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News

Bye Bye Paper Tax Disc

ByeByeTaxDiscSo long and thanks for all the … faff.

It’s October the 1st and the paper tax disc has officially been obsoleted, no longer needing to be displayed on your vehicle.

No more tearing our the perforated paper disc, no more hassle trying to open your seized up tax disc holder, no more soggy paper and no more worrying about tea leaves stealing it. Of course you will still need to pay VED (vehicle excise duty), either online, over phone or down the Post Office, but enforcement will be through ANPR camera’s.

The Gov have introduced the option to pay by direct debit on a monthly basis, but it’s still cheaper to buy 12 months up front. The biggest change, is vehicle tax is now no longer transferable when a vehicle is sold. The seller will need to cancel their tax, getting a refund for whole months only, then the buyer will need to buy fresh tax prior to using the vehicle. I envisage this last change being a logistical nightmare , as buyers try to sort out insurance and tax at the same time.

More details of the changes can be found on this Gov webpage.

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Motorcycles News

Visit to Bike Shed Motorcycle Club show 2014 (BSMCIII)

BSMCIII-WristBandAt the weekend the Bike Shed MC were hosting their annual show down in Tobacco Dock, East London, having outgrown their usual Shoreditch haunt. The event was a huge showcase of the best custom bikes, cafe racers, cruisers, bobbers and other random hand built two wheel mayhem. The weather was lovely, but unfortunately this was a family outing, so the bike remained at home. But that didn’t stop hundreds of other bikers descending and enjoying the chilled out atmosphere. But I couldn’t help wondering if I’d fit in better with a well trimmed beard, waxed moustache and a full sleeve tattoo. A peculiar blend of ’50s rockabilly and Chap was very much in vogue.

I couldn’t help wondering if I’d fit in better with a well trimmed beard and waxed moustache…

It was good to check out all the funky bikes, even if I’d be hesitant to take any out on the streets of London myself, style over substance seemed to pervade in many instances. Knobbly tyres and Hessian wrapped pipes are definitely this seasons look. Front mudguards are optional and the more belts on show the better.

Hope you like the snaps of all the best bikes we saw. The kids pinched my camera for most of the show as they were getting a bit bored, so please excuse the odd framing or any not quite in focus. They were pissed they couldn’t sit on all the bikes like at the last show we went to!

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News

TFL Start Campaign to Improve Motorcycle Safety

Transport-for-LondonGood news for London bikers, the TFL has just announced a new campaign to increase motorcycle safety in the capital with the aim to reduce injuries and casulties by 40% by 2020. A bold ambition, but I think we can all agree something needs to be done about the disproportionately high number of motorcycle incidents. 21% of those killed or seriously injured on the capitals roads in 2012 were on a motorbike, yet motorcycles only make up 2.3% of road users.

The plan highlights a number of key factors that need addressing, including improving rider skills (e.g. through BikeSafe), educating other road users, greater enforcement of traffic offences for all road users (e.g. speeding, red light jumping) and promoting the use of proper protective clothing. It also includes a move to add rear facing average speed cameras to the A13 (planned for 2015) and elsewhere.

You can read the full plan here on the TFL website.

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News

Bike Gear Deals at Lidl, Aldi and GetGeared

MTR K12 Flip-up Motorcycle Helmet Silv
MTR K12 Flip-up Motorcycle Helmet – £40

The biking season is almost on us, for you fair weather riders that is. 🙂 There’s deals on Lidl (from 27th Feb onwards), where you they’re flogging some basic gear; lids, gloves, thermals, socks etc. Check out the range here.
There will be a range of gear on offer at Aldi from 9th March, again basic lids, gloves, boots and base layers. More details can be found here.

However in direct competition GetGeared are offering some huge discounts on similar gear at similar prices. Check out their offers here.

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Motorcycles News

Visit to MCN Bike Show London 2014

MCN-Bike-Show-2014-03Yesterday we had a family outing to the MCN bike Show down at Excel London, as such not on bikes, but in the car. Bad as we had to pay £15 for parking and get stuck in the rush hour jams on the way home, but good in that we stayed dry and had more room for shopping. 🙂

The show took up a sizeable area of Excel, but ironically was located directly opposite the (push) Bike Show, so cue lots of confused people expectantly finding bikes with (or without engines). A lot of the big brans were present at the show, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Ducati, BMW, KTM, Harley, Indian, Royal Enfield, etc. However notable there was no Suzuki… On the Friday, the show was reasonably busy, but not too busy and we had plenty to opportunity to sit on many bikes and get a feel for for them. Something the kids loved doing at every step! With Mary’s short stature, it was a great chance for her to check out what bikes suited her best. The Ducati Monster 696, Honda CB500 and KTM Duke 390 all seemed good candidates.