TOP 6 MODIFICATION & GET YOUR BIKE SEIZED BY THE RTO
The Motor Vehicle Act restricts modifications in India.
According to the law, it is illegal to modify the structure or color of a vehicle. To make the modifications legal, owners have to get the new modified parts approved by the ARAI (Automotive Research Authority of India) and get an endorsed registration certificate.
EXHAUST CHANGE
The number of stares a motorcycle gets when it guns through traffic making that high-pitch noise may give you few hair-raising experiences but to burst the bubble, such modifications are not legal.
Most affordable motorcycle exhausts are free to flow and to install them, the catalytic converter, that saves the environment from the harmful emissions of your motorcycle.
Installing free flow exhaust also increases the noise from the exhaust. The after-effects of a free-flow exhaust are far deeper than the gains. The loud noise and increase in emission will get your motorcycle seized by the police or RTO. However, there is little performance-enhancing exhaust system from established manufacturers like Akrapovic. Sadly, they don’t make exhaust systems for most regular affordable motorcycles.
ENGINE MODIFICATION
A motorcycle has many other things than the engine. These extra things like the exhaust system have been tuned perfectly to work with the particular engine. Many motorcycle modifiers change the displacement of the engine by boring the cylinder for extra power. Also, their other modifications like increasing the nozzle size of the carburetor to put in extra fuel and replacing the stock air filter with a new one.
Such modifications are under the shell and hard to spot but if you have changed the engine specification from what is mentioned in your RC, you will be in big trouble. Engine modifications are not allowed at all and the only way to make it road legal is by taking the motorcycle to ARAI, who will homologate the motorcycle again to check if it meets with the Indian standard.
CHASSIS MODIFICATION
Cutting the chassis, welding it with extra metal, or reshaping it in any way is illegal. Many custom motorcycle makers cut and weld the chassis to transform the motorcycle beyond recognition. Modifying the chassis disturbs the integrity of the motorcycle and the RTO sees it as a dangerous vehicle that can harm you or other people on road. Modifying chassis is a strict no unless you want to carry the motorcycle on a trailer and show it to friends and come back home.
The RC of your vehicle is a legal document and it mentions all the information on your motorcycle. If it says two-wheels, then make sure that you do not change it to three wheels or get a side-car for fun. Conversions to a trike or getting a side-car are prohibited by law. There are certain rules for the disabled riders, who can get extra wheels for support but that has to be approved by the RTO and the same will be mentioned in the new RC. Conversion to trike is also prohibited by law and can land your vehicle in RTO for a long time.
THE PRESSURE HORN
The pressure horns are banned in India. Pressure horns operate at a very high level of noise. The extremely loud level of noise created by pressure horns can also cause loss of hearing. Such horns add to the noise pollution too.
Even if you do not use such pressure horns in traffic, just installing them on the vehicle is illegal enough to get your bike seized. Avoid them and go for OEM dual horns.
ENGINE SWAPS
Engine swaps are very serious offenses. The chassis of your motorcycle has been designed to hold one particular engine, its power, its weight, and other things. Other crucial equipment like the wheels and the brakes are tuned for a certain speed.
If you change the engine of the motorcycle, you change the whole dynamics. Swapping the engine is banned in India and doing so will get your vehicle seized. Even if you are resurrecting a vintage motorcycle, the engine of the motorcycle should be revived and should not be swapped with any other engine.
We understand that you want a unique wet brick red, soaked in soil color for your motorcycle but if your RC says just read, you should stick to it. Having different colors on the RC and the motorcycle is illegal. There is a way around though.
You can get your motorcycle wrapped in your favorite color. If you are adamant about getting the motorcycle a new paint job, make sure that you take RTO permission beforehand. Repainting with the same color is allowed.
HID WITHOUT PROJECTOR
High-Intensity Discharge lamps are very powerful lamps and can potentially damage the eyesight of the onlooker. It is mandatory to install a projector lens to focus the beam from the HID lamps. If the police or RTO official finds out that the HID has been installed without any projector lens, the motorcycle wills its way to the RTO’s vehicle pound.
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Indian Rules