Battle of the Kings, Harley-style
HARLEY- DAVIDSON SAY more than 80 per cent of bikes leaving their showrooms have some form of personalisation. To inspire even more customisation, the Milwaukee motorcycle giant created the ‘Battle of the Kings’ competition for dealers to showcase their talents. Each dealer picks a base model from the Dark Custom range, which means an Iron 883, a Forty-eight or a Roadster – then they bling it up.
Worldwide competition
In this third year of the competition, 220 Harley dealers in 21 different countries are building bikes. There were 31 UK entries and a public online vote selected a final five. These were all shown at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show in February and judged by a panel of industry experts. From the final five, a winner was selected to take on BOTK winners from other countries.
What do the bikes cost?
There were strict budgets for creating the bikes and the builders had to use genuine Harley accessories unless parts weren’t available – though paintwork could be outsourced. All-in prices were set at £12,995 for an Iron 883 and £14,995 for a Forty-eight or Roadster. That had to include the cost of the bike, all parts and labour (at retail prices) and the paint – to show potential customers what they could do for the price.
Who won?
Third place went to Warr’s Harleydavidson for their Super Hooligan, in
“Something a bit old school and retro with a touch of fun”
second place was Cookie Cutter by Guildford H-D and the winner was Beach Bobber (pictured above) by Shaw Harley-davidson. Neil Sefton, who created the bike, will now take it forward to represent the UK in the grand finale of the competition at the huge EICMA bike show in Milan in November.
What inspired the winner?
Shaw Harley-davidson’s Sefton has the enviable job of advising customers how to customise their bikes so it must have been great to do his own. Working with workshop manager Simon Peacock, the pair aimed to do, “Something a little bit old school and retro with a touch of fun.”
What’s it got, Mister?
Starting with a Forty-eight, Sefton and Peacock got rid of the standard tank, replacing it with a larger custom one. They also went for RSD handlebars and risers held by a Free Spirits top yoke. They used 5.5in Road King Custom wheel rims laced to Nightster (front) and Slim (rear) hubs, fitted with whitewall tyres, gave the beach look. A Lowbrow Customs rear fender kicks up nicely at the back while the exhaust is a Shaw Speed and Custom one-off. A huge 7in Touring headlight lens matches the large tank, while a minimalist Motogadget vintage speedo, Santa Cruz skateboard bash plate and custom crown-style filler cap complete the look.