KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — A 20-year-old man had his high-powered motorcycle seized in Kuala Terengganu after the Road Transport Department (JPJ) discovered it had gone six years without valid road tax, with the rider also lacking the proper licence to operate it.

Berita Harian reported that the MV Agusta F3 RC800 — a model valued at around RM70,000 — was stopped during a Special Motorcycle Operation near the Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge last night. 

The rider, who was travelling from Ipoh, Perak to visit relatives in Kampung Padang Nenas for the evening breaking of fast, admitted he had only purchased the superbike a week earlier and had planned to return to Ipoh the following day.

Terengganu JPJ director Zamri Samion said the MV Agusta was one of 25 motorcycles seized in the three-hour operation, which ran from 10pm to 1am. 

The enforcement exercise, he said, was held in conjunction with the Chinese New Year period, aimed at curbing illegal racing and tightening compliance on technical and documentation offences among motorcycle users.

According to Zamri, the operation relied heavily on undercover surveillance, with 18 plain-clothes officers deployed to spot offences before summoning uniformed teams to intervene.

“The focus is on major violations such as riding without a licence, expired road tax, lack of insurance coverage and extreme modifications that pose risks to both riders and other road users,” he said, as reported by the national daily. 

“We are also monitoring illegal racing activities, particularly among younger riders, following public complaints and our own observations.”

JPJ officers found that many of the seized motorcycles had undergone excessive or unsafe modifications, including loud aftermarket exhaust systems, missing rear brakes and number plates that failed to meet legal specifications, complicating enforcement and identification.

Zamri added that the department is also relying on enforcement cameras to detect more serious traffic breaches, including red-light violations and the failure to wear helmets, which continue to be among the highest-risk behaviours linked to fatal accidents.

The main offences recorded during the operation included riding without a valid licence, expired road tax, absence of insurance protection, illegal modifications and breaches of traffic rules.