Harley-Davidson's mega test ride competition

Bikesales has ridden Harley-Davidson's new Dark Custom bikes at close quarters in Japan today — and if you do the same between September 21 and December 31 in Australia you could be winging your way to Milwaukee next year.

It's all part of a new competition that's just been announced by Harley-Davidson. To enter, you simply have to test ride a Street 500, Forty-Eight or Iron 883 between the aforementioned dates and you will automatically go into the draw to win your very own Dark Custom motorcycle.

But it's the means to the end which is just as thrilling. If you win the competition, it includes an all-expenses paid trip to Milwaukee, where you will not only visit the Harley-Davidson museum and soak up the sights and sounds of the city but also sit down with Harley-Davidson Senior Industrial Designer Dais Nagao and design your own Iron 883, Forty-Eight or Street 500. Once designed, the bike will be built by a local Harley-Davidson dealer.
Harley-Davidson is also throwing the winner a camera to record the moment for posterity, as well as clothing from the company's Black Label collection.

If the winning entrant has already bought one of the Dark Customs during the promotion period, Harley-Davidson will fully refund the purchase price and Nahao will customise the original bike.

To enter the competition, click here to find your local Harley-Davidson authorised dealer.

Meantime today's 2016 Dark Custom launch was held in a very wet Tokyo — the remains of a tropical cyclone making its presence felt in a brutal way. We'll have a full report in coming days, including a visit to Cherry's Company, a motorcycle custom building company owned by Kaichiroh Koruso in suburban Tokyo that has a long association with Harley-Davidson.

Click here for our initial news story on Harley-Davidson's 2016 model range.

The 2016 Harley-Davidsons will start rolling into dealerships from October 1, with pricing announced just prior.