Bangkok Prince Is The King
Bangkok Harley-davidson crowned 2018 Battle of the Kings Grand Champions with stunning Street Bob custom!
Thai dealer Bangkok Harleydavidson® have been crowned Grand Champions of the 2018 Battle of the Kings international custom bike build-off competition at EICMA, Milan with their entry, “The Prince”; a beautiful, simple clean and contemporary interpretation of the classic chopper, based on a 2018 Harley-davidson Street Bob. This was the first year that Thailand had been included in the competition which makes the Bangkok Harley-davidson team’s achievement even more impressive.
Battle of the Kings is a custom build-off competition held throughout the Harleydavidson dealership network. For the 2018 competition over 300 dealers from more than 30 countries entered, aiming to take the grand prize at the EICMA show in Milan. A public vote held earlier in the
year garnered 150,000 votes which decided the winner for each country or region; and then a panel of expert judges, including international journalists and custom bike builders, selected the three grand finalists. Adelaide Harley-davidson, with their Roadster-based “Back to the Track”, Bologna Harley-davidson’s “Farm Machine” and “The Prince” all made the cut to be displayed on the Harley-davidson stand at EICMA as the final three.
The task of selecting the winner fell to a seven-strong team from the Harleydavidson Styling and Design division, led by Vice President of Styling and Design Brad Richards. “It was so close, deciding the winner. In the end the clean lines and beautiful engineering of “The Prince” took it, but it was only by one single vote. This really demonstrates what is possible, and what dealerships are capable of delivering. A huge congratulations to the team at Bangkok Harley-davidson, particularly as this is their first time in the competition. Congratulations from everyone here!”
The team at Bangkok Harley-davidson chose the Street Bob® to reflect a nostalgic image while benefiting from modern day technology. The back-tothe-70s Chopper look was achieved by chopping off the front and rear fenders and incorporating parts from others within the Harley-davidson range, such as the fuel tank from the 48® and handlebar from the Roadster®. The 21-inch Front and 16-inch Rear custom-made 5-spoke wheels enhance the sloping profile of the bike and rerouting the brake line, fuel line and wiring loom tidied up the look.
The Gold on Black theme was used to reflect a black leather jacket and chopper theme, with golden crown fuel cap and tyre valve caps playing to the nickname of the bike, “the Prince”. Up close, the engine is highlighted by gold powder coating the pushrod tubes, rocker box inserts and air cleaner mesh. These parts are chrome-plated prior to powder coating to achieve the shining effect. The seat is reshaped and re-skinned in natural hide with yellow-thread-stitching for that golden effect. Brass Collection derby cover and timing cover were used to de-chrome the bike, while floatingdisc brakes and black levers, anodized footpegs and handgrip create modern and powerful looks.
The end result? A stunning, one-off Street Bob fit for the crown.