Indian-made motorcycles have overtaken Japanese models and are zooming ahead in Sri Lanka with impressive sales figures, but cheaper Chinese makes are slowly catching up.

The Indian manufacturers sold 63,583 motorcycles in Sri Lanka last year, up from 32,738 in 2002 and 8,243 in 2001, according to the official customs figures.

On the other hand, cheaper Chinese models are catching up with the Indian versions and have sold 19,379 motorcycles in 2003, up from 14,269 in 2002 and 9,245 in 2001.

In comparison, sales of Japanese models, once a popular choice in this island nation, dropped drastically to 8,747, from 23,098 models in 2002 and 19,469 in 2001.

Better advertising and superior after sales service were said to be the main points in favour of the Indian motorcycles, most of them based on Japanese technology, while the Chinese were making a strong push with their price advantage.

Traders said the Indian models were available for half the price of Japanese models, while the Chinese makes were even cheaper.