If exclusivity is your thing & you want your ride to stand out in the crowd, custom bike is what you are looking for. As the name suggests Custom Motorcycles are different than the mass-produced motorcycles which are standard specification for all, Custom motorcycles are uniquely built, usually in limited quantities.
Finalizing a budget range can help you to narrow down the list of choices. As there Cis literally no end to customize your bike. As normally customization is something unique to the rider which might not seem functional to others.
Normally there are two approaches which can be followed which will give you a custom motorcycle as a result. First Taking a stock bike & making changes to it to create a custom version of mass-produced standard motorcycle. Second is the old school approach to build your ride from the scratch. Where you just take a standard engine and build your ride around it not limiting to the engine. As generally in this approach engine changes to the standard choice will also be done. In both approaches three type of customization can be done: Performance, Visual, Utility.
Depending upon your needs and preferences, Motorcycles are available in various shapes, sizes & engine capacities; generally, based on shape, most common body type of motorcycles are classified as:
Bobbers are generally stripped of the excess body work, the reduced body work also results in reduced weight. Generally the front fender is removed completely, exposing the front tyre and rear fender is usually shortened. It is one of the most favoured style of customization.
These can be built from modifying a orignal motorcyle or buliding one from scratch. It is one of the most extreme from of customization where radically modified steering handles are used & the fromt forks are usually lengthened to giv ethe motorcyle a stretched out look.
These are optimized for speed and handling rather than a comfortable ride. generally used to tarvel shorter distances quickly. These are light & powerful with low mounted handle bars, enlonged fuel tank with knee grips. Body work in these motorcyles is also generally minimalist. Now a days many manufactures mass produce bikes in simialr configuartions, such as: Royal enfiled Contintal GT
It somewhere sits between off road & street bike. Thee are street bikes with off road capabilites. Scarmblers are also bared down to minimu essentials and usually have high riding height, high schoks & dual purpose tyres. Many manufactures provide mass produced scrambler bikes like Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Triumph etc.
As the name suggests, these are only built for one and only one purpose i.e. to drag race. High on power, built to cover distance in a straight line as fast as possible. Drag bikes are built specifically with the intention to cover quarter mile distances usually in Drag races.
Cut down are customised scooters with removed body parts, bare frames & visible engines. All this stripping improve the power to weight ratio of the scooters. All the parts which donot have any structural roles in the body are usually removed. Engines are upped to make the ride more peepy & fun.
Rat bikes, Super moto, Street fighter, Street Tracker are some of the other classification based on the different type of customizations.
As per the, Sec 52 of the Motor Vehicles Act amended in 2000:
"No owner of a motor vehicle shall so alter the vehicle that the particulars contained in the certificate of registration are at variance with those originally specified by the manufacturer: Provided that where the owner of a motor vehicle makes modification of the engine, or any part thereof, of a vehicle for facilitating its operation by different type of fuel or source of energy including battery, compressed natural gas, solar power, liquid petroleum gas or any other fuel or source of energy, by fitment of a conversion kit, such modification shall be carried out subject to such conditions as may be prescribed: Provided further that the Central Government may prescribe specifications, conditions for approval, retro fitment and other related matters for such conversion kits: Provided also that the Central Government may grant exemption for alteration of vehicles in a manner other than specified above, for any specific purpose."
Which means, In case your bike is modified from an original motorcycle, RTO needs to be in loop for the changes being made to the stock motorcycle & incase you have chosen the less traveled road of creating your ride from the scratch, you too need to get in touch with your local RTO office for the details as it might happen that you needs to pass a whole set of rules, requirement & guidelines prescribed by government agencies such as ARAI. Like getting your chassis approved, emission compliance etc. All the modifications need to be endorsed on the RC for them to be legal.
