Why are imported marques in the archive?

Motorcycle Memory includes imported marques as reference material. Their histories can clarify comparisons within the China exhibition, but they do not replace the exhibition's focus on industrial learning.

Use /collection/imported for the imported-marque collection; begin the main exhibition at /china.

A comparison is useful when it helps explain a model, technical feature, or historical context. It is less useful when a familiar marque name is allowed to stand in for the evidence behind a China-focused claim.

The imported-marque collection is therefore a supplementary route. Each reference should be read for what it can establish, without implying endorsement by a manufacturer.

Start at /china for the exhibition question, then use /collection/imported when a comparison calls for it. Return to the relevant object or factory workshop to see how that comparison is used.

The /method page explains why an image, a model description, and a documentary source carry different evidentiary weight.

A reference entry is not a complete company archive, a current product catalogue, or proof of a manufacturer's participation in this project. Dates, attributions, and technical claims should remain tied to inspectable sources.