A Custom challenge set for our sales team to customise a showroom bike and put it to a public vote resulted in a dead heat!
The finished bikes were showcased at our April open day when we asked customers to pick their favourite - and both polled exactly the same number of votes!
"It was incredible that they each got the same amount, you wouldn't have bet on that," said Black Bear owner Nigel Darken. "But it goes to show that our sales guys' ideas for redesigning two standard Harley-Davidsons were spot on and really appealed to our customers.
"Each bike was completely different in looks and style, but proved equally attractive to people. It was an interesting exercise and a challenge which we hope to repeat next year."
Sales Manager Chris Morris and Sales Specialist John Ellis were tasked with choosing any bike from the showroom and creating their own custom dream with a budge of £3,000 each.
The aim was to illustrate to people how they could turn a standard model into something truly unique, for relatively little money, said Nigel. "It also demonstrates our customising expertise here at Black Bear, how we guide customers towards creating their own look with our breadth of knowledge of parts, accessories and performance kits.
"We gave the sales guys free rein to do whatever they wanted and urged them to let their imaginations run wild!"
Chris chose his favourite model, an FLSTF Softail Fat Boy, and went for the 'bling/stand out in a crowd' look. It was custom painted in orange metal flake paint with a Screamin' Eagle heavy breather air cleaner kit, slip-fit slashcut mufflers, a chrome headlamp visor bezel, chrome sprocket cover, chrome lower belt guard, dash panel and stealth chrome grips and chrome rear axle nut covers.
Said Chris: "I'm going for the bling look and a Fat Boy because that's where my heart lies within the range - I've owned six of them in the past - and I've chosen to create something a bit more modern that's very bright looking."
John opted for a 1940's throwback and redesigned his chosen FLSTSB Softail Cross Bones with Art Deco style specialist custom paint, a leather single seat, '40s style black floating handlebars, a Stage 1 Kit and chrome 2 into 1 fishtail mufflers.
"I like the older style bikes and the Softail Cross Bones echoes those early machines. I didn't know which bike to choose initially, but eventually decided that as this bike already had a nice lot of standard kit on it, I could probably create the look I wanted within my budget," said John.
The process of stripping down and then customising each bike was also captured on film for our latest video podcast, which is due for release on iTunes and our own website next month. Viewers will be able to follow the work from beginning to end and what's more, each bike is now available for sale - the Fat Boy is priced at £16,495 and the Cross Bones at £15,995.
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