$20 grand, winner takes all—that’s the philosophy behind the Lightning Bolt custom motorcycle build-off. The regional, invitation-only event attracts bike builders from every corner of the hobby, from scramblers to choppers, for a chance at the biggest winner-takes-all prize in the country. There’s a catch though—qualifying bikes have to be rideable, and you’ll have to prove it.

We got a look at the bikes from the recent New York event, and handpicked our favorites. Last month’s NYC show was the third Lightning Bolt event, following the first two that were held in Cape Town, South Africa.

Hosted by The House of Machines and sponsored by BMW Motorrad, the Lightning Bolt is a low-key event with a massive prize purse. It also forms part of a greater series of build-offs; the individual shows are considered regionals, with winners gaining entry into the upcoming international Golden Bolt contest.

The event welcomes bikes of all types, provided you can wow the organizers in the registration process. Rather than pack out a massive venue with bikes, the Lightning Bolt whittles entrants down to just 10 finalists, pre-show. So the competition is stiff.

Three separate judges, wrangled by Kevin Dunworth, comb over every detail of the bike, awarding points for overall design, fabrication and paint. BMW Motorrad’s design boss, Edgar Heinrich, Brian Buttera of Buttera’s Metal Werx and Indian Larry’s John the Painter presided over the New York event.

Your vision and handiwork gets you a seat at the table, but you’ll have to prove your bike’s roadworthiness for a real shot at the prize. This year’s contestants saddled up for a ride around NYC, departing from The House of Machines, through Chinatown and Little Italy, before arriving at Foley Gallery in Manhattan.

There, the bikes were showcased to both the judges and the public, before the show’s official afterparty at The House of Machines. Of the 10 finalists, only seven bikes passed the rideability test—we picked our favorite 5 from that pool.

Yamaha XS650 by Evan Favaro The head honcho at Speakeasy Motors in Wallkill, New York, Evan Favaro was building two-strokes for himself and his buddies to race around town at age 12. So it comes as no surprise to see that his 1981 Yamaha XS650 is inspired by speed; in this case, the board track racers of the 1920s.

Getting the XS to look the part starts with a long rigid frame section from Voodoo, coupled with an Indian-style, leaf-spring front end. The split tanks and rear fender were handmade, and mounted with custom stainless brackets.

Peek under the low saddle and you’ll find custom triangulated brackets and a small monoshock. For extra wow factor, Evan added a bevel-gear throttle assembly, and custom cam covers were made from billet and Lexan.

Harley-Davidson shovelhead by Larry Curik Larry Curik of Lone Star Choppers in Texas dug deep into 70s Harley-Davidson history to build a shovelhead-based tracker with XR750 flair. It’s based on an Arlen Ness frame with heavy modifications to the backbone, steeper rake and a custom rear subframe. 19” Harley wheels and the steel tail section complete the tracker look, and the front number plate is perforated for the hidden headlight to shine through.

Getting the S&S Cycle shovelhead engine to look the part was no small feat though. Larry replaced the rear cylinder and head in order to hang a pair of carbs on the right, and twin Supertrapps off the left. Finish it all off with slick paint, Hoosier track rubber and a steering stabilizer, and you’ve got a big cube XR fit for the track or the street.

Harley-Davidson panhead by Rick Dozer We’re used to seeing trick aluminum fab and loads of brightwork in Rick Dozer’s vintage H-Ds, and his Lightning Bolt build doesn’t disappoint. Taking inspiration from the one-piece Tracy’s Fiberglas Works bodies of the 1970s, Rick built a panhead show bike with seamless aluminum bodywork from the tank to the rear fender.

The bike is based on an OE-type rigid frame, but Rick raised the neck, seat post and axle plates, and also stretched the rear 3 inches. Tall 18- and 21-inch wheels complement the long low stance, as does the narrow chrome springer.

Among the numerous fine details, you’ll find an internal throttle cable setup, chromed pipes on the B-side and teardrop shapes worked into the cam cover, kicker pedal and axles.

Honda XR650R by Spencer Parr Retro styling with modern performance, that’s Spencer Parr’s motto, and his Honda flat tracker build for the Lightning Bolt provides plenty of both. Hidden under the slim bodywork of this flat tracker, is Honda’s mighty XR650R.

Starting with the basics, Spencer rebuilt the 2002 XR650R thumper, improving performance with a Lectron carburetor and custom twin exhausts with Supertrapp mufflers.

A new rear subframe, tail section, number plate and radiator guards were handmade from aluminum to get the tracker look, along with a pair of 19” Excel wheels and DOT flat track rubber. With a nostalgic Honda racing livery added, this XR is a big cc dream machine that any hooligan would covet.

Harley-Davidson Softail by Steve Iacona [Winner] When Steve Iacona of Iacona Custom Cycles started work on his Harley Softail chopper, he said that he was building the bike he always dreamed he had time to build. After countless hours of work, he had a real showstopper with great road manners to boot. But we’re sure a huge check for $20,000 was beyond even his wildest dreams.

It’s not Steve’s nature to leave anything stock, so his new-school Softail chopper started out with a fully worked-over chassis. Every part of the HD was modified, chromed or polished, right down to brackets, linkages and plumbing.

Retro chopper details are juxtaposed against modern touches, like the aggressive club-style handlebar positioning and the contemporary street tires.

With eye-catching flake and paintwork, and a wild looped exhaust, this Softail looks to be a real street sweeper. And according to Steve, the real fun is in riding it.

The Lightning Bolt | Instagram | Images by Mark Velazquez