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July 10, 2007
They rally in Laconia. N.H., in June, in Sturgis, S.D., in August and now in Gotemba, Japan, in July, where the numbers may not rank up there, but about 20,000 Japanese bikers, many on Harley-Davidsons, are beginning their own tradition of motor-cycle rallying, according to the New York Times.
However, the spectacle of 20,000 Harley owners gathering last month for an annual rally at a racetrack in the shadow of Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak and most sacred mountain, was jarring. The unmistakable growl of the big Harley V-twin engines was unlike the refined whirr typical of bikes on Japanese roads, and many riders were dressed as if they were pulled straight out of Harley’s Japanese Lifestyling Fashion catalog, right down to the $800 leather jackets and $85 garage shirts.
At first glance, the extra large Harleys — quintessential emblems of American brawn and self-reliance — are an odd fit in Japan, where many roads are narrow and congested and there are already four giant companies — Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha — selling bikes. But the cultural disconnect may be even greater: Japan is also a society that values conformity, not the spontaneity and independence that Harleys represent.
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