Harley-Davidson UK & Ireland’s national round of the Battle of the Kings UK is entering its final stages with the announcement of the five finalists selected to go forward to the final round of judging, to be held at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show 2018 this weekend (16-18t February). The five, selected by online public voting, are (in alphabetical order):
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The shortlist of five entries from the UK & Ireland round of BOTK 2018 was served up by the result of public voting via a unique Battle of the Kings website that showcases all BOTK 2018 entries from the Harley-Davidson dealer network across 21 countries. A total of 12,000 votes by motorcycle and customisation fans were logged for the 15 UK & Ireland entries.
BOTK 2018 is the fourth consecutive year of this largest dealer-led customisation contest. With the main theme for BOTK 2018 being the 115th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson, the depth of 115 years’ worth of custom and iconic bikes for inspiration ensured the UK & Ireland entries were truly outstanding in design and build quality.
The five finalists will now be judged by an exclusive panel of guest judges at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show 2018 at ExCel London, in order to select the overall winner.
The lucky finalist will then go head-to-head against other national finalists at a grand final to take place at Milan’s EICMA exhibition in November.
2018’s Battle of the Kings competition took the form of official Harley-Davidson dealerships creating a road legal Dark Custom machine within a strict budget of £5500 (€6000) and from a select list of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The list of base models for dealers to choose from to compete in this year’s BOTK was Sportster® Dark Custom® models Iron 883™, Forty-Eight® and Roadster™; plus the Street® 750 and Street Rod®; and also from the exciting line up of nine all-new Softail® motorcycles for 2018, the latest Street Bob® and Fat Bob®.
Harley-Davidson has always understood custom bikes, and in fact led, with customisation forming a key part of the brand’s heritage and a whole range of out-of-the-dealership bikes being created purely to act as the ideal base for unique custom creations. Dark Custom bikes, in particular, are stripped-down and styled with an authentic retro-inspired slant, featuring matte or blacked-out finishes, vintage cues and accessible pricing.
https://customkings.harley-davidson.com/
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