Here's What It's Like to Ride Harley's Factory Road Race Bike

True Super Bike

The relatively new King of the Baggers series has quickly attracted a devoted group of followers, which is understandable considering how darn cool it is to watch giant baggers duke it out on the track at high speeds. That series has also spawned Harley's latest factory racing machine - the Screamin' Eagle Road Glide - a true super bike that Motorcycle.com's Road Test Editor, Troy Siahaan recently got to take for a spin.

Spare Time Build

King of the Baggers started as a mere exhibition race back in 2020, though it elicited such a massive reaction from fans that MotoAmerica decided to expand it into a three-race series in 2021. A mere four months before the first outing, Harley decided to go all-in and develop build a bike to compete in the event, though its engineers had to do all of that work in their spare time.

Shedding Weight

The goal, according to Jason Kehl, Harley-Davidson Engineering Manager, was to "make the bike feel as close to a sportbike as possible" - a truly daunting task to complete in just a few months. That process included getting rid of as much weight as possible by shedding unnecessary gear like mirrors, lights, ABS, and the Road Glide's infotainment system.

Less Weight, More Power

Those changes, along with carbon fiber bodywork and a billet swingarm - shed 207 pounds from the stock Road Glide, as the racing version tips the scales at just 635 pounds. The rest of the job was fairly simple, as Harley added its 131ci (2,146cc) V-Twin crate engine to the bike, albeit with a few tweaks to make it more suitable for the track. Total output comes in at 150 horsepower and 120 pound-feet of torque, which is a lot.

Special Suspension

Öhlins developed an entirely new suspension for the special bagger consisting of its FGR 250 Superbike Forks and special shocks, which are now available to purchase via the Screamin' Eagle catalog, while Brembo calipers and 310mm rotors slow the whole thing down. Amazingly, it took a mere three months to create the bike that would go on to experience great success in its first season.

Tall and Nimble

So the only question left to answer is, what's it like to ride? After slinging it around the Motorsports Ranch in Wilcox, Arizona, Siahaan came away quite impressed. "If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was on a naked sportbike, not a tricked-out Road Glide," he said. "My second thought was 'no bike this big has any right being this nimble.' My first? 'Damn, this thing is tall.'"

Frame of Reference

With loads of power on tap and equally powerful brakes to bring it all to a halt, the racing version of the Road Glide provides quite a visceral experience on the track, as our test rider quickly discovered. "Having the benefit of experience on my side usually gives me some frame of reference whenever I ride a new motorcycle," he said. "Not this time. Granted, I’ve raced a Harley-Davidson before, but that doesn’t even come close. The XR1200 was awful in so many ways. This, though, was mesmerizing."

>>Join in the conversation about the Road Glide right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

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