How to build a ‘King of the Baggers’

Jamie Scholter’s build replicates one of the fastest and most powerful Harley-Davidson^® race bikes ever built…

Words: Jeremy Pick

The King of the Baggers race series has exploded in popularity on both sides of the Atlantic since the first series in 2021. The jaw-dropping sight of tricked-up cruisers with enough power and torque to compete on a World Superbike grid battling handlebar to handlebar at some of the greatest race tracks in the US is a spectacle that has captured the imagination of millions.

Inspired by the King of the Baggers series and 2021 season winner Kyle Wyman from Harley-Davidson Factory Racing, Nottingham-based Jamie Scholter set out to build a replica of Wyman’s race bike. This project was never going to be just a cosmetic makeover of a Road Glide® however; 38-year-old Jamie has an extensive history of racing and track bikes, growing up in a bike racing family and having owned dedicated track bikes and having raced on the classic bike racing circuit for years.

A visit to local dealer Robin Hood Harley-Davidson® in 2015 led to Jamie purchasing a Sportster® 48 and then later a Fat Bob®. While taking in the Fat Bob for a service, Jamie took a Road Glide out for a demo and quickly realised the powerful tourer was much more suited to his riding style and needs, so a deal was done for a 2022 model.

How does the bike perform now? “It’s amazing – like night and day compared to the standard Road Glide, which is already a powerful bike,” says Jamie. “The changes I’ve made mean I am as comfortable on it as a sports bike and it can be thrown around the twisties with complete confidence, especially considering it is a 400kg bike, or a little less with the modifications.

“It is definitely ‘ridden not hidden’ as well; I have put 12,000 miles on it from new and I use it for everything from going to the gym to riding it to site meetings or taking my wife out to lunch. I just rode it to and from the European H.O.G.® Rally in Senigallia with some friends from Sherwood Chapter, which was fantastic, so although the changes have been racetrack focused it is still very much a touring bike and it performs perfectly in that regard.”

The bike will be on show on the Harley-Davidson UK stand at the MotoGP at Silverstone at the beginning of August, where it will be displayed alongside a stock Road Glide and an actual King of the Baggers race bike.

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