Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/1188748
28 | WheelsOfGrace.com | Issue 48 211 dealers from across Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) competed for the title The winner was selected by expert judging panel at 'Wheels & Waves' custom lifestyle event in Biarritz, France. Harley-Davidson Athens' custom Sportster® Iron 883™ took inspiration from 'Nyx' - the Ancient Goddess of the Night. Kind of hits home with our Editor, Peter "The Spartan" being Greek. The Athens' Greece dealership was crowned 'Custom King' at the Battle of the Kings competition final with its 'Nyx', the Ancient Goddess of the Night, inspired build. "Goddess of the Night" 'Nyx' along with Zeus, Poseidon and Aphrodite. The winning bike, built by Paschalis Tsalamagkas and Yannis Kourougiaouris, was chosen from a total of 12 finalists by a panel of custom experts. The team from Harley-Davidson Athens wanted to build a café racer that took inspiration from the Ancient Goddess of the Night – a shadowy figure of power and beauty. Viewed from the rear, the bike resembles a snake and from the front a panther, both creatures of the night. The deep gloss black paint with hints of silver flake allude to a starry night sky. 211 dealers from across Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) competed for the title of top custom bike builder for the winner-takes-all contest based on customizing the Sportster® Iron 883™. The contest was a two-stage process, with the first stage being a national online voting competition generating over 65,000 votes to establish the winning national 'Custom King' in each market, culminating in a head-to-head contest between the national champions and the presentation of the prestigious award today at the 'Wheels & Waves' custom lifestyle event in Biarritz, France. The judging panel of the 'Battle of the Kings' competition included: Gary Inman, Sideburn Magazine; Thor Drake, See See Motorcycles; Fabrice Roux, Moto Heroes Magazine; David Borras, El Solitario; Jerome Alle, Southsiders Motorcycle Club and Michael Spaeth, Consumer Segment Lead Outreach at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The iconic Sportster family has been an American motorcycling icon since 1957. It is one of the most popular Harley- Davidson model ranges for customization in the new wave custom scene and, like its predecessors, the Iron 883 represents the ideal blank canvas to demonstrate the customization skills of the Harley- Davidson dealer network. Paschalis Tsalamagkas of Harley-Davidson Athens, said: "When we first decided to do this build we never expected to get this far. It's an honor to be crowned Custom King and I want to thank the team and everyone who helped us on this project." "We were excited to see how our dealerships were going to raise the bar for this competition and it's safe to say that we've been blown away by the creativity and attention to detail of the competing teams," said Mike Johnstone, Director of Marketing Operations for Harley-Davidson EMEA. HARLEY-DAVIDSON'S 'BATTLE OF THE KINGS' COMPETITION IS IN FULL THROTTLE MODE HERE IS A TRIBUTE THE LAST WINNER