Casper's Life

Bikers, are a stange group of people, we will happily spends large amount of money on things which other people tell us is the right stuff ... I remember years ago, everyone had the buy Rukka (most still do), then and now it is Klim, both of them have been bought up by large corporations. And on the sideline one finds Stadler (the last of the big ones), then of the "B" like there are companies like RevIT, Alpinstarts, and so one. We are not discussing clothing for fast bikes, this is the "real" stuff for the traveler who wants to go and see the world. Now as usual I've listened to the wrong people, and ended up with something which I should not have spend money on.... First back in February I decided to get an Klim Overland Jacket, as everyone rave about the price / quality, it did not fit me at all, and due to the wonderful customer service from where I got it from I could not return it (I was stupid enough to drive 35km with it on), which cost me 50% of the pr...

This can only happen in The Netherlamds

Dump Drivers, well I spend on average 25.000km on the road every year and am starting to get the understanding that the general traffic law have been disabled or rendered invalid for about 40% of everyone who walk, bicycle, drive a mopet, motorbike, car, or a truck. As I'm currently is a resident of The Netherlands, my general rant is pointed towards people of the origin of that country, not saying that things aren't any different anywhere else, but that is for other people to comment on. Some of my issues with people in general are: pedestrians: red light actually mean that you should not cross the street do not walk in the middle of the street, that is unhealthy bicyclers: still this thing with red light is still a small issue these white things on the road which look like shark teeth actually mean that you should not drive out in front of an oncoming vehicle there is also a reason why it is a good thing to have lights on when it's dark, other people could not c...

I always talk about this thing I really want to do, which is travel the world, specifically on the back of a bike (that is motorbike). I think that while writing this, most of my family and friends would give a great deal of money for me to actually do it so that I finally would shut up (or that they would be happy to see go away for a few years) :-) I just by accident stumped over a blog by a guy not too far from my hometown in Denmark, who actually have done what I would like to do..... This guy Paul Randa Jensen , is from 1944 and circumvented the globe, and still is talking about doing Oz..... man how I would like to do that.... English translation through google .

Reading this (from spiegel.de/international), I understand that some people have come up with a "great" idea. They want to make away with [stag]trafic signs[/stag]... Reading this, make we wonder if the people makeing these decisions actually driver [stag]car[/stag], [stag]motorbike[/stag], [stag]bicycles[/stag], or just walk. Most people who move around in the trafic tend to ignore trafic signs in the first place, do they actually think that removing them will help!! Living in a country where most indicators (you know the flashing things which will tell other people that you intend to leave the road, or change lane) are broken (even on new cars), this will not really help. But it will probably save them some money on the budges, which will then be spend on mending people in hospitals instead, but that is a diffrent budget. Also reading that Makkinga (some please in the Dutch province of Western Frisia) have done this, is kind of scarry.. But the worst part is that they will...

The absolutly worst thing I know when I venture out on the Dutch roads is [stag]tailgating[/stag]. First I drive a [stag]motorbike[/stag], and if you don't know it - these things can both out [stag]accelerate[/stag] almost anything, and on a strait out break anything (that is if you're not driving a car which cost more that most houses). So if I'm driving at 120km/h and have a car 5 - 10 meters behind me I get nervous, as I know that if I break hard there is a chance that I'll end up in the hospital. The other week I was told that in some US states you are at fault if you hit someone from behind, no matter what the reason was (well there might be reason why you would not be). I think that we would see less accidents caused by tailgating if that would be the law in this wonderfull flat country.

So what would one do if one had a week of [stag]vacation[/stag]? see that is a good question. I tend to belive that one should go a see thing (preferable thing which one have not seen before). So starting Saturday June 17th somewhere in [stag]France[/stag], to be precise in Saverne, at 9am (torture btw), this years [stag]Triumph Raid[/stag] of France was started.... well not exactly it was closer to 10am as the person who was responsible for the coffe had misplaced the key to the room where it was supposed to be served:-) 143 So everyone ready we set off, I have to admit I did not have an idea of what to expect, I kind of knew the distances (as was told that it would not be a race.... ya right). Day 1 (441km): As said earlier, we started from Saverne, and went out on the longest and for me the toughtest route (probably be cause I was nervouse, and had not really a hugh experence in driving in mountains). 480km later and very very wet (for some odd reason the weather gods decided that o...

I live in a country (The Netherland) where it seams that the interpretation of the trafic law is more or less up the the single induvidial. I live on a busy street corner in Rotterdam, and standing on my balcony I observe how people (drivers of all kinds, and predestines) uphold the trafic law. As far as I was told when I grew up was a) RED light means stop b) YELLOW means you <b>should</b> be breaking right now, and c) GREEN you can proceed or drive, or start walking. Also these white lines on the road also sometimes called perdestian crossings, actually have a meaning; if you drive a motor vehicle (or bike cycle) you MUST stop for peole who indicate that they want to coss the road (more about that later). Back to my local intersection, I quit often see cars, and piza delivery mopets continue even if there is a RED light, I sometimes wonder if there should some other type of indication of a red light, maybe like in the US where it says stop, as it seams that 50% of the Dut...

One of few things which really makes me angry about living in The Netherlands are Dutch drivers. It seams that there is a special gravity law which enables cars in The Netherlands to stop with in 5 - 10 meters when they drive at 120km/h - as far as I know this is not possible in any other country. This is called tail-gaiting, and is the cause for more acidents than any other thing. As I drive a motorbike, it is very unpleasent to have a car 3 - 5 meters behind you in dense trafic, especially when it is a know fact that a motorbike uses 3/4 of the breaking distance of a car at any given speed (except in corners). There should be a way to remove the driving license from drivers who tail-gate, as thery are dangerous, they kill people......