High on the hog

The country's biker culture is revving up. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"The traffic is really bad (in the cities). Our bikes are loud, and we don't want people to think of us as being noisy and annoying," says Cui, the Beijing HOG chapter president.

Despite those barriers, "our sales goal has risen significantly every year", says Joanne Kao, managing director of Harley-Davidson China. Kao declines to disclose sales figures for China but says in an e-mail interview: "We feel very optimistic about Harley-Davidson's development in China."

Di Hongtao, who is charge of safety for the Beijing HOG chapter, is also optimistic about the motorcycle company's future in China. The 46-year-old has been a fan of the bikes since he was 13, when one of his uncles returning to China from a business trip in the US gave him a Harley-Davidson jacket and leather boots as a gift.

"My friends had never seen those kinds of clothes, and they envied me. I felt proud and cool. Then I kept looking for that kind of stuff in China."

Di also is a fan of the Terminator movie, and says he "loves the loud sound" of the large bikes and the way they "show a man's masculinity".

For Shi, the Tianjin HOG chapter president, riding a Harley isn't just an expression of his masculinity. It's now a family affair. He recently bought a new Harley after giving his old one to his 16-year-old daughter, Shi Ruman.

He says the leisurely experience of cruising down a highway on a Harley offers a balance to the long hours many Chinese put in at work.

"Life is not just about making money," says Shi, chairman and CEO of China's National General Kennel Club.

"It's also about enjoying yourself."