And then there were four. The NCAA Men’s basketball tournament isn’t the only one creating a little “March Madness.” Harley-Davidson Custom Kings contest is generating its own buzz as the field of 64 customized Sportsters that kicked off the contest have been narrowed down to four.
The premise was simple. Harley challenged dealerships across the country to build a kick-ass custom based on the versatile Sportster to showcase their in-house skills. These Sportsters were then pitted against each other in a bracket-style competition based on region. While Harley dealers could let their imaginations run wild for the Custom Kings contest, they were also critiqued for their use of parts from the Harley-Davidson Genuine Parts & Accessories catalog. With pride, prestige, and bragging rights on the line, there definitely was no shortage of creativity as the final four includes a Sportster bagger, trail-capable hybrids, and vintage flair. Fans have voted for their favorites on-line and now have a say in the winner.
Harley says: “Pick your favorite from the 4 head-to-head match-ups, and keep voting each day. The #HDCustomKings winner will be crowned April 12.
“Only one vote per person allowed per day. You must vote for one bike in each of the match-ups in every Region in order to submit your vote. Round 5 voting will close April 3 at 11:00 p.m. EST.”
Here’s the four Sportsters who have risen above the rest in the Custom Kings competition along with a short description provided by the dealerships that built them. (Courtesy of Harley-Davidson)
Yellowstone H-D Sportster Forty-Eight XL1200X “The Maestro”
YELLOWSTONE H-D BELGRADE, MT
H-D SPORTSTER FORTY-EIGHT (XL 1200X) 2015
THE MAESTRO
The reigning National Champions, at Yellowstone Harley-Davidson are back in action with another Custom Kings build. Taking it back to the root consumer of the Motor Company, our goal is to build an awe-inspiring machine that is unique but obtainable; one that could be built by the working man, the vet, or the woman that puts in a 12 hour work day, then heads straight to her own garage. Simply put, this bike will be just plain badass. Six months ago we put Belgrade, Montana on the map. We plan to keep it there.
Hal’s H-D Sportster Superlow XL883L “General Mayhem”
HAL’S H-D NEW BERLIN, WI
H-D SPORTSTER SUPERLOW (XL 883L) 2015
GENERAL MAYHEM
Custom built for the millennial or young-at-heart to cruise around town and then head straight out to the hinterland. For a rider that likes an aggressive vehicle for the urban environment and the occasional fire road on the weekend.
Four Rivers H-D Sportser Iron 883 XL883N “Go Dammit”
FOUR RIVERS H-D PADUCAH, KY
H-D SPORTSTER IRON 883 (XL 883N) 2016
GO DAMMIT
When Brady first brought up the idea of entering the “The Custom Kings” we asked ourselves can we do this and we thought of the H-D promo “Roll Your Own” and what would be our theme. Somehow the phase of “Go-Dammit” evolved out of our discussions.
Immediately we started talking about which Sportster would be our choice and the bad ass XL883N Iron 883 was the obvious choice. We had a Black Denim unit in stock and it was the perfect one.
We wanted to have a highly customized Iron 883 that would be different than any we had ever seen, yet maintain the Harley-Davidson blood line and define our build to be 100% HD Genuine P&A and Four Rivers fabrication and modifications. We were able to do this and utilized only HD components from other models such as FXSB, XL883L, XL1200X, FLTRX, FLHX, and many Genuine HD P&A items. By adding many customization efforts from creating a FRHD”Go-Dammit” custom exhaust from the stock system to the special Ostrich orange/white stitched XL seat to the custom paint job with silver leaf accents, we believe we have hit it out of the park!!!!!!!. Not only was our Build Team excited, the entire dealership staff became excited to see each day’s progress.
We proudly present our XL883N Iron 883 “Go-Dammit Bagger” and its Four Rivers Harley-Davidson Custom Kings package for your consideration and thank you for the opportunity to participate.
Southside H-D Sportster Forty-Eight XL1200X “Trail Bob”
SOUTHSIDE H-D VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
H-D SPORTSTER FORTY-EIGHT (XL 1200X) 2016
TRAIL BOB
Built on the foundation of simple yet functional, this “48”-based custom stays true to its roots. With the attitude of a post-war bobber and the functionality of a trail machine, it’s equally at home cruising the city streets or carving up the gravel back roads. To accentuate the styling, special attention was focused on trimming down and streamlining all of the unsightly necessities that are generally associated with ABS, fuel injection, hands-free security, and key-less ignition systems. From its stout riding position and high-riding exhaust to its aggressive dual-sport tires, this go-anywhere Sportster means business in any environment. From all of us at Southside Harley-Davidson, we proudly present the 2016 Harley-Davidson Trail Bob.