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Wed 05 May 2004MotorBikesMiles ahead of the rest: We have seen, more and more over the past 35 to 40 years, how especially in motorcycling terms, the "workshop of the world" has gravitated towards the Far East. Where once British bikes led the world, for the greater part of most riders' lifetimes the centre of gravity has been in Japan, China and other, smaller Far Eastern countries.This has far from wiped out either European or North American manufacturers, indeed forced them to become more innovative and competitive. Nevertheless, increasingly, the Asia-Pacific region dominates motorcycle manufacture.