The MBE Award, organized directly by the Motor Bike Expo staff, is the most important contest that bike builders can take part in.
Every year a “top 10” selection of bikes on display at the event, all hand-picked by a panel of judges made up of four legends of customization from the USA, Asia, and Europe.
Only one customizer can claim the title “King of Verona”, doing so by securing the highest vote from the judges.
MBE Pick’s is a showcase for the customizers attending Motor Bike Expo. International guests, the most followed magazines and blogs choose the best ones from all the bikes at the show. An in-depth article will be dedicated to the winners as well as prizes from official MBE partners.
MBE 2022 Awards:
Iron Trader News & The Buffalo Chip (USA) Bottega Bastarda
Vibes (Japan) Boman
Easyriders 8 (USA) Hard Nine Choppers
Custombike (Germany) Radikal Chopper
Pipeburn (Australia) Stile Italiano
Bikers Insider (Russia) Hillside Classics
Madness Photography (Netherlands) Boccin Custom Cycles
In Hall 1 at MBE, the expansive Lowride Bike Show hosts a number of custom motorcycles from every corner of the international custom scene, an occasion for the public to see one-of-a-kind motorcycles up close which have been prepared specifically to be shown in Verona.
Organized by: LOWRIDE
A highlight of Sunday afternoon was the awards show of the contest held by the Special Senza Marce social page, presented by its creator Marcello Parimbelli. A dozen mopeds and “fifties” quickly won the sympathy of fans, thanks to the creativity of their customizations.
And there was really everything, from the Honda Cub painted in the Rothmans 90s GP graphics, to the Honda Shadow with the club style apehanger, to the ever-present flamed Ciao Piaggio and a very naughty Honda Monkey. Coming out on top, however, was the Garelli III series, which Giacomo Zanetti transformed into a vintage underdog bike from the 10’s. Second, by just one point, was Liliana Oliosi‘s Ciao, while the Shadow customized by Gianluca Giardina took the third step of the podium. The jury “pundits” awarded their special prize to Lino Brotto‘s Vespa Super Special III Serie.
Organized by: SPECIAL SENZA MARCE
Becoming one of the most exciting moments at Motor Bike Expo, the International Stuntman show is now approaching its sixth edition.
The best stuntmen from around the world meet in Verona and challenge each other with burnouts and jaw-dropping tricks…
Kirk Taylor and King Bado, specialists in the Californian “club style”, picked out the best bikes based on the Harley-Davidson Dyna or FXR, riding this most recent custom trend.
Winners:
Vallese Garage
The staff of the publication Motociclismo organize the “Concorso di Eleganza” (The Elegance Contest) for the most beautiful creations on two wheels.
Vittorio Sgarbi and Norihiko Harada, Vice President of Design for Zagato, awarded the first three winners within the categories “Cruise”, “Gravel”, and “Wind, the winning bikes best suited, respectively, for travel, however long or short it may be; the “tessellated” bikes which follow the scrambler trend; the sporty or café racer bikes, those whose form seem to have been designed by the wind.
Numerous credit vouchers to be used by winning customizers to purchase unique parts from one of the world’s most important aftermarket accessory distributors.
One of the most prestigious awards is this one presented by Karen Davidson and Ray Drea, Principal Stylist at Harley-Davidson. This is awarded to the best-designed motorcycle according to the two American motorcycling icons.
Professional and amateur customizers go head-to-head for prizes dedicated to Special motorcycles and to “garage-built” bikes. The trophy is delivered by DJ Ringo.
Judges: Mr Martini, Officine GP Design, XTR Pepo
Winner: Simone Lovatti [ITA]
The Magazine Award is an international showcase for the customizers present at MBE.
The top magazines from the custom world choose their favorites from among all of the motorcycles at the event; the winning bikes (one per magazine) each receive an in-depth article as well as prizes presented by the main partners of Motor Bike Expo.
Magazine Award Winners 2020:
Il Metzeler Award, instituito e organizzato dal noto brand di pneumatici del Gruppo Pirelli,
è il riconoscimento ai migliori preparatori che espongono a MBE una special equipaggiata con “gomme” Metzeler.
Vincitore 2020: ED Special
Vincitore 2019: MS Artrix
Jody Perewitz, world land speed record-holder on the salt flats and daughter of renown customizer Dave Perewitz, awards the Perewitz Paint Pick to the best paintjob on display in the halls of MBE.
Special Cafe magazine organizes the “Scrambler with Coffee by Special Cafe” contest.
At MBE 2022 Best in Show the cafe racer Ducati Monster 900 prepared by Mr. Fighter of Treviso. Refined in its craftsmanship and mechanical details, it stands out for its handsome single-sided swingarm and aluminum tip with built-in exhaust pipes.
Instead, the Top 3 awardees were the Ducati Monster 600 by Overdrive Custom, the BMW K100 by Remastered Cycles, and the Ducati S4 by P.M. Motorbike.
The largest Indonesian festival dedicated to custom motorcycles, aside from their presence in Verona with an impressive exhibition area, organized a contest in which the best Specials on display are the winners of numerous cash prizes along with “The Greatest Bike” being invited to the grand final in Indonesia.
Suryanation Motorland Winners:
The 10th edition of Motor Bike Expo in Verona lined up perfectly with the tenth anniversary of 70’s Helmets. It’s from this that the idea was born to bring the best custom painting and pinstriping artists from the Far East to the visitors at MBE 2018, organizing a thrilling contest called “The Art of Kustom”.
The list of competing artists:
