Harley-Davidson XR750

Across a span of 29 years racing in American flat track from 1975 to 2003, Jay Springsteen often put himself sideways in the groove and ahead of the pack.

In fact, aboard Harley-Davidson racing bikes, the Michigander won 43 nationals.

Signed as a factory rider at 18 years old, Springsteen was teamed with fellow AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Bill Werner, the winningest flat-track tuner in history.

Along the way, Springsteen also developed a deep bond with Harley’s racing manager, Dick O’Brien, who oversaw development of the XR750 that would earn “Springer” his fame.

This tuner-manager-motorcycle relationship explains why Springsteen didn’t head to Europe to compete in road races, like other American flat trackers of the 1970s, such as fellow Hall of Famers Steve Baker and Kenny Roberts.

“Flat track was just something that I liked,” he said. “I rode for the Harley factory, got paid, and everything was smooth. I was making a good living and having fun doing it.”

Springsteen’s speed and commitment paid off. He was the first AMA rider to win 30 nationals, a feat he completed in 1982. Springsteen also claimed three consecutive AMA Grand National Championships from 1976-78, and earned an army of fans along the way.

And some money, too.

Photo from The AMA Files

Springsteen recalled a time when various nationals—such as Daytona, San Jose and Ascot Park—paid $10,000 for winning the feature race and another $10,000 for winning the Camel Challenge.

In his laid-back drawl, Springsteen didn’t gloat over the accomplishment. Instead, he just said, “I won all that stuff a couple of times.”

But, regardless of the purse, he went for it.

“When I got on the bike, I rode it to its ability every time,” he said.

After his tenure as an H-D factory rider ended, Springsteen switched from factory XR750s to C&J-framed bikes with factory XR750 engines built by Jim Kelly, tuned by Joe Bisha (and sometimes Kelly) and sponsored by Bartels’ Harley-Davidson dealership in Los Angeles.

His last big win came at the 2001 Springfield Mile, a race Springsteen recalls with special fondness, occurring, as it did, 26 seasons after he turned pro.

Springsteen was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003.

In 2010, Springsteen lent one of his winning machines—along with fellow Hall of Famer Bart Markel’s 1970 XR750 that he also owns—to the Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio.

Today, Springsteen stays busy with his favorite outdoor pastimes, including fishing.
When we caught up with him, he was at Lake Okeechobee, Fla. The wind was howling past his old-school flip phone as he cleaned the day’s catch, evoking images of a happy man living a simple life.

And, yes, Jay Springsteen still rides—in the woods on his trusty 1999 Honda CR250R and on the street aboard his wife Judy’s 1994 Honda VFR750F.
“I still ride the VFR and have so much fun on it,” he said.

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame museum is on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Admission for AMA members is free.