Indian Motorcycle is calling on Honda, BMW and Ducati to join MotoAmerica’s King of the Baggers championship. The invitation comes as Indian looks to strengthen the grid after Harley-Davidson withdrew its factory racing effort, ending the series’ defining manufacturer rivalry in its current form.

Indian Motorcycle CEO Mike Kennedy says the company wants competition that extends beyond a two-brand American contest. He argues that racing only has real meaning when the result is not guaranteed, and that Indian is prepared to accept losing some races if stronger opposition gives its victories greater value. “We want to race against the best,” Kennedy said, regardless of who builds the motorcycle.

Indian has previously criticised Harley-Davidson’s decision to step away, but its latest position is not simply a request for another rival. Since King of the Baggers began, the championship has largely revolved around two historic American manufacturers and their large V-twin motorcycles. That Indian-versus-Harley-Davidson dynamic also helped shape the atmosphere around the races, with strongly partisan crowds adding to the spectacle.

A wider grid could arrive in 2027

MotoAmerica is already working on revised regulations for the 2027 season, with the aim of allowing more manufacturers to enter King of the Baggers. Any new motorcycle and team would still have to meet the championship’s technical and competitive requirements, so the regulatory changes would not amount to an automatic invitation to the starting grid.

At the same time, Indian has announced factory support for up to 10 teams across the 2027 and 2028 seasons. That commitment gives the manufacturer a direct financial role in expanding the field, rather than leaving the growth of the category entirely to independent teams or potential rivals. It also suggests that Indian sees a larger grid as valuable even if a more competitive championship makes its own path to victory less predictable.

The possible newcomers would bring very different motorcycles to a category currently dominated by American V-twin machinery. A race-prepared Ducati Diavel could give the grid a distinctly different character, while Triumph’s large Rocket 3 has the physical presence to sit beside an Indian Challenger. Honda and BMW are also among the manufacturers Indian has named in its invitation.

Ducati, Honda, BMW and Triumph have not announced King of the Baggers entries or a racing programme for the championship. Their participation therefore remains a possibility rather than a confirmed development. Indian has made its position clear and is putting money behind that ambition; the next decision belongs to the manufacturers being asked to take up the challenge.