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span class="caption" style="width: 378px;">Vroom effect: A model poses with Harley Davidson's V-Rod 10th Anniversary Limited Edition during a launch event for Model Year 2012 motorcycles in Jakarta on Sunday. PT Mabua Harley Davidson aims to sell 525 to 550 motorcycles in 2012. PT Mabua Harley Davidson, the sole authorized dealer of the brand, is expecting a 15 percent sales increase in 2012 because Indonesian customers are hungry for new models, an executive said on Sunday.

“We are targeting to sell 525 to 550 motorbikes in 2012, a more or less 15 percent increase from this year, because the demand from Harley fans is increasing,” Mabua general manager country sales and marketing Irvino Edwardly told The Jakarta Post.

Irvino said that as of September 2011, 385 Harleys had been sold in Indonesia and it was expected that total sales by year-end would reach 470.

To support higher sales, Mabua recently launched 2012 Harley Davidson models with Twin Cam 103 engine, which is more powerful than the previous engine, the Twin Cam 96. The new engine produces 100 ft-lbs of torque, an increase of some 6 percent from the Twin 96, Irvino said.

Included in the 2012 models are the Dyna Switchback, the Softail Blackline and the V-Rod 10th Anniversary Edition, of which only five units will be available on the Indonesian market.

The V-Rod 10th Anniversary Edition costs Rp 405 million (US$45,944) off the road while the Dyna Switchback and the Softail Black Line cost Rp 342 million and 365 million, respectively.

Mabua will import 15 to 25 Dyna Switchbacks and 15 Softail Blacks, Irvino added.

“The 2012 models also include the CVO Road Glide Custom Screaming Eagle, which will be available on Jan. 2,” he said, adding that they cost Rp 585 million per unit.

Public enthusiasm was huge during the launch, during which 55 various models and variants were sold, he said.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, who attended the launch, said he had been a Harley fan since his youth.

Fauzi said he liked and had a Fat Boy and a Sportster.

“My background is engineering and Harley Davidson is a real lifestyle because motorcyclists can modify their bikes as they like,” he told the Post.

He also urged motorcyclists to obey traffic regulations in order to prevent road accidents.

“A motorcycle is a vulnerable vehicle and the key to preventing road accidents is discipline,” he said. (nfo)