FOR-SALE: BMW G 450 X -- ONLY USED ON WEEKENDS!

Our great mate Klaus Mueller from Australian Trailbike Tours is selling his current BMW G 450 X ... because he's gone and bought a new BMW G 450 X!

If you're in the market for a lovingly maintained Beemer, then check out the details below from Klaus and then give him a call ... and make sure you tell him TRAIL ZONE sent ya!

"OFFERING YOU FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO SNAP UP “ MY LOVED ONE”

My registered, world-class BMW G 450 X with RWC, in excellent condition. 10,300km, 200 hours, 8.3 days use, average speed 51kmh, fuel approx 19-20km/litre. Electric-start, fuel-injected powerful engine. Brembo brakes, linkless Ohlin shock, Barkbusters, better tyres, H/D tubes, new X-ring DID chain and sprockets. Wheel bearings, swingarm pivots and steering stem have just been greased. Fully serviced and ridden with care, never abused or crashed. Tools, riders manual & CD included. Can assist with maintenance. Will deliver anywhere in Victoria. Any test welcomed -- you will love a day-ride with me and the BMW.

"Price: Just $8,000 -- includes Staintune performance muffler."

(Have bought new BMW G 450 X and wife says: “Only one love at a time!”)

For full details call KLAUS MUELLER 0407 424 831

TRAIL BOSS BLOG:

LOST ON EARTH WITH STEVE CROMBIE

The sensational Deus ex Machina headquarters on Parramatta Road, Camperdown, in central Sydney tonight played host to the official launch of adventurer Steve Crombie's new book, Lost On Earth.

Quite clearly a master self-promoter, Crombie drew a very sizeable throng of industry supporters (including AdventureMoto's Steve Smith and ORE's Lance 'Russ' Turnley -- pictured), family, friends and fans to celebrate his latest literary work, which has been a whopping four years in the making and is now available in bookstores around the country.

A one-man adventurer who actually lists his full-time profession as exactly that -- 'Adventurer' -- on his business card, Lost On Earth is the story of Crombie's 90,000km journey from Australia to the Arctic Circle via South America.

It took Crombie two years to get the epic journey done, and along the way he suffered dehydration, starvation and disease. He also had to rebuild his motorcycle four times, dodged bullets in Nicaragua, woke up in jail in Tierra Del Fuego and evaded pumas in Guyana.

It was a hell of a ride, leading Crombie to famously predict: "The only way I am coming home is by bike or by box"

Thankfully he got the job done on two wheels.

If you've ever dreamed of taking the road less travelled and seeing the world from behind a set of handlebars, grab yourself a copy of Steve Crombie's Lost On Earth book and check out his www.loston.com web site.

-- Clubby, www.trailzone.com.au

TRAIL MAIL:

REJOICE KAWASAKI'S KLX650R THUMPER

G'day Clubby, Dr Phil, Russ and the rest of the TRAIL ZONE team: Thanks for making a great magazine. You guys are the best in the business when it comes to the "ZONE". No doubt about it. Reading about Clubby's old Yamaha Tenere Project Bike got me thinking. I needed an 'adventure bike' to do dirt roads, back tracks and highway work. The DR-Z400 just isn't built for the long hauls, so its gonna be converted back to my 'trail bike'. I looked in the local Trading Post, newspapers and so on and found myself what could turn out to be an interesting and enjoyable learning curve: a 1996 Kawasaki KLX650R D1. I did my research on the Net, talked to bike mechanics and jumped on the forum at www.advrider.com to find out a little bit more about it. It turned out to be the love-child of a KLR and KX. From all reports it was the match in its day for the Honda XR650R? With only about 1,500km on the clock and a good price for its age and condition, I think it's going to be a great little project. I'll let you know how it's going with some before and after photos. Thanks for being a fair dinkum Aussie magazine.

-- Dominic via www.trailzone.com.au

Thanks for your email, Dominic, and keep enjoying the magazine. We know the mighty KLX650R all too well and can remember test-riding it back in the day. It was a thundering green beast back then and we're sure it still is these days. Now, here's a funny story about the big KLX: eons ago I did a ride with Tom and Reeksy when we were working at ADB and we decided to do a trip to the top of Cape York on three of the smallest trail bikes around back then: Honda's XL250 Degree, Suzuki's DR200 and Yamaha's XT225 Serow. It was the ultimate torture-test of the little bikes, as we hooked up with Roy Kunda from Cape York Motorcycle Adventures and did the trip from Cairns up to the Tip and back again all in seven days -- the usual one-way customer trip to the Tip these days takes eight days! So yeah, we were motoring on the little trailies – and they came through it with flying colours! But what's this got to do with the KLX650R? Ahh, nothing, except for the fact a bloke named Phil who worked at Wayne Leonard Motorcycles in Cairns decided to tag along on the ride with us, and he was riding a KLX650R. The big green banger did the trip to the tip real easy -- although Tommy, Reeksy and me all still get nightmares when we remember crossing Spear Creek on the Telegraph Track on the way back south. It was the worst, filthiest, ugliest snotty piece of quicksand we had ever seen, and all of us hucked a lung up just getting the little trail bikes across. When we had finally made it, we lay there on the southern bank near-exhausted, when we realised, 'Uh oh, what about Phil and the whopping big KLX?!' We still had to help carry the big green meanie across the swamp, and loaded as it was with a big tank and a heap of camping gear, it was a mission! But we got it across, we all saved the veins popping from our foreheads (just!) and Phil got to keep on motoring south with us on the KLX. Enjoy your KLX and yep, make sure you send us a couple of Before and After photos. Ride on!

-- Clubby, www.trailzone.com.au

TRAIL BOSS BLOG:

WOO HOO: XR75 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Oh wow, long have we been saying that everything old is new again ... starting with 1983 Yamaha XT600Z Teneres!

Now check this out: Honda's famed XR75 mini bike is all set to get a big boost in notoriety with the staging of the first-ever XR75 World Championships next year -- right here in Australia!

That's right, the mighty metropolis of Wallerawang near Lithgow, NSW, is to play host to the event in October next year and viral adverts for the event are now starting to pop up on eBay, while there's also a Facebook page for the meet ... check it out here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/XR75-World-Champs-2011/151685298183757?ref=mf

So drag your mighty XR75 mini out of the shed, give ’er a spit and polish, fire ’er up and then lets go do it -- woo hoo!

We'll see you there!

-- Clubby, www.trailzone.com.au

FOR SALE:

KTM RALLYE FACTORY BIKE!

Ever dreamed of parking your backside aboard a bike as close as you will ever get to Cyril Depres and Marc Coma's KTM Dakar factory race bikes?

Then check this out!

And then start saving your Euros, hock the house and cash in your Superannuation -- what a deal!

LUDO BOINNARD : 700cc FACTORY KTM

700cc (original 690 is actually only 660cc) factory bike with factory engine (it's not just a piston!). Has short frame for better handling, factory shock (unobtainium), prepared fork in USA by WP consultant. The bike was used by Casteu in Dakar 2009, taken back by KTM factory to be redone like new and sold as bonus to Casteu. They forgot to take the shock that they should have kept :-) Then I did my first Dakar this year with that 700. I finished 40th. Bike was fully revised by IFA the Mechanic institute. Piston was changed just because but didn't even need it!! (unbelievable). Clutch for sure was changed and all disassembled and rebuilt clean with fresh parts. Two extra free wheels with it. The price is 20,000.00 euros. CONTACT: Ludo Boinnard ludo.b@mac.com

TRAIL MAIL:

LOAD 'EM UP, MOVE 'EM OUT!

Hi TRAIL ZONE boys: I enjoy reading the mag. I just have got my motorbike Ls and have a 2010 KLR 650 and I decked it out with a Unifilter, aftermaket screen, Staintune exhaust, tank bag and Wolfman panniers and I just want to know what is best put in the panniers and tank bag for an adventure ride?

-- Alex Gattuso, via www.trailzone.com.au

Thanks for your email, Alex, and welcome to the big wide world of adventure bike riding. Okay, when it comes to packing your bike, you'll basically need the goodies to get you through your ride. If you're going to be camping while you're travelling, that means packing camping gear, which can include everything from a swag or tent and sleeping bag right through to cooking gear, food, drinks and water. You'll also need tools and spares to keep you mobile in case of a breakdown, as well as extra fuel if you're going to be a long way between servos, plus you'll need clothes and toiletries. Maps, GPS and a camera are also must-haves, along with a mobile phone, SPOT tracker or even a satellite phone if you're getting way out the back of beyond and need to keep in touch with civilisation – especially in the case of an emergency. Of course, carrying all this gear is one thing, but getting it down to as little as possible and as light as possible is a very fine art, so let your fingers do the walking and check out web sites like www.adventuremoto.com.au and www.motorradgarage.com.au that specialise in trick gear and products that are especially made for adventure bike riding. It will probably take a few trips to get your gear fully sorted, so just get out there and do it, and take hints and learn from other riders you meet along the way. Good luck with it mate -- get out there and do it!

-- Clubby, www.trailzone.com.au

TRAIL MAIL:

THANKS FOR THE DRIRIDER RALLYCROSS PRO 2 JACKET!

Hi to all the team at TRAIL ZONE: Thanks again for the best jacket in Oz. I received my DriRider Rallycross Pro 2 prize jacket on Wednesday and here is a photo of me in the blue/black Dririder beauty on Saturday -- with a little help from my friends! Thanks again,

-- Lex Porebski, via www.trailzone.com.au

Thanks for the message, Lex. That's what we love to see: prizes being put to good use just like the makers intended! Congratulations again on winning the Photo Stop contest in our latest issue of TRAIL ZONE and scoring a DriRider Rallycross Pro 2 jacket. We get a stack of entries in the contest each issue, so well done on supplying that awesome sand dune photo that stood out from the crowd and won you the jacket. And to all our TRAIL ZONE readers, if you don’t send us your best dirt bike riding photo, how are you ever going to win yourself a Dririder Rallycross jacket? So get those entries in!

-- Clubby, www.trailzone.com.au