I am finally done with cleaning up the bodgejobs and lack of maintenance of (many) previous owners and I wanted to buy something nice for myself. I've always been very frugal and it was time, at 45 years old, to get something new. A seat with only my farts, an odometer with zero on the counter. Modern technology, LED lights, ABS and yet still a classic look.
"Oh, what kind of Honda did you buy??"
I BOUGHT A MASH 650. A 650cc single cylinder thumper. Honda (Benelux/Japan) has been a real disappointment. Their lack of basic service and customer-friendliness made me decide not to buy this brand. A brand I have been quite passionate about in the last two decades. Initially I was interested in the new Hunter Cub 125, but after hearing that this will probably not even be sold in The Netherlands my interest was lost. Another thing was the steep price of the bike, and that's an estimated amount. Here, in this country, the price will be even higher due to high sales taxes AND a "luxury" tax.
What is a luxury tax you ask? Bullshit, that's what it is. This tax is called BPM. Literally translated, this means "Tax for Automobiles and Motorcycles" In a very condensed version, if the sales price is up to € 2133 you pay 9,6 % on top of that. If the sales price is higher than € 2133, up to 19,4 % is added.
Let me show you how the invoice of my MASH looks like:
Purchase price: € 4392.00
SALES TAX 21%: € 922.00
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Subtotal: € 5314.00
BPM 12.08 %: € 642.00
License plate fee: € 43.00
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TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE: € 5999.00
So anyway! I'll show you the rest of the bike once it is uncrated and ready to go! :D
