The illegal biz of bike modification - Article on IBNLive

[rangaraj]

The illegal biz of bike modification

By IBNlive.com
Wednesday December 13, 09:05 AM
Mumbai: A tragic motorbike accident earlier this week in Mumbai killed two 18-year-olds. It occurred when the rider lost control of his bike and hit a streetlight pole. It was later found that the bike was modified to give it greater speed.

More recently, a body in an ambulance and a shattered family was all that was left after Shyamsunder Margam's fatal joyride on his Yamaha bike.

The accidents have led to an increased police presence, checking speeding vehicles on city streets, but an open road by the sea and wind in your hair at the Worli Sea Face almost invites one to speed up - and if one wants that extra bit of power in their bikes, they can get it from a local mechanic for just a few extra bucks.


Article continued at The illegal biz of bike modification : bike, accident, modified bikes, Mumbai : IBNLive.com : CNN-IBN

[Team Fiat]

Man when will these guys learn respect the vech before u ride or drive it thats all I got to say

[Steeroid]

Why just bikes? What makes us think that all modified cars are safe? And what about several inter-state Ashok Leyland buses that are also 'modified' to go faster than what their 1950s-vintage chassis was ever supposed to do?

You can tweak vehicles to go upto the limit, but not beyond it. Then there is the question of the driver's ability and maturity. Why blame the mechanics alone?

[Boom Shiva]

In addition to the engine and exhaust mods, many of these guys switch to narrower tyres for better acceleration and mileage. What they don't understand is that they are sacrificing high speed handling and stability for cheap thrills.

Frankly the only solution is to provide these guys with a designated racing zone where they can try out all their stunts without putting other innocent motorists and pedestrians at risk.

[Team Fiat]

I agree with u guys man where i stay in Pune after 12.30 the ony thing u can hear is cars speeding down the narrow street and im talking abt modded cars and crazy indians and foreigners drag racing and I have seen it with my own eyes crazy even after two deaths which occured on the ajoining streets

[team dragstar]

we mod our cars for sure... but not for street racing... for race purpouse only. i think we shouldnt blame the techies. we should blame the guys who street race and are unsafe. we see these yamahas zooming past everyday in mumbai and say... why do these guys want to kill themselves??? the problem arises where the modded machine ++irresponsible drivers get together. so get your bhp up but keep up with stability jobs as well. no one here in india thinks about high speed needing high safety. the tuners and mechanics should advive their clientell about good suspension and handling mods as well.

[fieroid]

wow, a local mech can make so power bump on an engine for a few bucks?
Thats a really stupid comment. Lets take a 4-stroke engine and we all know how much of tech know-how is reaquired to get higher power. I've spent over a year to now get to my 18bhp single cylinder fiero...did it come from a local mech?
Also it depends on the stupid mind of the rider to make such a mistake of over-speeding and crap. Its also the skill of the tuner to make sure the machine handles well. A race set-up on street is pure madness.

[highwayblaze]

Do these accidents occur at the speeds which were unleashed due to modifications is the question! If the bike/ car crashed at 80kmph. its something most bikes and definitely most cars can do effortlessly. I guess its all due to lack of respect and easy availibility coz the darn money that goes into these machines is not hard earned (bikes/cars that parents buy their kids). I think these street racer boys need to get their rear ends whooped! Do what you like with your so called modded machines but stick to the track when it comes to speed!

[hellspawn]

with great power comes great responsibility...
(always wanted to say that)

coming back to the topic,agreed there is no point blaming the mechanic.its not the tuners fault if an idiot drives at 80kmph on a road which is meant for 40kmph.
i presume these guys would have been coming back home after watching dhoom2.

[porsche_fan]

If you feel the need for speed......Play Need For Speed....Its the safest way to get your daily dose of speed thrills......

[maxbhp]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Why just bikes? What makes us think that all modified cars are safe? And what about several inter-state Ashok Leyland buses that are also 'modified' to go faster than what their 1950s-vintage chassis was ever supposed to do?

You can tweak vehicles to go upto the limit, but not beyond it. Then there is the question of the driver's ability and maturity. Why blame the mechanics alone?

I have seen that nowadys younger gen wants to learn to drive bikes out of Hype created and not fully coz he really wants to . I am saying this coz I see mant kids who can roughly ride their bikes wanting to keep the acc. twisted to its end ....Riders shoud be made more responsible . Another aspect of this is the Licenese Issuing Authorities. I remember when I went for taking license , I went the pakka way ....so had a lot of trouble getting it...Finally when I was asked to drive by the License issuing autority , I didnt have a car as I was still a student . Luckily a Driving License School was willing to lend me their maruti van as they were in a hurry to finish my turn. I got into a drivers seat to meet an elderly guy sitting in a passenger seat . He told me " Do you know driving " I said yes I know it , have been driving since my 9th Std . He gave me a wicked smile and asked me to start the car. I was a bit nervous as I know someone is going to assess my driving skill and my future as a Micheal Schumacher (in dreams) depends all on this day. I started the car...prayed to god..and I engaged the gear...the car starts moving....without leaving the clutch...for a second I thought....I forgot driving.....or I lost my senses coz nothing seems connecting in my head...thats when I saw the ******* next to me playing with pedals on his side.....I asked him to stop using them and I assured him " I really know driving " , any way it went smooth afterwards. Later I was just thinking to myself , If this is the way they issue license...whats the point giving them ? Where in places like Dubai people literally pray before taking their test and some infact has flunked more number of times than they did in their Proff.study days , its really sad to see this happening in the land of " Unity among Diversity " . I dont know about drag racers but I feel if they make the License a bit more stringent , we can avoid atleast a couple accidents .
Now as far as drag racers are concerened , they should make sure that in their act of attaining Nirvana they dont affect the fellow citizens life !

[rangaraj]

In the US and i guess most other nations, there are strict laws for mods - is it street worthy/certified and there are those that get mods and are not meant for streets (though there is a lot of illegal mods that take place world over). The mechanics then go about making the holistic change to a vehicle - engine, suspension, brakes, tires etc.. A lot of mechanics who soup up vehicles for rally cars in India are the ones that are most popular to perform mods. Currently the system is so lax about certification and licensing (which means more work for them), that i am afraid that some politician will take the easy route and ban such stuff..

Those of us in bangalore know the example of closure of bars/restaurants early - lot easier for people to handle and less work than catering to the needs of the people and doing extra work..