The Latest Cheesy K12 Pirates' Lair Newsletter

Release of the New K1200GT!! Word Up! (info pilfered from http://www.k-bikes.com/) Thx El Jeffe..

BMW unveiled the new 2006/7 K1200GT on November 15th, 2005..

The new K1200GT will be based upon the new K1200 transverse engine and also have the new duolever and paralever suspension system and 152 bhp and 130 nm torque. Expect price to be between $19,000 to $21,000(US) for the K1200GT depending on options. One thing the GT has that I wish my S had... Electronic Cruise Control!! Damn!

I hear dealers are already taking deposits. The K1200GT will make it's US debut at the IMS in Long Beach in December. I have posted what pics I could find in our Pirates' Lair Photo Gallery or http://www.community.webshots.com/user/pirate0007 One of these links should work.

Back in Black From the South Pacific

Amber and I would like to thank everyone for your patience and understanding while we were away this last month. We're back now and refreshed from our dream trip (and my 50th birthday blow-out) to Bora Bora in Tahiti.

If anyone would like to peruse our vacation pics.. .I have posted them in our Pirates' Lair Photo Gallery or http://www.community.webshots.com/user/pirate0007
One of these links should work. The pics are in the first 3 albums. The first is Tahiti.. the second two are Bora Bora and are labeled accordingly. Hope you like them..Without our customers.. we wouldn't have them.

The Best Wax On the Planet!!

Most don't realize how the entity "Pirates' Lair" got it's start. Well..take a load off, as I'm gonna tell you a story about a man named Jed.. a poor mountaineer, barely kept his fam...er... I wait.. wrong story... O, yea...Years ago when the earth was young and dirt was still a novelty, I ran a "motorcycle only" detailing service in Nashville Tennessee. My service was so good that after less than a year (and apparently lots of word-of-mouth) we became the premier motorcycle detailing service in the south working for virtually ALL the local bike shops, individuals, and even many country music stars. The shops would get trade ins, call me out to make them look new again, then sell for profit without them ever having to touch the bikes. The country music people simply wanted pristine rides...

Initially most of the bikes we "prettied up" were Harleys so I chose the name Pirates' Lair as the name seemed to work for that breed of clientele... but... enough bloviating. The point I was meandering towards was that for a few years I was a professional motorcycle detailer. I have tried virtually every wax and/or polish on the market. Most are decent.. some are crap, but a few are a cut above. Up until recently I had pretty much settled on a combination of 2-3 different polishes. A Maguires Carnuba paste wax for once or twice a year, Plexus for every day "tweaking", and some foofoo high dollar scented spray stuff from http://www.griotsgarage.com/ for those in-between times when you just want to look and smell pretty.

A few weeks ago I started seeing ads in various magazines and reading some glowing (no pun intended, but clever, nonetheless) reviews for CRYSTAL-GLO Acrylic Motorcycle Polish I called and ordered a bottle from the Canadian manufacturer, tried it out and...it has simply blown me and every other wax I've ever seen away. Like their advertisements, it really does leave a WET looking finish. As if you could touch it and leave a fingerprint like .. wet-paint. According to their literature, the polish which contains NO WAX or SILICONE leaves an ACRYLIC coating once applied. It's nonabrasive, non-yellowing, leaves no swirls or streaks, protects against fuel spills, grease, tar, bird droppings, has a UV protection factor of 30, and even feeds the kids and reads to them before bedtime..

It protects all paints, clear coat, fiberglass, polished aluminum, chrome, polished metal, and smooth plastic. It revives 'dead' finishes and revitalizes colors to provide a long lasting, protective mirror-finish, and I suspect can even cure impotency. ..Does this sounds too good to be true?? Hell yes it does.. but amazingly.. it delivers on it's promises. It goes on as easy as any liquid wax I've ever used and comes off easier than most without leaving the white powder that most do... Bottom line..after trying it, I'm spoiled and will NEVER use any other wax. FYI.. No I do NOT intend to sell the product nor do I get any perks from the manufacturer for this review... not that I'm above that. Geezz.. What a great year 2005 has been!! With the advent of the No-Mar Tire Changer (I reviewed recently), those rubber hanging license plate testicles, and now this CRYSTAL-GLO Acrylic Motorcycle Polish.. Life really is getting better for us motorcyclists..

K1200S Battery Chargers ...What's the Real Story?

I've been using a loyal Battery Tender Plus on my K1200RS (which plugs directly into the accessory plug) for the last 4 years. When I sold my RS a few weeks ago, I had 43K on the original battery and it was working like a charm so as you can imagine.. I swear by them. I now have a new K1200S sitting in my garage and my faithful Battery Tender isn't compatible with it. Geezz. As a matter of fact, no standard aftermarket battery charger will work with the new foofoo German electrical system on the "S" bike. What to do?

As old bastage winter is probably beating at your door, you'll need to rig up a charger for winter storage. Your options are... 1. You can modify your factory accessory socket to by-pass the current shutoff feature by wiring directly to your battery (which I did) 2. Purchase the high dollar BMW Battery Charger. or 3. Purchase the accessory parts directly from Battery Tender which will allow you to use your Battery Charger with the new bike.

So what's the deal on the new bike and it's compatibility with an aftermarket charger? Rather than rely on verbal spewage from people who may or may not be speaking from their anal cavity I decided to call the good folks at Deltran (makers of Battery Tender Chargers) direct and see what they have to say..

This in from a very patient Joe Harding of Deltran..
"On the new BMW's, everything runs off a serial data bus. BMW turns off the accessory outlet when the bike is not running. I believe this is to prevent discharging the battery with an accessory while not riding. For a charger to be able to work through the accessory outlet it needs to pulse the outlet to keep it awake after charging. (Maintenance mode) Our chargers do not do that and the outlet will go to sleep after charging. BMW of Daytona installs our ring terminal accessory to all their batteries because they like our charger better.

The only purpose for plugging your current Battery Tender Plus into the outlet is that the battery will get charged, but it will not be maintained because the factory socket will go to sleep. If you want to charge and maintain your battery you cannot plug the Battery Tender into the accessory outlet on some models of the '05 BMW motorcycles. You have to use the ring terminal accessory that we provide with the chargers. We do not make a charger that can keep the particular new accessory outlets awake.

I wish BMW Germany would not make things so difficult for you guys, when they make changes they don't seem to see the impact it will have on you. We really don't have anything that will keep the accessory adapter awake on the new 05's. I'm sorry. The part number for the ring terminal accessory is 081-0069-6."

Joe Harding
Deltran
801 U.S. Hwy. 92 East
Deland Fl. 32724
Phone: (386)736-7900

Getting Into Carol Davis' Underwear!! Sweet!!

Looking for a no-miss Christmas gift for that certain motorcycling SO?? Trust me.. You can't go wrong by ordering a pair of Carol Davis Fleece Undewear. I've been wearing mine for years..(I do take it off once a year for washing). When the temps drop there's nothing I like to do more than get into Carol's underwear before going for a long ride....The product is top quality and unbelievably comfy.. Here's some wordage from my good friend Carol herself.. (pasted unedited)

"Three new products have been introduced by Carol Davis Sportswear, the company known for its outstanding high-performance thermal underwear and accessories for cold-weather riding. New products are the dickie neckwarmers, thermal skull caps and hooded mittens. The company already produces four styles of full body suits.

All products are constructed of Powerstretch Polartec fleece. It is ultra-lightweight but very warm. It wicks perspiration away from the skin to keep the wearer dry. It breathes to help keep body temp even. It retards the growth of body bacteria thus controlling odors. It is machine washable, does not shrink and is 100% USA made.

The four way stretch fabric stretches in all direction for full range of motion and an incredibly comfortable fit that conforms to the body. Just throw on your leathers and hit the road. For more info contact www.cdsportswear.com or call 712-847-0300 for a free product catalog and swatch of the fabric."

Carol Davis,Pres.
CAROL DAVIS SPORTSWEAR, Inc.
http://www.cdsportswear.com/

What's New In the K1200RS/GT/S/R No-Spin Zone