Nothing is Real……….. Modified Bikes

Boys will be boys, and at any given day they will swoon over a bike. And now bike lovers are getting their mean machines modified to match their dream machines – Hayabusa, Yamaha R1, Honda CBR and Harley Davidson.Sumesh Suri, consultant with an American Company owns an Enfield, which he got modified. He has given it a ‘chopper’ look. It is called chopper because the frame of the bike was chopped into half and then extended by 18 inches. Suri spent around Rs 70,000 to give his bike a personal touch. Atul Rahi, CEO of Metal Leopard is a bike modifier – someone who can breathe life into your dream machine. He says, “The bikes in question are often new and sometimes straight out of the showrooms. The charges for modification are anything between Rs Rs 50,000 and Rs 85,000. People also come with their own designs.”

Modifications are of two kinds, partial or complete. In partial modification, only certain parts are changed. For instance, increasing the wheelbase means increased grip on the road but that decreases the average of the bike. In full modification, the bike is totally transformed into the replica of the bike the customer wants to have.The bikes they get for modification are generally Enfield, Yamaha Enticer, Avenger, Eliminator, Pulsar, Karizma, Fiero. But who are these bikers? It is the 25-30 lot, and they generally want to modify the alloy wheel, side view mirror, tyres and shockers.

Amanpreet Ahluwalia, general manager Speedbug, a car modification workshop says, “People generally come to us when the bike is little old and they want to give it a new look.” He says, “They want us to change the border tyre, ferrings, put disc brakes, tank cover, have mono-shock and racing handles. And for this, people are ready to shell out anywhere from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 on the modification of their bikes.”

Suri’s bike was also displayed in the auto-expo last year. He says, “I don’t care about the average of the bike because when I can spend so much on the bike means that I am concerned about its look.” The average of the bike certainly comes down but this is not something bike lovers are bothered about. After all, good things come at a price.