Harley gives easy ride to the oligarchs

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By Jeremy Page

IT IS the ultimate symbol of American individualism — a Harley-Davidson cruising on the open road.

In Soviet times the iconic motorcycle was a distant dream for Russia’s would-be bikers, hunched in their battered Ladas in the snow. But 14 years after the Soviet collapse, the “chopper”, has finally roared into Moscow.

Today, Harley-Davidson officially opens the doors of its first dealership in Russia since the 1917 Revolution, hoping to harness the spending power of the new Russian rich.

Maxim Belousov, the director of the dealership on the upmarket Kutuzovsky Prospekt in Moscow, said: “For most people here, Harley-Davidson is just a legend. Now they can ride the real bike.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1658771,00.html