Bureaucrats / Bike

Tuesday I got brave enough to go take the motorcycle written test. It is only 25 questions, but is hyped as being off the wall. Well yes, some of the questions are not worded the same as they are in the book, and you have to think about it a bit to come up with the same result as what you read, but for the most part, it is common sense.

I went early and there were only a few folks in line, I got right in. Took the test and missed one. I knew I didn’t have the right answer, but after looking at it for a while, I said “oh well, I’ll just have to miss that one.” And I did.

That gave me an instruction permit for a M class license. Had my mug shot, and I was on my way. They give you a paper license and the real thing gets mailed in a couple of days. I have to take the driver skills test within six months.

Well, that seemed easy enough, so I decided to go brave more bureaucracy, and get the highway patrol inspection on the Camry that was purchased in Arizona. We were worried that the tint on the windows would be too dark for Kansas. Its really dark for the Arizona desert summer. The guy seemed not to notice the tint at all. Well hey, were two for two.

So then we might as well go up to the License Bureau and see about the plate. I still had the old one from the Corolla. That didn’t go quite as well. We were forced to pay sales tax in Arizona. Something about a reciprocal agreement.

The short version was that Kansas has never heard of a reciprocal agreement and I was to pay the tax again. They even went so far as to calculate the tax here in Kansas on the full amount I paid in Arizona, including the Az sales tax. Tax on tax.

I screamed for a supervisor. Well that got some attention, and I suggested that I would have a lawyer look into the situation. Now it seems, that I get credit for the tax paid in Az. But that it was not as much as Kansas, and I owed the difference. Again they were calculating tax on tax. Plus I owed license from the date I purchased the car in February, even though I had paid for a 90 day temp tag in Az. And the car had never been in Kansas. Also I didn’t get any refund on the Corolla either. I had paid $1,300 for the sales tax and the license in October for it.

After a bunch of arguing, I got out of the place with the same tag that was on the Corolla, and a registration, and it only cost $259 more (the first figure they told me was $1,700). The renewal is in June, and it will be over $300 then as well.

Do not move to Kansas, unless you are forced to. Kansas City on the Kansas side, pays all the taxes that run the entire state. Our license fees are triple the other counties, and our property taxes are over the roof.

You get so you know it is going to be this way, and you learn not to get steamed. I did sit here and unwind for several hours. Just put it behind you.

In that time, I decided that I was going to purchase the step thru Kymco Scooter that I had looked at twice. If I could make a deal.

Since I was in the fighting mood, why not go fight that one out as well. As it turned out, it wasn’t a fight at all. They had a special going on where they paid your sales tax for you if you paid the sticker price. And he even threw in a discount on the helmet. Sold.

Today I went and rode it home. It was only in the 40’s when I left the store on it. Yesterday was in the thirties, and I didn’t go with my long johns on, so it sat at the store overnight.

I plan to take this camping as another toy, to pass the time, since we are not doing anything else. LoL. It is a 200S, but only has 161cc’s. It will go faster than I plan to ride it, but will easily keep up with the traffic here in KC.. This is a must, as otherwise you will get run over.

I do not know how I plan to take this along, but I was really wanting one this winter when we were in Phoenix. Many of the folks in the RV park had them and they were buzzing all over. I on the other hand, was sitting in a recliner nursing a broken rib.

I hope to mount it on the back of the RV on a rack, but more time will be needed to research that opportunity. By the way, Loyce thinks I am nuts with this one, and shook her head at me. Perhaps, but I am not getting any younger.

Retired Rod (My apologies for such a long post)

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