Not sure about a H-D, but I recently was talking to a BMW dealer in Shanghai, who acknowledged that the F800GS was a bit pricey at around RMB200k after import duty (about US$29k these days), but he said he had a "great deal" on a 650GS at RMB135k, or just under US$20k, though that bike apparently had been sitting around the shop for a year or two.

A couple weeks ago I ran into a team of guys pushing a H-D Fatboy down the street, having retrieved it from a sales event. I watched them roll it up into a van, and asked how the hogs were selling. By his telling, they were flying out of the showroom at almost one a day, and almost all the buyers already had 1200GS or similar beemers in their stables, and wanted the cruiser to tool around town on Sundays. In other words, these are status-laden playthings of the nouveaux riches and are not really even intended for working stiffs and mere mortals like me.

Let's not forget, that RMB 30k price tag on the Jialing already looks prohibitive to 99% of Chinese, and a couple of years ago even this bike was not an option. So I feel honored and privileged to have a chance to match my fledgling skills with that bike, and have pretty much all of China open to me in a way it never has in my 20 years here. I can't wait to get mine, and will do whatever is necessary to craft it into a reliable, fun, rewarding ride.

And thank you, Pfaelzer, for your infectious enthusiasm!