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The Coolest Bikes From Harley’s 2019 Battle Of The Kings Contest

A sampling of rad builds the public can vote for at h-d.com this month

April 16, 2019

Voting for Harley’s 2019 Battle of the Kings contest is now open in the US.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

We mentioned this sanctioned battle between authorized Harley-Davidson dealerships for the coolest custom build last month, and now it's time to put up or shut up. With the rest of the world getting a jump on the 2019 event, voting is now open for US dealers.

Started in 2015, the Battle of the Kings (BOTK) custom build competition is the largest dealer custom bike build competition in the world. To recap,dealers must build a custom Harley-Davidson using a budget no bigger than half the cost of the original model with a specific quota of H-D aftermarket parts (50 percent being Genuine Motor Accessories). Builders can pick from three style categories—Dirt, Chop, and Race—using any model from the range (excluding trikes and CVO). Kinda strict, but the rules do work to ensure a level playing field and stimulating creativity from the builders too.

The Battle of the Kings is the world’s largest dealer custom bike build competition, with more than 350 entries coming in this year alone.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

From there fans vote online for their favorite custom Harley (that’s where you come in). After the People’s Choice winners are announced, one US champion will be crowned at the Harley dealers’ meeting in August. The US champion then goes on to battle it out against the top international bikes for the title of Global Battle of the Kings champion. Winners score worldwide bragging rights, but also get an all-expenses-paid trip to the Milan Motorcycle Show where their bike will be on display for the world to see.

Now that the builds are complete, the public can go online at h-d.com/battleofthekings, check out the more than 40 rolling works of art, then vote for their favorite. Voting is open April 15 to May 15.

The bike called SR 93 embodies the Race category - it’s even been track-tested (hence the Dunlop slicks). This wicked, completely redesigned Fat Bob from Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson came together with the help of students from the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (who happen to be Army veterans), with Screamin Torque Cam and SE ported and polished heads being just a few of the top level components packed onto this speed demon. A re-fabbed tail section and narrowed Road Glide fairing anchor the rear and front.City of Angels Photography

Also the category of Race, you’ll find Purple Reign, a reworked Harley-Davidson Roadster from Fox River Harley-Davidson. The dealership claims the name is a nod to both the chosen color as well as the contest’s name, but we’re thinking somebody on the build team is probably a Prince fan too. Maybe one of the students from Hampshire High School, who helped on this project?Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

You can’t help but think “chopper project” when you look at a Street Bob, and that’s what Bergen County Harley Davidson thought too, when creating this 1970s-style chop using a 2019 Street Bob as the donor bike. Four students from Bergen County Tech helped bring together this old-school- inspired throwback, complete with a radically raked front, king-and-queen saddle and super-long, shoulder-high dual pipes shooting up the back.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

This flat-out drag racer comes from H-D of Ocean County, with students from Ocean County Vocational Tech chipping in to flesh out this 167 horsepower and 157 ft-lb torque (according to the dealership) rocket. Screamin Eagle and one-off parts abound on the Gold Standard build, and yes, it’s been run on the dragstrip. So Race category, obviously.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

Would you believe this is an Iron 1200? Yep, Paradise Harley-Davidson in Oregon built this board track-inspired racer using the Sportster as a platform with the help of students from nearby Tigard H.S. The Paradise team had the students help with cutting metal, lacing wheels and teardown and reassembly to create a build with a custom tank, fenders muffler, and a custom front leaf spring.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

Another Chop bike, but this custom from Green Mountain Harley-Davidson has lots of cool little details that sneak up you like a hand shift/foot clutch, integrated tail light, a modded Sportster tank and a custom exhaust. Students from Northwest Technical Center helped bring this wild Street Bob-based chopper to completion.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

From Shaeffer’s H-D comes a Fat Bob transformed into a crazy cool dirt machine with a lot of help from the students at the Schuylkill Technology Center. Savagely chopped fenders, a two-into-one pipe, custom rear shock and super-tall bars along with dirt-hungry tires signal the Dirt Chipper’s intended happy place: off-road.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

Last year’s BOTK global Grand Champion was this re-worked Street Bob from Bangkok Harley-Davidson, dubbed “The Prince.”Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

The 2019 BOTK contest features students from local trade schools wrenching side by side with the pros at US dealerships.Courtesy of Harley-Davidson

Cast your vote and get more info here.