High on the hog

A female rider on a Harley-Davidson bike. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The country's biker culture is revving up, as can be seen in the growth of Harley-Davidson Owners Groups. Jimmy Nesbitt and Deng Zhangyu report.

A group of men sip tea outside the Harley-Davidson dealership in northeastern Beijing on a recent weekday afternoon. They're wearing dark sunglasses, form-fitting black T-shirts and shiny boots. Swap the tea for Jack Daniels, and they'd look just as rough and rugged as their Western counterparts.

A biking culture that has long been synonymous with the open roads of North America is gaining popularity in China. When the Beijing Harley-Davidson dealership opened in 2006, there were only around 10 members of the local Harley Owners Group - aka, HOG. Today, there are more than 1,000.

"Cars are transportation tools," says Cui Yingqi, who began riding Harley motorcycles in 2008.

"But Harley bikes are men's toys."

Cui, 40, is president of the HOG Beijing chapter. The official riding group of Harley-Davidson has more than 1,400 chapters worldwide, including 12 in China.

Most riders in the Beijing chapter are men ages 30 to 50.

"The majority are business owners," says Cui, who is the CEO of a construction company in Beijing.

"There are also officials, lawyers, teachers ... people from almost every field."

The group gets together once a week, with rides ranging from 300 to 1,000 kilometers. Twice a year, they take long-distance trips to places as far away as the Tibet autonomous region, more than 3,500 km to the west.