Picture Of The Month! Chateauguay Valley! (Click Image for a Larger View)

Every month customers send us killer photos and I see no reason to keep them to myself so what better way to say thanks for sharing than to post them in this Picture of the Month spot..

Our April POTM was contributed by Dennis Panneton. He says of his picture taken with a Panasonic Lumix..."It was Friday October 22nd mid day in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and with the smell of snow in the air with winter just around the corner I called it a day to take advantage of one of the seasons last rides. It was a chilly 3C (37F) with overcast so I decided to make a run for the US border crossing at Trout River NY. Well I realized that it was getting a little late since the sun sets closer to 5:00 this time of the year so I decided to take a left off Rte 138 at the last junction before being committed to the border. Relying solely on my GPS, the change in route directed me along 1st Concession Road which skirts along New York State. The area is known as the Chateauguay Valley, very picturesque with many Heritage propertie. From there I continued to Herdman and discovered this beautiful century old Church located on Brook Road just west of Rte 202, picture perfect with the autumn foliage in the background. "

If you would like to contribute your own"worthy" shot for our newsletter, here's what I'll need. First.. just email me 1 or 2 of your best digital shots. It'll need to be at least 1024x768 in size or larger and preferably A. Of a BMW K1200S or K1300S, K1200RS, K1200R, R Sport, S1000RR, or any model year K1200GT or K1300GT and B. In focus.

Word Up: Pricing On The K1600GTL / K1600GT.. Not Too Painful!

BMW Motorrad USA finally released the latest feature packages and pricing on the K1600GT and K1600GTL. The K1600GT will have a MSRP of $20,900US, while the K1600GTL will have a MSRP of $23,200US. (additional destination charge of $495 is not included in MSRP). Here's a list of standard features that both base models of the K1600GT and K1600GTL come equipped with:

• Xenon headlight with dynamic leveling
• Heated seat and grips
• Exhausts that are only quasi-ugly
• Cruise control
• Multifunction display, on-board computer and multi-controller
• Integral ABS
• Luggage rack
• E-Gas throttle with three power modes
• White LED turn signals
• Power adjustable windshield
• Flux capacitor

Product Review: Leather to Vinyl / Night to Day / Yanni to AC/DC

When I bought the Corbin seat for my BMW K1200S a few years ago, it was the only seat option on the market. The buying experience was not a good one.. Only slightly less painful than having a rusty 10 penny nail shoved into my urethra.. At the time, the only available cover material offered was leather which IMHO is the stupidest choice of material for any motorcycle seat. When leather gets wet or even damp you are stuck to it like stink on roadkill which makes sliding around or hanging off..( a prerequisite for "proper" fast riding) ... almost impossible. I do understand why someone would want a leather seat on a Harley, where sliding around is not important or on a show bike, but on a sport bike?? It's simply Jethro Bodine stupid. Mine was already starting to show small cracks in the leather and it's garaged 24/7/365. While the quality on the Corbin seat is/was pretty good, you've probably guessed by now that I've always hated the leather so in the fall I started checking around to have it recovered in vinyl as my lone winter project..

First I contacted my evil nemesis Corbin for a quote. I figured a reasonable price to recover the small section would be $70-100 + shipping.. Having learned my lesson with them previously, I figured they'd price gouge me and double that to $140-200. Wrong...They quoted a criminally insane $309+ shipping.. I'm not kidding. Just for a small seat cover. Not even a promise of a reach-around.

After I regained consciousness I called 4 other seat-makers which all quoted under $190, but finally settled on my good friends at Sargent. Cost for a vinyl cover and some added sculptured padding (to change the profile)... a reasonable $175. Just after Jan 1st, I sent the seat to Sargent for the modification. In 2 weeks it was back in my hands looking like a million dollars and feeling absolutely wonderful to my formerly magnificent gluts.

Over the last few weeks, the glacial weather has turned spanktacular which translates to lots of saddle time. Did the re-worked seat live up to my lofty expectations? In a word ..Yes ..A night and day difference. It's now super easy to slide around on the vinyl seat, hang off, and generally act like a fool no matter how wet the weather or how sweaty the gluteus maximus. The slight padding modification was just icing. After a ride, instead of removing the seat to wash the bike (as not to get the leather wet).. I can now leave the seat on, just spray it and wipe it off. Sweet. No more expensive leather protector products. Vinyl rules.

Anyone thinking about recovering their seat or just adding some additional padding should look no further than the good people at Sargent. Those guys are the best as far as this aging pirate is concerned. Now excuse me while I go kick myself in the ass (not an easy thing to do) for not doing this about 3 years ago. DOH!

Let There Be Light!! Goodbye DDM .. Hello ETI HID Kits!

We've been selling the Chinese-made DDM HID kits for over 2 years. A good product at a reasonable price. Sold over 2000 kits! At $60 a kit delivered, it's hard to keep them in stock. Last week I went to place my monthly order with DDM and they casually informed me that they no longer carry them for motorcycles... What the f@#*! I was told all the H7's are gone. They may have a few H3's, H11's etc left in inventory, but once those were gone they would not be ordering more. Geeezz. As this is one of our biggest sellers, this news kinda kicked me in the nads and they were the only reasonably priced supplier in the US....

The good news is, after scrambling like Peyton Manning, I found another source .. ELEC-TECH International. They are a huge company out of Hong Kong that makes both auto and motorcycle HID kits. I checked them out using my highly evolved investigative skills, brushed up on my Chinese, then ordered an H7 unit for evaluation. The kit arrived within a week. The hardware looks EXACTLY like the DDM unit. Side by side you can't tell them apart. Sleek and plug-n-play. The ETI H7 HID kit comes with better instructions and better packaging and at the same price as the DDM. Sweet! Install and testing showed it to be a virtual identical kit to the DDM. That's what I was hoping for.. Since the evaluation checked out, I placed a large order with them and guess what... it showed up yesterday. Woohoo!! If interested.. we have H7 HIDs back in stock here...

4. Here's a rider's review of the K1600GT done by Kevin Ash, a UK moto-journalist who attended BMW's South African launch.

5. ...and another review of the new BMW "6"s from on-line CycleNews... All good...

6. Check out this Rizoma Left Side Engine Guard for BMW S1000RR if you want to see some tasty bling...or this unique Rizoma Sprocket Cover for BMW S1000RR Sweet!!

7. Ever been itching to run a red light that just won't change? You just know if you do, it'll be the one time Barney Fife is watching from behind that stand of trees and he'll swoop down on you like a pit bull after a T-bone. Kansas lawmakers think motorcycle riders should be able to run those lights. The Kansas House on Tuesday Feb 22nd approved a bill that would allow bikers to run a red light if the signal "fails" to turn green after a "reasonable period of time." The proposal leaves the discretion in the hands of the motorcyclist, but is aimed at ensuring riders don't get trapped in perpetuity at intersections because of signals that either malfunction. Could this be the first instance of elected officials actually doing something for us motorcyclists? rather than against us? This must be a quadrazine hallucination. In actuality, a few other states already have enacted similar laws.

8. Weepy News From Legal Speeding: As of 03/28/2011, HARD units are no longer available. When current supplies are exhausted, they will be off the market for a while. We were told by Legal Speeding that the HARD systems are NOT dead.. Due to cost issues, they will be looking for another manufacturer as costs of producing the units have gotten out of hand. They will produce them again at some point. No idea when. Ain't dat a pisser!?

6. For the K1300S owners out there looking for an aftermarket exhaust slip-on.. This may help you decide which way to go. I just added a YouTube Sound Clip of the K1300S Remus Hexacone to our website. Sweet!!

7. We need a volunteer tester for an all new center triple clamp mounted S1000RR Radar Detector Mount. Email me for pics and details. Some details can be found here... or here..

8. New Product Alert! If your BMW K1200RS has over 40K on the clock.. your factory shocks are as useless as tits on a boar and need to be replaced. Want to go faster on your favorite set of twisties? Forget about an exhaust and replace your shocks. It's the single most important improvement you can make to your bike. Pirates' Lair is proud to now offer Ohlins Suspension products for the 1998-2004 BMW K1200RS. Ohlins have long been the #1 choice for those who want a shock that delivers the ultimate in control and confidence for all types of riders and bikes. The dynamic relationship between rider and road is managed solely by a motorcycle’s suspension. Because of that, the feel, the feedback, and the fun of riding all depend on the quality of the suspension. Sold individually or as a combo. Fully rebuildable and come with a full 5 year warranty. Fits Front & Rear 1997-2004 BMW K1200RS only.

9. New Product Alert! The good news just keeps on comin'. We just added Hornig Polished Aluminum Instrument Rings for the 98-2004 BMW K1200RS / 2002-05 K1200GT. The (4) piece kit includes polished machined aluminum rings for the speedometer, tachometer, temp, and fuel gauge. We also have these for the K1200S & K1300S. These are da shizzle.

2011 Texas Hill Country K12 / K13 Rally: April 10-14, 2011

Location: Hwy 39 near Hunt - 22 miles from hwy 83
Where: River Inn Resort in Hunt, Texas
When: Sunday thru Thursday, April 10-14, 2010 (arrive Sunday - leave Friday)

Please call 1-800-841-0501 and tell them you are with the BMW motorcycle group. (No on-line reservations available) Call Mon-Fri 8am to 5pm cst. Sat. and Sun. 9am to 4pm cst., only. A one bedroom is $60.00 plus tax, some do have sofa sleepers. Lodging is limited, so Book early to guarantee a room. You can secure your reservation with AMEX, MasterCard or Visa....7 day cancellation policy, however there is a $25 service charge. They all have a refrigerator and microwave.

Agenda: Meet. Ride. Talk, Eat. Ride. Talk.

Support www.I-BMW.com (the un-official sponsor) by purchasing your official Texas Hill Country Roundup Tees here...

2011 Blue Ridge Parkway K12 / K13 Rally: May 12-15, 2011

Where: Wattstull Inn, just north of Buchanan, Virginia
When: May 12th thru 15th, 2010 (Thur – Sun)

Call Wattstull Inn for reservations.
540-254-1551 / Mention: i-bmw group
SPECIFY ROOM TYPE - single, double, king

Blue Ridge Parkway info and maps can be found here and here

Alternate Lodging (info only) : Super 8 – Bedford or Days Inn – Bedford or Peaks of Otter Lodge

The 12th Annual Deals Gap K12 / K13 Rally: October 6-9th, 2011

Where: Fontana Village Resort
Nearest town: Robbinsville, NC
When: October 6th-9th, 2011 [Thur-Sunday]
Reservations: Direct 800.849.2258

30 lodge rooms w/ 2 queen beds/ns: $85+tax 7-10 2br cabins with 1 queen and 2 twin beds/kitchen/ns: $120+tax When calling, specify room or cabin. Lodge rooms are in the Garden units with parking outside the door. Cabins will be either the Laurel or Hemlock cabins. Reservations for blocked out rooms will end 45 days prior. Saavy? Be sure to mention i-bmw group when booking. Thx to my good buddy, Bert B for arranging this event!!

NOTE: I-bmw.com is not an official sponsor of any posted events. Event participation is the sole responsibility of the attendee. Motorcycle riding is potentially dangerous and can result in personal injury or death. You and you alone are responsible for your own safety. Ride within your own ability.