(SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA) 26 August 2019: Gold Coast Harley-Davidson® has been crowned the 2019 Australian and New Zealand Custom King after winning the Harley-Davidson® custom motorcycle build-off competition, Battle of the Kings, which returned to Australian and New Zealand shores for the second year.
From the 26 participating dealerships across Australia and New Zealand, five finalists were selected by the general public. Each finalist was judged and scored against three categories - character, styling and x-factor - by the carefully selected Battle of the Kings Judging panel made up of experienced industry professionals and ambassadors.
Using a Softail Slim® as the base model, Gold Coast Harley-Davidson entered their custom motorcycle into the CHOP category – one of three new design categories implemented for the 2019 build off – to create a masterpiece that pays respect to the old Panheads and Knuckleheads of past years.
The springer front end stands out as a main feature of the build, with custom bars, an original style muffler from a 1930's Harley-Davidson and a custom made 2-1 exhaust setup with old school ribbing and a chain and sprocket.
The Milwaukee-Eight® engine has the most identifiable heads since the Shovelhead and were a key feature in the build alongside an original style Solo Saddle seat slimmed down and a paint scheme that pays respects to Harley race bikes of the 1940’s, completing the vintage look.
The custom build named “Hollister Riot” is a reference to the Hollister Riot of 1947 at the AMA Sanctioned Gypsy Tour Motorcycle Rally in the town of Hollister California, where Harley-Davidson enthusiasts gathered to party hard while the number 16 is a reference to Jimmy Chan, who made history with his 3 consecutive wins of the Springfield Mile and was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
Steve Schilling, Dealer Principal from Gold Coast Harley-Davidson was excited and humbled with their win, “It is absolutely fantastic to win, as the competition was very strong, so to take out the ANZ Battle of the Kings Crown is a credit to the team involved from Gold Coast Harley-Davidson as well as those who assisted with the build, photos and video.
It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to represent ANZ and with the fierce international competition, we know it will be tough to win. I have seen the U.S.A. finalists here in Milwaukee at the 2019 Harley-Davidson Dealer Show and to have ‘Hollister Riot’ in the same category is a credit to our team.’
Harley-Davidson ambassador and Battle of the Kings judge, Nathan Hindmarsh, said “Once again these builds have amazed me. The creativity and attention to detail has blown me away. Congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s competition.”
Gold Coast Harley-Davidson will now go on to represent ANZ against other International Winners. Four winners will be selected via online voting from International markets, meeting the U.S.A winner at the EICMA in Milan, Italy to battle it out for Global Custom King title on center stage.
The Winner of the 2019 Global Battle of the Kings Competition will be announced this November.
“Another fantastic year for the competition, with even more amazing custom motorcycles which generated record amounts of public engagement and excitement. The three style categories, Dirt, Race and Chop showcased the versatility and creativity of our dealers when it comes to creating world class custom builds. However, there can only be one winner and we couldn’t be happier to have Hollister Riot from Gold Coast Harley-Davidson represent Australian and New Zealand with their modern twist on the ageless heritage of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.”Keith Waddell, ANZ Marketing Manager
Public voting to nominate your international finalist opens on 2nd September. For more information on the Battle of the Kings competition visit www.h-d.com/BattleOfTheKings and for all the information on the models used and genuine Harley-Davidson parts and accessories visit www.h-d.com.au
-ENDS-