Nicked for a bike in bits

Q. I have just received a fixed penalty notice for my Yamaha XJR1300, the bike is still taxed, but it’s been in bits since July so I let the insurance lapse.

I thought that if the bike was taxed you didn’t have to SORN it, but DVLA want £100 off me because of “Continuous Insurance Enforcement”. It’s the first I’ve heard about it.
Des Hodgetts, Edlington

A. The law changed in June 2011 and if your bike has been on the road at any time since SORN came into effect in 1998 it must be taxed and insured or SORNed.

The Motor Insurance Database (MID) – the UK’s central record of vehicle insurance – is regularly checked and the Motor Insurers Bureau should have sent you a warning letter, known as an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) which goes out to the registered keepers of uninsured vehicles.

You then have the choice of re-insuring your bike or SORNing it and sending your tax disc back.

You can appeal to the DVLA providing as much information and evidence as you can, and they will consider the circumstances. The address to respond to is from the Enforcement Centre that issued the correspondence dealing with your case.