started doing the H.O.G. Mem-
ber Experience at the races, and
that kept building and building.
"Harley-Davidson has been a
big part of American Flat Track
for a long time. And at the end
of the day, I just want to help
grow the sport. I feel like Bran
-
don and I, with the success we
had, did a good job as spokes-
people for our teams and for
the whole thing. We want to get
people back involved. And it felt
like we did bring some excite-
ment back for those people who
love the brand. That was cool."
Out of the shadows and the
underdog no more. No longer
a bike before its time nor out
of time, the Harley-Davidson
XG750R is now.
CN
the sport is now."
There was also the added bo-
nus of reawakening the legions
of hardcore Harley-Davidson flat
track fans who had been starved
for success since the halcyon
days of the XR750.
"The black and orange—that's
definitely a real thing," Robinson
said. "It had been a while. Even
after a ton of years on the Indian,
you never get the same feeling
as you did when you were riding
a Harley. It was good to bring
those fans back, to see that sort
of excitement and enthusiasm."
Bauman said, "We got that
first win, and it kind of jump-
started things. Facebook mes
-
sages, Instagram messages,
and the fan appearances. They
itself is good. For the majority
of the schedule, other than the
Miles, I felt it was the bike to
have. We were in the hunt pretty
much everywhere.
"We now have an idea of what
we're going into with it next
season, and we have a plan to
close the gap in the areas where
we struggled."
Bauman added, "I said all year
long what a cool opportunity
it was because it's a bike I can
really express myself on. You
can go high; you can go low. The
thing is sweet; you can do your
thing with it. I missed that for a
couple of years. And just to be
able to do that again and feel
myself again was awesome. It's
just a solid platform for where
VOLUME ISSUE NOVEMBER , P87
