LAB-439-Behind the Scenes With Indian's Factory King of the Baggers Team at COTA

From Law Abiding Biker | Street Biker Motorcycle Podcast Ryan Urlacher | Street Biker, Motorcycle Rider

In this episode, Ryan takes us behind the scenes of his trip to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, with Indian Motorcycle for an unforgettable weekend of MotoAmerica racing. Ryan shares what it was like experiencing the event as a guest of Indian Motorcycle, getting an up-close look at the factory racing operation, spending time around the Indian team, and watching some of the fastest bagger motorcycles in the world attack one of America's premier road-racing circuits. We talk about the overall COTA experience and what motorcycle racing looks and feels like when you're able to get closer to the teams, riders, and machines.

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Of course, the big story at COTA was the 2026 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers Championship. Indian Motorcycle factory rider Hayden Gillim arrived in Texas with an opportunity to wrap up the title early, and that's exactly what happened. Gillim captured his eighth victory of the season in Race 1 aboard the Vance & Hines-built Indian Challenger, setting a new King of the Baggers single-season win record. A second-place finish in Race 2 was enough to clinch the 2026 championship with one round remaining. Gillim also made history by becoming the first rider to win King of the Baggers championships for two different manufacturers.

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From Ryan's firsthand experience with Indian Motorcycle at COTA to the factory rivalry between the Indian Challenger and Harley-Davidson Road Glide, we cover the people, motorcycles, racing, and stories that made the 2026 season one to remember. King of the Baggers continues to transform heavyweight American touring motorcycles into legitimate road-racing machines, and the competition between Indian Motorcycle, Harley-Davidson, Vance & Hines, Dynojet, and some of the world's best motorcycle racers keeps pushing the class forward. If you're a Harley or Indian rider, or simply love high-performance American V-twin motorcycles this episode gives you our perspective on the 2026 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season and Ryan's inside look at racing at Circuit of the Americas.

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