Harley Bikers in China?

Written by Graziella DiNuzzo
Director of Communications and Business Development
​World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia 

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When you think of Harley bikers, Peter Fonda in “Easy Rider” may come to mind. Chinese tourists on a Harley? Not so much. Yet Jeff Ji, owner of World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia member company Knighthawk Tours, is changing that perception – anyone can and should be able to ride a Harley Davidson, especially in China. Want to ride a Harley to see the Great Wall or Confucius sites in China? Sign up for one of Knighthawk’s tours. And, for Chinese tourists who  want to take a 2,600 mile Harley ride through scenic Pennsylvania, Knighthawk and Jeff Ji will make that happen.

Jeff Ji arrived in the United States in 1986 and received a graduate degree from American University and University of Pennsylvania. In 1993, Jeff started U-Combination Technology which offers diverse tech set-ups to area businesses, schools and non-profits. U-Combination has worked with the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) to design and host its website in China.  Jeff is also on the board of PHL Diversity, a division of PCVB.  Jeff is passionate about blending Chinese and American cultures. In April 2016, Jeff will be working to bring the Asian Food show to the Philadelphia Convention Center.

With the ever growing middle class in China, more Chinese residents are able to afford Harley Davidson motorcycles.

We are helping to sell more Harley Davidson motorcycles manufactured in Pennsylvania. Since 2008, Harley dealers in China have increased from 3 to 16. While U.S. sales of Harleys decreased by 3%, China sales have increased by more than 10%.
- ​Jeff Ji

Top: Ride to Confucius. Bottom: Chinese riders in PA

To date, three Shandong tours from Pennsylvania to China have taken place, including a AAA Chinese New Year spectacular in 2014.  And from Shandong to Pennsylvania, five tours have been organized. An average of 20 bikers participate on each tour.

Fred Harris is Director of the Ancient City Harley Owners Group with 300 members in St. Augustine Florida. In 2012, Fred and his wife Lynn led the Knighthawk Harley Davidson Rally Experience Tour.

Valley Forge and Bucks County Harley Davidson dealership have been instrumental in supporting Jeff Ji’s mission to help sell American made products into China. In 2008, the Harley dealerships donated 30 bikes to get the ride rolling.

And so has the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia.

“Ron Drozd and the WTCGP played an instrumental role for Knighthawk’s entry into the China market. Ron set up the very first contact with PA’s Beijing Trade Office in 2008 and invited me into the CEOs' China Operations Club. The momentum that Ron built carries us till this day and into the future,” says Jeff Ji.

For additional information on Knighthawk tours visit travelshandong.com/tour-ideas/confucius/ and www.travelshandong.com.