Shiny, sleek machines line the showroom of Harley-Davidson's first authorized dealership in China, silently beckoning freedom-loving, individualistic Chinese with the slogan: "Let's Ride."
The official launch of the dealership, the first the US manufacturer has appointed in China, today marks the end as well as the beginning of a long journey for the Milwaukee-based company and Chinese Harley fans.
The new store, called "Beijing Harley-Davidson," began doing business in the Chinese capital this week and will sell and service the low-riding bikes as well as parts, accessories, clothing and collectibles.
PHOTO: AFP
It has taken Harley more than 50 years to enter communist-ruled China, due to barriers including government restrictions on powerful bikes and simply the lack of demand for one of the US' most iconic symbols.
But with a fast-expanding wealthy class and cravings for luxury goods growing, Harleys would undoubtedly appeal to Chinese people, said Hollis Zhao, general manager of the shop owned by Beijing businessman Wan Jidong.
"People equate Harleys with freedom. That's why Chinese people like them," Zhao said from the store that is located next to an upscale housing estate along Beijing's Fourth Ring Road.
For the same reason some lawyers and doctors in the US shed their suits and ties on weekends and mount their Harleys, an increasing number of Chinese people want to express their alter ego through Harleys, Zhao said.
"They might look urbane, but Chinese people also have a wild side," said Zhao, a longtime motorcycle rider, who has journeyed from Beijing to Tibet on a two-wheeler.
"Those who own Harleys in China use it to show their personality. Others treat it as a symbol of success," he said.
While a vast majority of the 80 million motorcycles owned in China are domestic brands -- and most are used in the countryside by farmers -- a growing number of people want to ride imported heavyweight bikes for fun.
Many major cities in China have riders' clubs that organize tours.
About 1,000 Harleys are already in China, but they were smuggled in because of the lack of a dealership until this month.
Their owners and others who want to buy the bikes are in the upper class, including those who made a fortune from real estate or IT sectors, people who have lived abroad and "princelings" -- sons of high ranking officials.
At prices ranging from 100,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan (US$12,300 to US$37,000) each, the bikes cost 80 to 90 percent more than they do in the US because of customs duties and other taxes China imposes.
The high costs are just one of the reasons that despite the opening of the dealership, the ride for Harley-Davidson is just beginning.
Many Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, ban motorcycles from highways and city center streets.
"If we want to go on a long-distance rides, it's very difficult. We are only allowed to use the small roads and those are dangerous because we have to share them with farm vehicles carrying large haystacks and livestock," said Jack Luo, a Beijing motorcycle driver.
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