You’ve been riding motorcycles for more than 25 years. How did you get into riding and why have you continued after all these years? I have been doing this since 1975. At that time, I lived just north of Beijing, and there wasn’t much there … very few cars and very few people. One day I met a man about 20 years old who owned a motorcycle and when I saw him riding it, I knew at that moment that I wanted one.

So you’re the road captain of the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.), how often does the group meet and what takes place? We meet about once a week to exchange stories and ride. There are more than 140 of us here in Beijing, and we most recently held a group party at Frank’s Place.

What do you think about motorcycle culture in China? The Chinese are just getting into motorcycles. It’s not like the United States or some other countries where they have more than 100 years of history of riding. Here, Harley-Davidson and other motorcycles are considered a luxury.

Up until you purchased your first Harley-Davidson, what were you riding? I learned on someone else’s motorcycle and it wasn’t until I got a job that I could afford a bike of my own. Back then motorcycles were roughly ¥18,000. This was all before major foreign motorcycle companies had their products in China. Harley-Davidson wasn’t around until 2006. Before I had a Harley, I was riding a BMW. My bike is a little smaller than most Harleys you see in the shop, but I enjoy riding it. I don’t think I will ever switch bikes.

Zachary Franklin