Harley-Davidson in China

[Lao Jia Hou]

hit every starbucks in Beijing?

No no no ... you got it wrong. Starbucks is for the Beemer Boys. The pirates head to Costa Coffee.

Personally, though, when I ride a HD, I sneak into a Starbucks. I guess that makes me a 1%'r. Well, the truth is ... there is a Starbucks half a block from my home.

The new owner of the >$100K bike ... I wonder what he will think when he tries to fill up with gas and they ask him for his DL and Blue Book? Nah, that'll never happen - he'll probably get some minion to deliver gas to him.

[bigdamo]

Bit of an over-generalisation, but that being said, fundamentals of these sentiments can equally be applied in other jurisdictions such as OZ...

Yeah exactly over 30 years of watching bikers of all types and in Australia and the rest of the world the Harley phenomenon has come and gone a few times as it will in China. Just wait till the 1%ers start stealing and rebirthing all these wanbe bikers Harleys ie Accountants,lawyers, business owners etc etc. Seen it before and the the prices where alot cheaper than $100K. When those prices come into play some bad people will pop up and take advantage of the situation.

[bigdamo]

No no no ... you got it wrong. Starbucks is for the Beemer Boys. The pirates head to Costa Coffee.

Personally, though, when I ride a HD, I sneak into a Starbucks. I guess that makes me a 1%'r. Well, the truth is ... there is a Starbucks half a block from my home.

The new owner of the >$100K bike ... I wonder what he will think when he tries to fill up with gas and they ask him for his DL and Blue Book? Nah, that'll never happen - he'll probably get some minion to deliver gas to him.

Emm your a 1%er well yes if your other form of income are drugs,prostitution,intimidation,rebirthing and other forms of organized crime.

[MJH]

The 1% is a relative term, relative to what your discussing,.
The term in this content is relating to income earners, in the USA the top 1% earn 700k annually on average.
Globally though the top 1% earn above 35k annually.


Half the individuals in USA can afford an HD, 99% of the world population cannot.


I do not know who can afford and HD in China, but the top 1% there certainly can. It is also safe to say the absolute majority in China cannot…and likely never will. But the population numbers are all bigger in China, so a 1% there is significant. In China it be the top 10% of incomes that can afford the HD, maybe more?


Decadent and dickheaded, that is HD in China.

[euphonius]

Dear MJH,

China is so far outside the US frames of reference you are describing, it's a bit hard to know where to start.

The 1% here are staggeringly rich, and it's not a function of their "annual salary" but of vast assets that they control (lots of them plundered from the state sector). Yet there are still several hundred million Chinese, a number comparable to the entire US population, who get by on $2-3/day. It's hard to make generalizations about Harley buyers here, but it's safe to say that most already have garages full of other toys -- a recent Benz or BMW saloon, a Land Rover, a Lamborghini or Ferrari or Aston Martin, three flavors of Porsche (911, Cayenne SUV, Panamera, Boxter, Paprika, Nutmeg, Oregano...), and probably a BMW or Ducati motorcycle -- by the time the go for the Harley. Lots of these guys don't obviously work at all, presumably having made their fortunes in one apocalyptic deal.

Don't forget, here in Shanghai each car license plate costs around US$12k, and a downtown plate for a bike is testing US$20k. Yep, it's more to plate your Harley (or your Jialing) than your Bentley.

Yes, there are some Harley owners who make actual middle-class salaries, and they go for entry-level bikes like the 883 Sportster. There's a small but conspicuous number of women in this category, which makes me smile. But for most of these buyers, money is simply not an object. In fact, if there were something even more expensive they'd probably be interested. The higher the price, the bigger the bragging rights after the big expedition over to Costa Coffee.

I don't think there's anything decadent or dickheaded about H-D in China. They are delivering what the market demands.

Kickbacks? It is said that H-D charges a lot more for plates than they actually cost. Not all of the inflated price is going to import duty and taxes. So maybe a bit dickheaded....

cheers!
euphonius

[chinabiker]

The new owner of the >$100K bike ... I wonder what he will think when he tries to fill up with gas and they ask him for his DL and Blue Book? Nah, that'll never happen - he'll probably get some minion to deliver gas to him.

The new owner has his bike delivered with a full tank, which should last a year or two

[euphonius]

...Don't forget, here in Shanghai each car license plate costs around US$12k, and a downtown plate for a bike is testing US$20k. Yep, it's more to plate your Harley (or your Jialing) than your Bentley.
...

Actually, someone told me a few days ago the price of a motorcycle plate is pushing 180k RMB in Shanghai's secondary market, the only place they are available. That's just south of US$30k!

[bigdamo]

Actually, someone told me a few days ago the price of a motorcycle plate is pushing 180k RMB in Shanghai's secondary market, the only place they are available. That's just south of US$30k!

You know there are people (news agencies) from outside China saying China is on the way to imploding. Hence why I hit the eject button a couple of years ago. The story you tell is another one enforcing my reason to leave among others.

[MGAlbion]

I owned and rode a Harley until this very week (just sold my sportster). On a personal level the guys who ride here in Wuhan are all right. Sure they are minted, but i dont usually hold that against people. Sure they blow cash like no one's business, but again, that aint my business. And they definitely like to pose; agreed, this is less forgivable. But a good deal of them do ride out at weekends and get their faces and hands dirty.

In some ways you have to feel sorry for them. They've got the cash, but they cant seem to get no satisfaction. I reckon the rich have better lives in Euro/ N America - country houses, beach houses, beautiful roads to cruise on, etc etc.

With reference to the 1%, wasnt it a double play on the Hells's Angels and the rich 1% thing?

[MJH]

According to this guy the wealth in China is statistically insignificant?
Branko Milanovic

his book on the matter.

where is China?