July 8, 2018:
The Motor Vehicle Act restricts modifications in India.
According to the law, it is illegal to modify structure or colour of a vehicle.
Altering the structure reduces the strength of the vehicle and it can cause serious injuries to the occupants or riders during an accident. 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.
State Police, especially from Kerala and Karnataka have started a crackdown on modified motorcycles.
Cops are even stopping and issuing challans to bikes that have aftermarket loud exhausts. In many cases, cops have removed such modified exhausts and have crushed them in front of the owners. Such crackdowns have become pretty common in Kerala and Karnataka but the people in other states are not facing any such issues, yet!
Can you legally modify a motorcycles?
Yes, but it’s a long process. You can get it approved by ARAI and then get it entered on the Registration Certificate, which is a very tedious and long process. Another way is to add features that do not interfere with the structure of the motorcycle. For example, you can add auxiliary lamps and a remote locking system but you cannot add a performance sprocket or change the handlebar of the motorcycle.
Also, you can change colour of the bike by adding a vinyl but repainting the vehicle to a different colour is again illegal and has to be endorsed on the RC by the local RTO. As these strict rules restrict the creativity of modifying houses, there should be new rules that help such modifiers in India. Customisation is a big marketplace in many international countries.
If India can regulate the modifications and put a simpler process of getting the modifications approved, it will go a long way towards enhancing the automotive culture of the country.
Source Agencies
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