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Police fine 3,000 Royal Enfield owners, & collect 30 lakh in fines for modified exhausts

For long, the police across India is cracking a whip on modified vehicles. The cops mostly target Royal Enfield riders since most of them use aftermarket exhaust to accentuate the thump. Commissioner of Police, Pimpri-Chinchwad has ordered a drive against the owners of the Royal Enfield motorcycles who have changed the stock exhaust to an aftermarket one. The police teams in the area have already launched a crackdown and almost 3,000 riders have been caught till now.

Police fine 3,000 Royal Enfield owners, & collect 30 lakh in fines for modified exhausts

The drive started four months ago and the police have taken action against 2,970 riders of Royal Enfield motorcycles. They have collected a total of Rs 29.7 lakh in form of fines. The police teams issue a fine of Rs 1,000 on any motorcycle rider for any external modifications or changes. We are not sure if the cops have seized any of the bikes till now.

The police report says that they have taken action against 908 Royal Enfield riders in first 25 days. Post that, the cops decided to continue the drive since there were still many who were using the aftermarket exhausts. Subsequently, 2,970 bikers have been caught till now.

Notice to the aftermarket exhaust sellers

Police fine 3,000 Royal Enfield owners, & collect 30 lakh in fines for modified exhausts

Often people question why the authorities do not take action against the people who sell these aftermarket exhausts. The police teams have identified many shops and garages that sell and install these aftermarket exhausts in the city The team has sent notices to these shops and garages. The notice warns them of strict action if they are found selling or installing aftermarket exhausts illegally. The police have decided to continue to take action against the modified motorcycles in the region in the future too.

This is not the first time that the traffic police have cracked a whip on the Royal Enfield owners. In the past, the cops have even seized these exhausts on the spot and collectively destroyed them using road rollers. In Mumbai, the cops even came out with a special device to cut these aftermarket silencers and destroy them. It is a major menace across India and the cops from different states and UTs keep on taking action against such installation every now and then.

Even the cars are not spared but it is rare that the cops check and stop the four-wheelers. In Kerala, the popular monster truck Isuzu D-Max V-Cross was forced back to its stock state after the cops found the vehicle and imposed hefty fines on the owner.

Not all aftermarket exhausts are illegal

It should be noted that not all aftermarket exhausts are illegal. If the exhaust complies with the rules and regulations and meets the sound output requirement, it can be used on public roads. However, if an exhaust is louder than the permissible limit, the cops are bound to impose challans and may even seize the motorcycles. Even the superbike riders have faced the same issue and many owners have received hefty fines for installing aftermarket exhaust systems.

Shantonil Nag

Shantonil brings a refined blend of expertise and enthusiasm to motoring journalism at Cartoq.com. With a career spanning over 11 years, he anchors Cartoq's insightful car reviews and test drives. His journalistic journey began as a correspondent at Gaadi.com, where he honed his skills in content writing and scripting car reviews. Later, as Senior Editor for Autoportal.com, his expanded role included curating and structuring web content. At Cartoq.com, his expanded role includes assisting the video team to create high-quality car reviews. (Full bio)