The illegal biz of bike modification

LIVING IN THE FAST LANE: If one wants extra power in their bike, they can get it from a local mechanic for just a few extra bucks.

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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.

And extra power was just what Shyamsunder Margam's bike was fitted with.

Mechanics who specialise in this say they know modifying the speed of a bike is dangerous for the rider, but that customers don't care.

Says a mechanic, Mohammed Abid, "Customers tell us that they want their bikes to hit 130 and 120 kmph. It is dangerous to control the bike at that speed."

The top speed of a 100 cc Yamaha like the one Margam rode, is a 100 km per hour, but a modified bike can go up to 140 km per hour. These illegal engine and tyre changes often ruin the balance of the bike making speeding downright dangerous.

"It's not allowed, but young guys ride these bikes, even though police fine them for it," says Mohammed Abid.

Mechanics like Abid are in demand because a foreign bike could cost anywhere between Rs 5 to 6 lakh, but the modifications that these mechanics do come cheap. Prices start at just Rs 5,000 and it seems that when one is whizzing past, the law is a little slow in catching up.