Motorcycle industry asks to switch gears

Harley-Davidson has lobbied the Chinese government to ease restrictions on motorcycles, but the number of cities in the country with bans continues to grow.

Around 200 cities, including Beijing, have restrictions on motorcycles. That number gets larger every year, Li Bin, secretary-general of the society's motorcycle branch, wrote in an article published in China Industry News.

These rules hinder "the healthy development of the motorcycle industry and also deprive customers of their the lawful rights and interests", according to the motorcycle branch of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China.