Ride4Kids Didier Martin World Trip. Journal.

The last couple of months have flown by very quickly, in that time I managed to sell my car, my good friend Peter Cox let me use his old GSX 1100 which did the job just fine, I also bought a laptop, a digital still camera (thank you to Jenelle and the manager of Ted's Camera Stores in Knox City Melbourne for their help and discount), organised two spares tyres that I sent to Kenya through World Vision.

Now, the question was, what kind of bike should I use? The answer was easy as the only dual sport bike available in Australia is the F 650 GS BMW, the F 650 GS Dakar, the Aprilia or the KTM; none of the Japanese bikes are available in Australia at the moment, pity!! I decided on the Dakar.
I wrote a letter to BMW Australia to ask them if they could help me toward the purchase of the bike, after a couple of months of waiting I finally rang them and got a negative answer, I was not very happy with them, not because they did not want to help me but because they did not have the courtesy to acknowledge my request, when all the other companies that I wrote to responded with encouragements if nothing else.
So, I am not that impress with BMW AUSTRALIA.

David Killeen, owner of SOUTHBANK MOTORCYCLES in Melbourne, was much more supportive and offered to prepare the bike for free, which involve supplying and fitting the bike with Touratech panniers, Staintune exhaust, centre stand and some other minor modifications, also, anything else that I need to buy at cost price.

. His chief mechanic, Scott Norman, will show me how to service this bike and advise me on the way to fix some problems that could arise on the trip. How could I turn down such a great offer, I bought the bike from SOUTHBANK MOTORCYCLES.
So guys, when you are in Melbourne, make sure you go and visit David, he will look after you anyway he can and tell him that Didier sent you. In the meantime, visit their web site at www.bmwsouthbank.com.au

What makes World Vision such a great organisation is that they don't waste your money. When you make a donation, 80% of it goes to the child or the project that you are sponsoring, 6% goes to administration and 14% on advertising. A lot of people think that World Vision is financing my project, they are wrong; Ride4Kids is entirely self funded, they rely on people like me to help them reach their goals.
If you cannot afford to donate money why don't you become a volunteer and join a great bunch of very enthusiastic people, I promise you, you will feel good about yourself. Click here for more information.
Albert Price once said "What we have done for ourselves, dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal"
Take a look at the World Vision web site at www.worldvision.org.au and if you would like to contribute/sponsor a child, let us know when you sign the guestbook.
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Bonjour à tout mes amis Francophones

Ces deux derniers mois sont passés trés vite, j'ai vendu ma voiture pour acheter la moto que je vais utiliser pour mon voyage, une BMW, F 650GS Dakar.
Je l'ai acheté à SOUTHBANK MOTORCYCLES in Melbourne www.bmwsouthbank.com.au . David Killeen, le propriétaire, m'a offert de me la préparer gratuitement, c'est super sympa de sa part (photo au dessus). BMW AUSTRALIA n'etait pas interréssé de m'aider.
J'ai aussi acheté un laptop (ordinateur portable) et un appareil photo numérique, envoyé deux pneus neuf au Kenya et fini d'organiser les stylos, crayons de couleurs et les autos collants pour donner aux enfants pendant le voyage (voir photo au dessus).

Beaucoup de gens pensent que c'est World Vision qui finance ce projet ; c'est faut !
C'est moi qui finance tout avec l'aide de quelques sponsors et supporters, mon objectif est d'aidé les enfants du tier monde en supportant une aide de charité comme world Vision. Pendant le voyage, je vais visiter beaucoup de projet en Afrique, en Amérique du Sud etc...et je vais éssayer d'encourager les gens en Australie de supporter World Vision en faisant des dons. Un enfant meurt de mal nutrition toute les 2 secondes; en Australie, par exemple, un pays riche en nourriture, on dépense 3 billions de dollars par an pour des problèmes de régime. Voila le but de mon voyage.
Excusez mes fautes d'orthographe mais je n'écris plus souvent en français maintenant.
A bientôt.