Query approved.

@sunilg: Thanks for the approval. Cheers.

Get in touch with Tenhut he has a CBR 600 he may help you to get a clean 600cc Bike.

@haxor: Thanks for the reply. Who is tenhut? I am guessing that's an xbhp ID for that gentleman. Will try and look through his profile. Cheers.

xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community - View Profile: TenHut

Tenhut doesnt 'exactly' have a 600 any more, infact he bought a Fireblade ONLY because he couldnt find a clean 600.

Also Please do not refer anyones name without the consent of that person to do so.

PS: you can find a used MT01 on sale @ Mumbai Yamaha Factory Shop
MT01 - Would be the perfect bet for what you called as your style of riding.

I am sorry,but I have seen pics of red-white CBR 600 in his xbhp album.
I was just trying to help,nothing else intended!

Its ok man, nothing against you... but I have seen this happening a lot on xBHP. So wanted to highlight...

PS: its a free forum, nothing stops a DRI scout to sign up and scan for information from such websites too

@Haxor: Thanks again yaar, for helping out. Appreciate it.

@Satyenpoojary: Thanks for your inputs. I also got to know some posting rules. Valid point there. About MT01, I would like such a bike but I don't think it fits into my budget yaar. I am sure it will be above 8 Lakhs, which is beyond my dream right now. Taking a loan for the extra amount is a burden for me currently.

In general, I have been doing thorough research, and I think that its very hard to find a clean 600 in India. Do check out these latest articles from Sulekha and DNA:

DRI cracks down on Illegal Imports of spares and Re-Assembled Bikes.. A Shocking Report : purefriendship blogs on sulekha, General blogs, purefriendship blog from india

DNA: Mumbai - Court refuses to believe police version on illegal bike imports

With big manufacturers already launching their power bikes I think that the DRI crackdown on the illegal bikes is going to intensify more. I have come to the conclusion that its not worth taking the risk.

Important note: There are bikes that have all cleared papers, but the original price of the bikes have been undervalued to lower the duty by bribing RTO officials. Many RTO officials have been suspended for the same, especially from the MH 06 registrations.According to DRI, despite having valid papers, these bikes are still eligible to be confiscated for evading legit duty. Once impounded, its nearly impossible to get it back.

It is really sad that the ridiculous duties are depriving bikers on their pursuit of passion. I guess that I need to have a lot of patience to zero in on a clean bike.

Thanks again, for your help guyz. Cheers.

Hello Guyz,

I looked into a honda 600 over the weekend, and when requested for the papers, the seller showed me a maharashtra smart card. Its a card with a chip in the middle (like some credit cards).

He told me that in mumbai all vehicles have the smart card and that all papers will remain with the RTO itself. He gave me a photocopy of the smart card and asked me to verify it myself.

Its a 2007 cbr 600 rr that has done 11,000 odd kilometers. And he is requesting for 5.8L.

Any suggestions or advice concerning the integrity of the smart card? And is the asking price resonable? please give your feedback. Thanks in advance gentlemen.

Pune,Mumbai have smart cards issued registration. Do check the details on the card (600 cc ,petrol , weight etc etc) and the name of the owner.

I can't comment on the price but it sounds good to me for a clean bike.

OT--
What happens with the confiscated Motorcycles lying around with DRI?

Wanted to ask exactly the same thing. They must be auctioning them, unless people are willing to pay fines for them. Got to find the auction. :P

Also the links that are posted say that the RTO officials themselves were involved so does that mean even having a smart card or registration certificate does not mean that the import is legal.

That is what i have been wanting to know too, planning to get a bike next year.

Phh btw grab a copy of superbike magazine, this issue has the best second hand bikes on sale, though in UK but will help you make a good choice. One thing i remember from the article is that while a CBR 600 is a good buy but in second hand market it's price is not that less than a 1000RR.

Also in India it will be touch safer to go for a 1000cc because they are legally allowed. Though am not sure.

@niks_devil666: sorry for the late reply yaar. Thanks for your response. The details on the card was all clear including the cc, color, year of manufacture, etc. But the point is, one can bribe an RTO or customs official to lower the rate of the bike and pay the respective taxes. If you looked at the news links I posted on the previous page, the DRI does have a record of the the vehicles registered and can cross check the tax paid on it. If it was lower than the optimal price, the DRI still reserves the right to confiscate the vehicle. So how do you verify with the smart card and registration, if the owner paid the full tax amount? or is it really not a big deal, as DRI are more concerned only the assembled bikes? Is the risk worth taking?

If the papers are clean, I think the bike price is justified. I've asked a friend in mumbai to check with the RTO given the registration number....will keep u guyz posted on what I find....

@sheelpriye: That is a good question and I have varied response on this....again, I don't know if these are true....here are the answers I got:

1. They will throw tantrums so that they can get more bribe from you. If it happens to be a really honest DRI guy, they will take it back to Mumbai (as all vehicles are supposed to come from the mumbai port) and let it rot in some warehouse, and it will be impossible to pull strings once its back as you have to go through multiple layers of people.....a task close to impossible.

2. If you have paid the tax, but only a certain percentage of the original, they want you to pay the remaining and legalize your bike.

3. If the bike is completely paperless, they will confiscate it, but what's the point of keeping it with them right....so they might as well ask you to pay a reasonable amount like 1 lakh (as you did not assemble the bike yourself and you got cheated by someone else) and legalize the bike for you. I heard that they do this in bangalore, but again, don't know how far its true.

4. They know that if you ride such a bike, you are a big shot and they won't even bother touching you. And the reason they confiscated some 50 odd bikes just to show they are taking action and that the DRI has got bigger fish to worry about than a few bikes that are driven illegally by rich kids

So which of the above is true? my guess is as good as yours....it would be interesting to see what other members have to say.

@forty6: yes, I heard the same. auctions do happen as there is no point in accumulating inventory of superbikes. The thing is, the word never comes out. I've heard that a closed group of people know this and get the bikes in auction for dirt prices by money hungry brokers and then they sell out the legal bikes for a good price.

And yes, even if the bike is registered, but not paid full tax, the DRI reserves the right to confiscate it again, because in the interest of the government, one cannot escape from paying the right duties. Not that the bike is illegal, because it was bought in as a proper bike, only that tax paid was less due to undervalue. Its only the gray market bikes that are illegal, that was bought as spares and re-assembled.

and Yes again, in the indian superbike used market, the price difference between a 600 cc and a 1000 cc is not high. Only about 50K. This is from my own observations.

And yes, you're right one more time.....the most 600 cc i find in india are not clean. You stand a better chance of finding a legal 1000 than a 600. So now, i am actually quite open to a 1000.