THE authorities are taking serious action against motorcyclists who modify their two-wheelers for fun as the trend is seen as not only a public nuisance, but dangerous as well.
The illegal practice includes removing the rear brake of the vehicle, especially on what are known as “lajak” motorcycles.
Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department head Asst Comm Sarifudin Mohd Salleh said more and more riders were being caught without rear brakes.
“For them (motorcyclists who make modifications), the offence is not a big deal, not even something big.
“However, they need to remember that this careless attitude can lead to accidents that can take their own lives but of others as well,” he said at the police’s “Op Motosikal/Samseng” press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Traffic Police Station today.
He stressed that the police wanted to make those who tampered with their vehicles – and motorcycle users in general – understand that such modifications could bring harm to themselves and others.
Citing police statistics, Sarifudin said a total of 188 fatal accident cases were recorded in Kuala Lumpur from January 1 to December 18 this year.
“Of that number, 151 of the fatal accidents involved motorcycle riders and pillion riders, and 76 of them were teenagers between 14 and 18 years old.
“This number shows that motorcycle riders and pillion riders are the most vulnerable to accidents, which is compounded by the attitude of those who like to modify the bikes,” he said.
He said a reason given by the culprits was that they wanted to make their vehicles lighter.
“The reason they always give is that they want the motorcycle to be lighter in order to get maximum speed while moving faster,” Sarifudin said.
“At the same time, they want to get the pleasure of riding a modified motorcycle that is considered a trend for stunts and thrills in the capital city,” he said.
Apart from the lack of rear brakes, traffic police also detected several other illegal modifications often done by motorcyclists: noisy exhausts, fitting of smaller tires, and “fancy” registration numbers.
“Recently, we have received many complaints from local residents in Jalan Tun Razak regarding noise disturbances, and we will take action on this.
“We will continue this operation in an effort to ensure that motorcyclists comply with the rules by not making any modifications to their vehicles,” he added.
“At the same time, we recommend parents to monitor their teenagers’ motorcycles to ensure they do not modify the bikes since they are in the (age) group that commits the most mistakes on this,” he said. – The Vibes, December 21, 2023.
