Bikes with modified silencers terrorize Coimbatore city roads

Coimbatore: Sixt-five-year-old Ambrose, of Perumal Nagar near Puliyakulam, was walking on the road in his locality around 9.17pm on Friday, when a motorbike suddenly sped past him with a loud noise. Startled, Ambrose lost his balance and fell down. He sustained minor injuries in the incident.This is just an instance of motorbikes with altered silencers spreading terror in the city. For youngsters, it's a way to show off. What they don't care about is the noise pollution or the possible accident it may cause.
Unlike others, who often dismiss incidents such as this, Ambrose lodged a complaint with the city police, who traced the motorcycle with the help of CCTV footage, seized the vehicle, and asked the rider to appear before them for interrogation. While the rider, identified as Mohammed Kaja Moideen, 25, of Kuniyamuthur, said the bike was registered in the name of his friend's wife, he failed to produce the registration certificate. Police booked him under sections 281 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and sections 182(A)(4), 184, 194(f)(b) and 52, read with 177, of the Motor Vehicles Act. The bike was produced before court on Monday morning. Police also have sent summons to a Kawasaki showroom near Chinniyampalayam seeking an explanation for replacing the original silencer and installing a loud silencer on the bike. A traffic police inspector says the modified bikes with excessive noise are a threat to both motorists and pedestrians. "In 2025 alone, more than 1,000 cases were registered for altered silencers. The vehicles seized for fitting loud silencers are released only after replacing the modified one with a standard one. We also impose fines up to Rs5,000 on the bike owners for the offence." S Ashok Kumar, city deputy police commissioner (traffic), says the number of vehicles with altered silencers has been on the rise on the city roads. "The noise from the exhaust could scare other riders, leading to accidents. We are taking strict action against the people using loud silencers and those who help fit them." According to him, more than 20 vehicles were seized during a recent drive against the altered silencers. "We didn't return the modified silencers, and the vehicle owners have been instructed to reinstall original silencers. We have collected details of automobile shops and mechanic workshops that install loud silencers. Such shop owners will also be named in the first information report as an abettor. Cops have been instructed to conduct drives at regular intervals and seize the vehicles with excessive noise." Sheriff, a two-wheeler mechanic, says the youngsters who want to show off their vehicles are changing the exhaust. The modified silencers could damage the engine and reduce overall performance in the long run, he says. "Sports bikes like the Yamaha R15, Duke and Royal Enfield are the ones that get modified most commonly." Under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, any alteration to the factory model is illegal. "Exhaust pipes producing more than 80dB are illegal. Changes to the exhaust pipe cannot be allowed," says a senior regional transport official.