MAM
Modified Your Bike? Here’s How It Can Affect Your Insurance Claim
Customising your bike can be fun. A new exhaust, wider tyres, or a sharper look can make it feel truly yours. But for many riders, the excitement fades the moment they file an insurance claim after an accident, as it gets rejected. That shock usually comes down to one reason: the bike was modified.
If you have already modified your two-wheeler or are thinking about making changes, it helps to understand how bike insurance looks at these upgrades.
What Counts As a Bike Modification?
A bike modification is any change made to the bike after it leaves the factory. It does not have to be a big upgrade; even minor or cosmetic changes can be treated as modifications.
The following are some common examples:
● Aftermarket exhausts or silencers.
● Engine tuning or performance upgrades.
● Different tyre sizes or non-standard alloy wheels.
● Changes to the frame or body.
● Extra lights, horns, or electrical fittings.
● Cosmetic changes that affect the bike’s structure
Even if the bike feels better to ride or looks cleaner after a change, it may still affect how your insurance works.
Why Modifications Concern Insurers
When you buy bike insurance, the cover is based on the bike’s original design and make, like how the bike performs, how safe it is, and how much risk it carries.
Once you modify the bike, that picture changes. Handling may be different, braking behaviour may change and repair costs can increase. In some cases, the bike may no longer meet legal standards.
From an insurer’s point of view, undeclared modifications create problems such as:
● Risk that is higher or unclear.
● Difficulty in linking damage to standard parts.
● A possible violation of policy conditions.
This is why insurers expect full and accurate details about the bike when issuing or renewing a policy.
Common Reasons Claims Get Rejected For Modified Bikes
Here is why claims may be rejected:
● You did not inform the insurer
If you modify your bike without telling the insurer, it is treated as missing or hidden information. During inspection, these changes are usually noticed. This can lead to a reduced settlement or a complete rejection.
● The modification contributed to the accident
If the accident is linked to a modification, the claim may not be paid. For example, oversized tyres can affect balance and engine tuning can affect braking response. If the modification led or had a role in the accident, the insurer may not entertain the claim.
● The modification is illegal
Some changes are not approved under the Indian motor vehicle rules. For example, you added loud exhausts beyond permitted noise limits and if claims involve these illegal changes, they are generally rejected.
Does Comprehensive Bike Insurance Cover Modified Bikes?
Comprehensive bike insurance offers broader protection. It usually covers damage to your bike due to accidents, theft, fire, or natural events, as well as damage to a third-party property or vehicle. However, it does not automatically cover every modification.
Coverage depends on:
● Whether the modification is legal.
● Whether you declared it.
● The modification is officially recorded in your policy.
If the insurer knows about the modification, approves it and adds it to your policy, it can be covered. However, if the change is not reported or concealed, it may not be covered.
What to Keep in Mind Before You Modify Your Bike
Insurance policies are built around factory-approved designs and legal standards. Any change that alters the original setup should be shared with the insurer, as this helps avoid conflict and delays during claims.
If you are planning upgrades to your two-wheeler, talking to the insurer or learning about what will be covered and what will not helps.
Conclusion
Bike modifications can improve looks or performance, but they also bring insurance risks. Most claims are rejected not because a bike was modified, but because the changes were not disclosed or were not legal.
Before customising your bike, take a moment to see how it affects your bike insurance. That one step can save you from a rejected claim when you need financial support the most.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
