Katana Owners Club U.K.

Has anyone ever been fined for Not putting a sorn on their bike ?, maybe i've been a bit thick but i've not sorned one of my popup's since i bought it a couple of years ago, it had been off the road for years anyway and i had nothing about sorn from the dvla when i registered it.. In febuary i bought a gsxr and again got nothing about sorn when i registered it, i went to tax it online and a note came up about it being unlicensed and to expect some correspondance about it. the gsxr is now taxed but there's the first 2 months of ownership where it wasn't taxed or sorned..
Back to the popup, i did a bit of checking and if it's been off the road since 31st Jan 1998 it doesn't need sorn, i checked on the dvla site and it was last licensed Jan 1999...
Am i to expect a big fine ? that will either be at random or when i tax it ?
The dvla site says an instant £80 fine if caught using an unlicensed vehicle plus a minimum £1000 fine, I'm not using my bike, it's off the road awaiting restoration, but if i'm to expect a large fine then i'm selling it

(I know the basic sorn stuff, my efe is currently on a sorn)

Pretty much the same experience. Skruffy Kat had been off the road, but SORN'ed, I made the mistake of waiting for the SORN to run out before declaring it again.
The rules state that if the vehicle is on a SORN when you buy it, you have to tax or SORN straightaway. Also if you buy a vehicle that has not been taxed since 1998, a SORN has to be made on change of ownership. I did mine online and got the message about a "Big Stick" heading my way.

Having failed to learn from that, I managed to delay declaring SORN the other Kat I have in bits, for nearly a year, so they were both either declared or renewed SORN last October. Got the same "Big Stick" message for the 2nd one.

As yet no "Big Sticks" have appeared... Possibly the reason being that there are so many vehicles that should be SORN'ed, but are not that, as Blix said, if the vehicle is apprehended on the road it is then used as an additional offence

anyone seen new rules re insurance and sorn, apparently now even if vehicle taxed you can be fined if not insured even if not on the road

new rule as far as i read it you have bike (car etc) taxed for last moth of disc but insurance run out you are commiting an offence

EVEN IF YOU DON'T MOVE IT FROM GARAGE, BACK GARDEN ETC

AAAAGGGH

They are creating work for themselves as they will be chasing up bikes that probably don't even exist anymore but no one has told them
..I forgot to resorn mine for a couple of months..their website was down at the time.. and then had a reminder letter but it was pleasant

I have bikes that I bought before the SORN thing started and they don't (and never will) need to be SORNed.

However, the law changed with the introduction of SORN's (and of course has just changed again as 'H' etc say) and now states that any vehicle you own must EITHER be taxed and insured at all times OR SORNed. There's no middle ground on this issue.

Basically they have put even more onus on the owner to make sure you keep your SORN's up to date.

In your case Mal I would write a groveling letter saying you forgot to do the SORN when you bought the bike and as it was not on the road for the 'missing' period there was no harm done etc etc.

Good luck mate.

as usual - trying to pick up fines from people the easy way. Instead of getting the real dodgers with no tax and driving on the roads. Walked past a window cleaners car round my house last week and his tax was 2 years out of date !!!!

Pete

So hands up, how many people insure and tax their bike on the same 1st day of the month . . . . . this stupid rule means that even if your bike is taxed, you have to sorn it otherwise they give you a fine for not having it insured , which leads to the problem of having to get a refund for the tax before the end of a month when your insurance can run out anytime in that month , madness. I think they have created a load of paperwork for themselves.

If it applied to cars of which most are normally used 12 months of the year thats no big deal. BUT applying this to motorcycles and and things like classic cars which are only used for part of the year is a pain in the arse !
Some tosser sat behind a desk with nothing better to do again, this country is too quick to bend over and get shafted.

In the May/June edition of MAG's magazine, The Road, there' s balanced reply to a letter which is saying the same as the folk on here. I don't have the time, or let's be honest, can't be arsed retyping it up on here but the main reason that this system is now in place (several years after the legislation was passed) is to get a reduction in the number of cars on the road without insurance. The present estimates are between one and two million! This number of uninsured cars is putting up to 30% on the cost of YOUR car premium.
As usual, there are relatively few bikes about compared to cars so we don't really have much of a voice when this sort of legislation is pushed through so, can I make a suggestion.
Join MAG so that when our leaders get another bright idea, we will have an organisation putting forward the opinion of most of us bikers and defending our freedom.

I'll get off my soap box now.

So within a few months I can look forward to a 30% reduction in my insurance premiums then Yeah right ! In my dreams, it just means the insurance companies make 30% more. (just read on AA site that its £30 not 30% so thats a HUGE difference to most people)

Another twist,
I can drive other vehicles not owned by me with the owners permission and the same with bikes on my bike policy. BUT and its now a bloody BIG BUT , even if the other vehicle is taxed you are unable to drive/ride it inless the owner has insurance for it - no problem you say, so what happens when you buy a new car/bike and want to get it home as we did at the weekend? even though the car / bike is TAXED AND you are INSURED to drive it (but not leave it unattended on a public highway as its third party only and if left unattended the owner is then responsible) you CAN NO LONGER drive it legally ! If YOU do the OWNER commits an offence even though YOU are driving it.

What happened to a vehicle having to be taxed to be on the road, and having to have insurance to drive it on the road. . . . . .
call me old fashioned but that was perfectly legal once upon a time. whats next sorn for an MOT ????? sorn if your brake pads are getting low ??????

Also, you want to sell your bike, it is taxed. you buy another bike and change your insurance over. you now have to declare sorn on your old bike therefore the tax becomes invalid and must be surrendered even if you wanted to sell it with the tax !

Madness ! this poxy country has gone to the dogs and every politician with their big fat arse parked on the gravy train needs a kick where it hurts.

Second rant over going fo a lie down now !

Technically though if you have signed and dated the reg doc then do you not own it from that point? You will have proof of ownership as you will have the little slip