InvictaMoto's Red Pepé Blog

Every year we have to pay a tax to the Government to be able to use our vehicles on the road. Over the years it has had a few different names and since the 1930's hasn't been spent on the roads! It simply goes in the Government's coffers to spend where they like. In a pandemic we are expecting the huge financial burden to be spread across taxation, both directly like income tax and of course, indirectly on things like purchases and that includes petrol and the vehicle tax.  The Government still calls it "Vehicle Tax" although loads of pedants will try and make out it is an emissions tax.  It is vehicle tax that used to be based on the engine capacity of the vehicle and vehicle type. Now it is based on bands depending on the noxious emissions your vehicle pumps out. As Pepé is currently untaxed and in the garage, I won't have the reminder form V11 sent to me from the licencing agency. I will have to login to the vehicle tax website and use the unique vehicle n...

The MoT ran out on the 19th February and so I need to book it in to be legal to ride to the testing station. I have chosen the take it to Laguna as usual. Called and the earliest they can do it is Monday 8th March at noon. I am probably not going to get too much riding in before the end of March but this should prepare things for getting out and about.  The first date in the Government's roadmap to get us out of lockdown is not until the end of March! I can't tax it again until I have the MoT in place.

It's always difficult.   Claire pressuring me to sell the Rocket now that the Kettle is due home any day. To be brutally honest I don't want to sell the bike. I had a guy come around from a "we buy any car" kind of place to give me a rough idea of that it was worth and after nearly three hours they said that they didn't want it.   I was a bit miffed at that as I had taken off all the personal bits that I wanted to keep, and now I have to piss about putting it back on to use the bike as the lockdown is brought to a close. It runs perfectly and has been regularly serviced. It's five years old and so there will be a few marks but generally it is is in good condition.  Paint good and no body damage. Claire wants to replace the Corsa at some stage and as I get nearer retirement we won't need two cars. Mine is not worth much in any case. A ten year old diesel Insignia is worthless. Having a diesel engine makes it as evil akin to having pissed on one of ...