Beijing Feng Huo Lun will be Beijing Harley-Davidson, the first authorized HD dealer in China. Opening is scheduled for early April.
Harley-Davidson has indicated that it expects market entry into China to be a gradual process. According to the Company, the leisure-oriented market for premium, heavyweight motorcycles is just beginning to emerge in China, with market development limited by ownership and riding restrictions in most large cities and on highways, and by limited but growing disposable income. Harley-Davidson’s long-term strategy in China seeks to address the riding restrictions over time and to help lead the development of a leisure-oriented heavyweight motorcycle market as consumer buying power grows.
It will be interesting to see how this goes.
via Harley Davidson
Kickboxer Subaru WRX Powered Motorcycle Concept
{ 11 comments }
It will be interesting to see if they can sell the bikes for $20,000 – $30,000 like they do here. I bet there will be many requests for H-D to make a much smaller bike, more like they prefer over there. Good luck I say.
-todd
Ferrari open their first Chinese showroom in June, 2004.
Tom
Seems only fair…they have been shipping all their worthless crap here…its only fair we retaliate with ours!!
I see the size restriction in cities to be the major deterent. if people can’t legally ride a machine, you are left with very few who have the cash and will fork it over for something to look at.
What was the size limitation? 250 or 200cc? that size and smaller is pretty much flooded with very capable machines and does not go well with HD’s image. I wish them the best, but they will have to start with getting it legal to ride a monster sized bike before they will be meet with open arms.
I think sidecars are allowed on bikes beyond their limit. Tack on a $7k rig.
Any Chinese who can afford a Harley, and who want to cultivate the R.U.B. image can probably also afford the neccessary palm-greasing to get their hog on the road.
As an american and a biker stuck here in China i have the following comments.
1) I dont think I would want to ride in the city unless i was on a death wish.
2) the cops ride 125 CC with no radio or gun
3) I dont think they can catch me even if they try.
Ride it like you stole it.!!!
live to ride, ride to live,
When I was working in Shanghai a few years back the rule was that foreigners could import a personal bike in any displacement, but they could only keep it for six months. I had a friend who used to take his Ducati to Hong Kong twice a year, and then re-import it.
I don’t know what the natives would do, but I seem to recall that they were restricted to 650cc. And that was after a ridiculous and expensive amount of rider training, as well as higher road taxes.
Who knows though, maybe Harley can appeal to the WTO and say that the small displacement rules are an unfair form of protectionism.
can you ride in the big ol
‘ wall?
I would like to buy a shirt for my brother in Beijing when we go next week but am unable to find an address. I would appreciate it if could email the address to me if you know it. thank you
cannot find your adress…i am here until monday night and have been trying to find you adress or directions to your store.
Oversight?
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