Recently we dropped the news of our custom motorcycle entry into the Harley-Davidson® Battle of the Kings. We're getting started on our build with the Gilbreath-Reed Career and Technical Center, and we'll be giving you plenty of sneak peeks along the way. We thought we'd get started with a little information on the competition itself.
ONE BIKE TO RULE THEM ALL
It's a battle of epic proportions. The slogan draws from Lord of the Rings, where Dark Lord Sauron forged the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom to be the most powerful of all rings and rule Middle-Earth. The Harley-Davidson® Battle of the Kings competition feels just as intense, with limited resources and high stakes.
The competition launched in 2015, with voting open to the public. Previous years pitted dealerships in Europe, the Middle East and Africa against one another. In last year's competition, more than 300 Harley-Davidson® dealerships from over 30 countries created custom motorcycles and entered them for a chance to be chosen.
Build off rules in 2018 allowed dealerships to start with one of these three bikes:
- The Dark Sportster 883
- Sportster Forty-Eight
- Roadster
Customization could be as extreme and edgy as dealers could come up with, but the end result had to be road legal. Rules required half the modifications be genuine Harley-Davidson® parts and accessories, while the other half could come from anywhere. The budget was 12,995 pounds (around $16,000 USD) for 883 and 14,995 pounds (just under $19,000 USD) for the other two bikes.
Click here to see some of the top entries for 2018.
2019 COMPETITION
At Dallas Harley-Davidson®, making custom motorcycles isn't what we do, it's part of who we are. This year's competition as 34 motorcycles, three build categories and more than 10,000 parts and accessories to choose from. Build categories are as follows:
- Dirt
- Chopper
- Race
It's the world's biggest custom motorcycle competition. This year American dealerships are entering the fray. Customization can start with models from the Street, Sportster, Softail or Touring ranges. Budgets are a percentage of the value of the base motorcycle chosen.
Every bike entered in the competition is ultimately made available for sale. The competition shows the almost endless possibilities available even on a limited budget because of Harley's® vast range of choices. It also shows the skill level and creativity of those who enter.
And in the end, there can be only one...
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Gilbreath-Reed Career and Technical Center