is considerably more satisfying than simply winning by default.

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