Chinese bikers revving up to ride in style

Almost every weekend, Beijing businessman Liang Tao fires up his Italian motorcycle and heads to the hills west of the capital with a group of outdoor bikers.

"Cruising on the open roads on these machines is very liberating after dealing with a week of traffic congestion in the city," said Liang, 35.

He is now considering an upgrade in his hobby - at the Beijing International Motorcycle Exhibition on Saturday, Liang was eyeing a Panigale V4 Speciale model of Italian make Ducati. The sleek, sport-style 1,103 cc engine bike came with a price tag of 415,000 yuan ($60,800).

Many other deep-pocketed bikers swarmed the exhibition hall filled with the latest models of vehicles from home and abroad, a burgeoning demand that those in the industry said reflected increasingly sophisticated consumer tastes gearing up globally on the back of rising affluence.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, Li Bin, secretary-general of the motorcycle branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said the Chinese motorbike industry has recorded rapid growth in the four decades since reform and opening-up to form much of the global market.

Chinese motorcycle production hit about 15.5 million units last year, with 7.3 million units exported, according to figures from the association.

Imports of large motorcycles alone have continued to grow significantly in recent years, with more than 34,100 of the vehicles imported in 2018, a year-on-year increase of over 60 percent.

"The industry is experiencing advances in vehicle safety, technology and design. Motorcycle riding has become a travel, leisure and lifestyle choice, with more than 200 motorcycle clubs just in Beijing," Li said.

Nearly 300 bike models were displayed at the exhibition, including concept, rare and custom-made vehicles from leading European, US, Japanese and domestic manufacturers, according to event organizers. Special displays were also set up - ranging from a retro "Black Old Crow" moped with a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour, to state-of-the-art police bikes tapping the latest mapping and communications technologies - to help trace the achievements in the industry as part of celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Jason Yan, director of the Joy Motorrad authorized dealership for BMW motorcycles in the Chinese market, said sales of the major German brand have risen about sixfold in the past four years.

"Motorcycles have moved from a previously basic transportation in rural areas to one signifying affluence, with the demand for large, imported types in line with rapid economic growth and rising internationalization," he said.

"More of those consumers born in the 1980s and 1990s, with their higher incomes and greater global exposure, are going for quality of life and novel types of experiences. Their numbers will only grow."

alexishooi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Global 05/13/2019 page3)