Product Review: Quat-D Slip-On's for Ducati 1098 / The Hills Are Alive With the Sound Of Music

Raise yours hands if you like the sound of Ducatis? I'd imagine that about 98% of the motorcycling populace love the unique exhaust note of the Italian twins and if you're like me, few things honk BoBo's nose like a great sounding motorcycle. It's in our genetic makeup.

When I bought my 1098 a month ago I knew I would add some slip-ons and virtually everyone advised me to buy Termis..Most of my Duc owning homies have Termis and they do sound damn good, but like my sexual needs.... I like things a little different..Almost went with the Akro's which are visually stunning, but my inner demons forced me to take a chance with the Italian made Quat-D's from Motowheels. It was the best decision I've made since buying the bike. After my first ride with them installed, I have to say.. it's now one of the best sounding motorcycles I've ever heard.. period..

When I first started it up I thought it might just be a little too loud as I ordered mine without the silencers... but once on the road... these things make music that would make Julie Andrews wet ... The sound is absolutely intoxicating. Deep and throaty.. Hard to describe.. The ONLY comparison that comes to mind is Steve McQueens 427 Mustang in "Bullet" except about 2 octaves lower..

Once the paperwork is signed we proceed to the basement which was an old, smelly dungeon of a room with literally just a small desk lamp for the entire room. Imagine trying to try on gear and helmets with no light? My wife, who’s very sensitive to neck pains, had trouble getting a helmet that fit, and having him rush us wasn’t any help. She ended up settling for this crappy, scratched up helmet that ended up falling down on her face. Not exactly the safest thing in the world. On top of that, everything smelled like BO, nothing was washed.

We proceed out to the bike, which ended up to be a late model R1200ST in good cosmetic shape. A few quick instructions about oil and that’s about it. Then he throws on this old aftermarket GPS and basically said “I don’t really know how it works, here’s a manual”. The unit ended up being just a basic triangle and rough lines for roads. I’d say about 3 years behind the curve. Plus, it was HUGE, blocked half the gauges. We were also promised some good route sheets in the Alps. Ended up getting a sheet a paper with a Xeroxed map to Fussen and back. Wipdie f%@*in doo!

So we take off, and the first thing I notice is that this thing is as smooth as a bucket of rusty nails. It just bucked really bad after every shift, just couldn’t not ease it into gear! The thing just wanted to die under 3000. Our lovely $20 Euro a day GPS was nice enough to miss our exit to the A95, which put us right in the middle of rush hour Munich traffic. Two hours of bucking and crappy shifting (plus the 90 degree heat and no ventilation on our jackets) resulted in the bike overheating. We had to pull over for an hour to cool it down.

Ended up getting to Fussen, but man, anytime we had to slow down in a village, the bucking was unbearable. Plus, the front end had absolutely zero feel to it. When we did hit some high speed curves, I had to get off the seat and through all of my weight on the clip ons, it was the only way to get it to steer! When we finally arrive I found that the pre load was turned ALL THE WAY OUT!!!!! There was absolutely zero pre load on the rear shock! How F’n dangerous is that!? Ended up cranking it some 20 turns to get it close to being right.

As bad the bike/rental thing was, the roads and scenery were amazing. Roads are absolutely perfect in condition, there is just no such thing as a pot hole in Germany. It’s clearly the best way to travel in this area, cause you really need a panoramic view to appreciate it. As for AllRound Moto.. avoid them at all costs.

Yamaha FJR1300 Stealth Backrest : In Stock!

Our Yamaha FJR13 Stealth Backrest, the last backrest I'll ever design, is now on the menu. As per the holy prophesies, it has turned out, if I say so myself, to be a thing of beauty, simplicity, and comfort. Sales are brisk which puts wood in my pants and a smile on my face... but then again.. where else would a smile be?

The all stainless steel stealth bracket bolts directly to the rear 2006-08 factory rack via 3 furnished bolts and blends perfectly with the lines of the bike. Production versions are covered with rich Corinthian leath...er.. I mean a black Rhino coating (the same rubberized spray material seen in pick-up truck beds) that is both visually unobtrusive and also serves to protect the finish of the 2006-2008 factory FJR rack.

The backrest slides on and off the bike in under 10 seconds and without tools. Install of the FJR13 stealth rack takes a luded' out chimp all of 5 minutes. Tamper-proof mounting screws are included to deter walk-by thieving bastages. Our cover material matches the black FJR factory seat perfectly and if you have an aftermarket leather seat, we have a material to match that as well. Soft T-Bag luggage is also available for this and all our other backrests.The FJ13 Stealth backrest will fit the 2006-2008 FJ1300 Only.

1. Garmin just released it's 2009 map update. Log in to their site, go to the Garmin Services page, select "my Maps" then to "map Downloads".. or check for the latest downloads for your specific GPS.. Some people will get the upgrade for free.. other lucky bastages (like myself) have to pay. It is a 2gb download so it is quite substantial in size but the server is pretty quick.

2. BMW, in a rare selfless gesture, is offering active or recently discharged members of the US Armed Forces discounts on any new motorcycle purchased from now until December 31st, 2008. The following discounts apply.. $500 off K-series, $400 off R-series, and $250 off of the G &/or F series.. For details on eligibility contact any dealer or go to www.BMWmotorcycles.com

3. They (and you know who they are) just announced the 2009 BMWMOA Intl Rally will be held in Johnson City, TN next July (Actually in Gray, TN at the Appalachian Fairgrounds off I-26) Been there. Not far from Pirates Lair..

4. In my article "BMW Quick Disconnects Warning: Be Afraid!" in our May 2008 Cheesy Newsletter I suggested that K1200RS and GT owners should check and possibly replace their factory fuel couplers as I've been getting reports from all over of them breaking, leaking, etc. I even had a few reports of fires!! Well.. I got this email a few days ago and thought I'd share.. " read your newsletter concerning the fuel couplers on the KRS's and got to thinking about my KRS. Knowing that I had not replaced those after 20k mi. with numerous 120mph+ runs in Mexico I thought to myself this might be worth looking into. Since it was time to drag it out from its winter hibernation anyway I ordered the couplers and on one sunny Saturday took my scooter apart. Well, all I can say is that I am your indentured servant for life. I barely touched one of them and it fell apart!!! Thinking about all the times I had rode her hard and put her away wet (the bike that is:), their was a moment of silence not to have been seen in a long time. So all you mates out there that have not done this PLEASE DO! And Captain Finley if you are on the West Coast and need your bike washed or a sitter for your lady (well maybe not the sitter part) please feel free to contact me. ..S. Higgins

5. New BMW 675 triple to complement the S1000? Rumor? Your guess is as good as mine. I've heard that BMW will probably introduce a 675cc, three-cylinder sportbike to complement the 1000cc four-cylinder S1000 superbike it announced a few weeks ago. Rumors are rife that some US bike dealers have also started taking bookings for the bike on their websites. We cannot confirm the web location though. The Triumph Daytona is the other 675 triple available in the market apart from the crop of Japanese 600s. The rumored BMW 675, if it becomes a reality will see production in the next two years.

6. For those of you K1200S and K1200R owners who bought one of Gizmo Mills Brake LED Kits and ended up with LAMPR failure problems.. here's a fix contributed by my good buddy, Sir Bill BathThe Problem: My Brake LED Taillight unit I bought for my K1200R went nuts today at the dealership after a fuel sending unit replacement forced calibration on "new" chassis computer software they just had to install. It continuously flashes the LAMPR fail indicator and the brake light itself flashes like an emergency flasher for about 15 sec. It then goes into a tail-light only mode and will not illuminate brake lights. Dealer resorted to reinstalling a standard taillight bulb to verify the bike itself is not at fault. My question is if you or any customers have experienced this and if so, is there a fix? Perhaps all that is needed is a resistor change (from the 75 ohms one) that is on the outside of the unit? If so, what value should I try? Or is this some deeper problem with the CAN bus no longer able to accommodate the BRAKE LED unit resistances after "upgrades".... Any help would be appreciated as I love (ed) the BRAKE LED taillight and hate the bulb....

The Fix : Just so you know in case anybody else with a K1200R or S experiences this, I spent some hours this weekend working the problem with my BRAKE ! Led assembly. What I found was that there was no fault in the BRAKE ! unit. It worked perfectly when tested off the bike. I tried unsuccessfully to substitute other "bypass" resistors for the 75 ohm one that was already installed outside the case on this unit. I tried a 50 ohm, 100 ohm and 10 ohm 10 watt ceramic wirewound resistors. 50 and 10 ohm worked for a short time (5 or 6 brake applications) before growing very hot and then triggering the LAMPR fail indication. 100ohm did not work at all to clear the problem. Taking out this external resistor that appears to me to jumper the tail-light power supply terminal to the brake-light power supply terminal did not help either. I then got frustrated with these resistance games and did what my mechanic suggested in the first place...just wire in parallel the original bulb and socket so you can swap out on the road in the event of failure. Voila, Eureka, and such...This works. The BRAKE ! unit functions perfectly and the original bulb provides the proper loads for the chassis computer software load. So now I just carefully tucked the "hot-spare" connector and bulb under the rear seat, being careful to keep it off any plastic and wiring there since the bulb gets hot. Thinking about why this works and the original crossover resistor no longer does, leads me to believe this "new" chassis computer software is looking for independent "loads" of the tail-light and brake-light circuits. If it sees one circuit feeding voltage to the other (as would be the case if a bulb filament failed and touched the other filament) it indicates a fault and reverts to just a tail-light. I suppose I could fiddle around and find two ideal resistors that would provide the proper loads for each light circuit when terminated to the ground, but this spare bulb using the original connector approach is easy, foolproof, and gives me a redundancy in case the BRAKE ! unit really does fail someday. If my ballast "bulb" fails, I will get a LAMPR and thus know to check and replace the bulb. Anyway, thanks for all you do to advance this "hobby" of ours... Bill Bath

7. If you own a second generation K1200GT and absolutely positively must have a larger platform for your Yeti-like feet.. Check out the Ilium Floorboards from Ilium Works. The driver floorboards locate your feet 1 3/4" lower than stock. The actual floorboards measure 9"x 4" and according to the Ilium website.. offer a variety of positions... Price is $425. FYI.. while I have NOT seen these up close and personal. I have seen other floorboards they make and they were top quality.

8. Yet another BMW dealer bites the big one. Touch Of Class Motorcycles in Phillipsburg, NJ just dropped BMW and is now just a Suzuki dealer. Aint dat a pisser.

9. Twisted Throttle (importer of the waaay cool GSG-Moto Framesliders) just raised the price of the K1200S version from $295 to a sphincter puckering $404.99. Damn!

1. We've been selling the Tech-Spec Gripster Kits to the K1200S, K1200R, and 05-08 K1200GT's for over a year now...Great product.. I have kits on all 3 of my bikes and honestly.. couldn't live without it. Well I got to thinking.. why don't I offer these to our 97-2004 K1200RS and 2003-05 K1200GT customers? Good question if I say so myself! Thanks!.. You're welcome! er.. Anyway.. I checked with Tech-Spec and they were already producing a kit for the RS, but only in a material called High-Fusion which I don't like..It kinda looks like a rubber sand paper. Fine for a Jap bike but not classy enough for a Beemer. I asked them to produce some kits for the K1200RS in the Snake-Skin material (which is what we have all our other kits produced in) and he agreed. Cool!

as for the benefits of the Tech-Spec Gripster Kits.. besides the obvious paint protection.. by gripping the tank with your legs, a rider can improve the overall control of a motorcycle, control of their body weight, and obtain a more positive seat position. Improved control of the riders body weight will help improve overall handling. Increased control equals a smoother, less fatigued, and more enjoyable ride with an added benefit of stronger, longer lasting erections. We have these In Stock!

2. After freakin' months of waiting, we just got a long overdue shipment of 5-piece Carbon Fiber Trim Kits for the BMW K1200R which includes the gauge panels and triple clamp inserts. This kit fits the "R" bike only. Price is a reasonable $80 delivered..

3. Don't shoot the messenger.. FYI we just had to raise the price of the K1200S GSG-Moto Framesliders from $295 to a lofty $405. Sorry mates.. I guess you could blame George Bush.

4. Last month I reported that both..ZTechnik and Two Brothers Racing had dropped their Full K1200RS Exhaust systems from their product line.. Well.. Now Remus just raised their prices on their K1200RS/GT full systems.. In case you didn't realize the implications.. Now there are only 2 options available for the venerable K1200RS.. The Remus and the painfully expensive Staintune.

5. We've just got our first shipment of RSC Linear Hyperpro Steering Dampers for the K1200RS, 03-05GT, and LT and kits for the Ducati 1098....We have the ever popular black version as well as Gunmetal and a wood inspiring Silver.. If you're thinking about buying a damper and you're not sure which to choose.. Just ask and I can probably clue you in..

6. We now have Clear REAR Blinker Lenses from Clear Alternatives for the K1200S, K1200R, BMW R1200R, R1200GS, 2005 K1200RS/GT, 04-05 R1150R. and yes.. of course we will now offer a package deal on a front and rear kit...

7.Yamaha FJR1300 Stealth Backrest Update: Drum Roll Please!! These are now in stock. WooHoo! (see blurb in top section)

8. We just got our first shipment of Ducati 1098 Front and Rear Wheel Nut Socket Wrench Tools from Oberon in the UK. This one socket tool can handle removal of both the small front and large rear wheel nuts ...

How-To-Survive On A Motorcycle

Our last 3 contributions were from Peter Warren of Orange County, CA .!!! Thx mate!!

Could these tips save your life? Dare you NOT look?

If you'd like to help others by contributing a How-To-Survive on your Motorcycle, How to Survive Deals Gap, or any How-To link.. First... check out the tips we already have and if you have something new... just send to me and if it's worthy... I'll add it.. Remember.. we're all in this together.. so use deodorant.

Pirates Lair Sacred Archives

We get a lot of requests for specific articles and/or reviews I've written in the past. Rather than fry my aging brain trying to remember where they are on our multi-thousand page website.. I have decided to list the "worthy" ones here. Most of the links are to past newsletters.. Some are to full web articles. Remember, I'm no expert on anything except perhaps cunnilingus so the opinions within the archives are only my own. Saavy?

BMW How-To Section

Our last contribution??...contributed by Sir Rich Edwards.. He documented his '07 K1200GT Oil Change in pictures. It's the first listing on the page. Thx, Rich.

Picture at right Courtesy of Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss, Jr. / Model: Ms Melissa Haro