|
|
|
|
"Gather
'round, lads.... gather 'round"... Around the 1st or
15th of each month, when I deem you are worthy, we put out our cheesy
newsletter to inform the masses as to what's happening in the BMW K1300S, K1200S, GT, R, RS, S1000RR
world and of course... Pirates' Lair. How else are you going to find out? If you want to subscribe and have
these sent via e-mail to your home or office just let us know at pirate@acelink.net .. otherwise you'll
get 95% of it here. Why only 95%? Because I tend to tell the brutal truth
as I see it on many issues/products and while I don't mind spewing "my
opinion" into your home, office or cell, I have no desire to slam, insult,
or malign any company, individual, competitor in public.. unless they blatantly deserve it.
|
 |
The Latest Cheesy Pirates' Lair Newsletter: December 2010 .. Happy Holidays!! |
| Fellow esteemed and quasi-esteemed motorcyclists.... ..A famous (and slightly edited ) movie moment to start the month..... |
| Are we ready? Two hundred and fifty strands of lights... one hundred individual bulbs per strand for a grand total of twenty-five thousand individual, miniature imported Italian twinkle lights. Twenty-five THOUSAND! The lights go on and the power surge temporarily drains the cities's power grid. The orbiting space shuttle can see their house from space. All the family runs out and gathers around Clark. Tears well up in his eyes. |
Nora: It's lovely Clark. Clark Griswold / Chevy Chase .. Nora / Diane Ladd.. Cousin Eddie / Randy Quaid .. Christmas Vacation (1989) |
 |
|
News
and Feltercarb From The Two-Wheeled No-Spin Zone...!! |
Picture Of The Month! Death Valley at Dusk! (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.. 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 800x600 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. |
---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
BMW K1600GT and K1600GTL: Pictures and Specs .."Stop The Presses!" If you're one of the many souls who have been patiently waiting for some real pictures and/or info on the upcoming 6 cylinder uber bikes from BMW.. the K1600GT and GTL... your wait is over... and IMHO.. you won't be disappointed. The K1600GTL, which is the designated replacement bike for the aging K1200LT is in a word.. beautiful. I'm actually surprised as to how attractive it is given BMW's hit-or-miss styling exercises. Judging by looks alone, it looks to me like BMW has hit this one out of the park. The big unknown is.. how will it run and perform? And the 1600 GT? Judge for yourself... I have almost 100 new photos of both bikes in the Pirates Lair Photo Album. You will be impressed. Hellforleather.com has a 45 page description of the bike and its specs. Here's the official BMW PDF file showing the accessories that will be available for the bikes. Sweet!! and if that's not enough to get you off Viagra.. check out this video from Jay Leno's garage which shows a lot of the waaaay cool features of the new GTL. Not much impresses me these days... This bike does. |
 |
---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
What Men Really Want for Christmas: Pirates Lair Gift Cards! Through the years we've gotten more requests for GIFT CARDS than anything else except perhaps naked pictures of Amber. Who are we to deny the masses? Pirates' Lair is proud to announce that we now have Pirates Lair Gift Cards on the menu in a number of denominations to fit your congressionally pummeled budget. From $25 to $300! Our standard sized plastic gift card is sleek, stylish, and professionally made. And no.. it doesn't look anything like the pic at right. Although.. that's NOT a bad idea. Whip it out (the card, that is) and you will garner respect and admiration from not only your peers but also the less fortunate around you. Like buying underwear or choosing a hooker, buying motorcycle accessories is a very personal thing. Simply guessing what your favorite rider actually needs/wants/desires for his ride is a hit or miss proposition. Rather than putting yourself in the embarrassing situation of getting the wrong thing or worse.. something that he or she hates and has to return... you can't go wrong with one of our waaaay cool Pirates Lair Gift Cards. Ladies.. these are perfect for the holidays, birthdays, weddings, promotions, or just a way of saying.. "Honey.. I'm sorry I backed over your bike." Remember.. nothing says.. "I love you" or "I'm sorry" to a man like shiny plastic. Included with every Pirates Lair Gift Card is a single-fold, greeting card style gift card holder with a folded/glued pocket inside for easy gift card insertion and removal. These are made of premium-quality silk finish paper. And that's not all! We also include a small matching envelope. Folded size: 4 3/4" x 3 3/8" Actual cost of each card is $5 to cover cost of card, holder, envelope package, and insured shipping inside the US. For instance.. a $25 gift card will cost $30 to your door. Saavy? Foreign orders are welcome. Happy Holidays and let the plundering begin. Arrrrrg. |
 |
---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
2010 I-BMW.com AHR Arkansas HillBilly K12 / K13 Rally: Best Yet! (Unofficially sponsored by www.I-BMW.com ) The 2010 AHR Arkansas HillBilly Rally was another roaring success. So far, all reports say no "velocity awards" and perfect weather albeit cool nights. Does it get any better than that?! Everyone who attended say it was the best one yet. Good food, good friends, and a roaring fire at night. Wish I had been there. Maybe next year. Having attended all the I-BMW.com rallies though the years EXCEPT this one I can only judge the "fun" quotient by the pictures I've seen... and it looks to me like a good time was had by all. Damn! If you missed this years AHR you should be kicking yourself in the cajones (not an easy thing to do.) Thx to all involved (you know who you are) for once again stepping up to the plate and making the event a continued success. I've posted rally pics in the Pirates Lair Photo Gallery. Look for the album cleverly titled.. 2010 AHR Arkansas HillBilly Rally. Enjoy. |
 |
---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
BMW Carbon Fiber: Ilmberger Drops the Ball .. Bestem Runs With It IMHO.. there could only be 2 reasons for this premier Carbon Fiber manufacturer dropping the ball so badly. Mismanagement or greed. My personal opinion is that they love the huge flow of Euros so much that they consider their delivery times (and the needs of their customers) .. secondary. "You vil get zee parts vin ve are ready to ship." Rather than stopping orders until all back-orders are filled worldwide.. they just keep getting further and further behind and I'll have no part of it. With that said.. until ALL Ilmberger back-orders are filled and parts start arriving in a timely manor, I will advise our quasi-esteemed customers to purchase BestemUSA Carbon Fiber which we can get within a matter of days in most cases and 1-4 weeks worst case scenario. |
 |
| While Ilmberger seems to have adopted a Gordon Gekko-ish business model, the much more business savvy people at Bestem USA seem waaay ahead of the game by concentrating on customer service and a reasonably priced product. FYI.. I see Bestem products side-by-side with Ilmbergers often. On most parts I can NOT tell the difference. It's that good. Unbeknownst to most except industry insiders, Bestem has made leaps and bounds over the last few years with quality being their #1 priority. They want to be #1 in the US and are constantly asking for input as to how to achieve this goal. Wish Congress did that. Due to the fact that Bestem recently invested millions in new molds and manufacturing equipment, I predict that soon.. very soon their product could become the top option in the US. Trust me or not. Click Here to see all Pirates Lair Bestem S1000RR Carbon Fiber. Click Here to see all Pirates Lair Bestem K1300S / K1200S Carbon Fiber. |
---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Product Review Follow-Ups: Year End Closure and Reflection Follow-Up: Passport 9500ix Review March 2010 / My first impressions were dead-on. This is simply the best detector I've ever used. Far superior to my former Valentine One in virtually every way. Best single purchase I made in 2010. Apparently if you ride through a 100ft+ long tunnel the GPS feature on the 9500ix will lose connection with the satellite triggering a warning. Then when the unit reacquires the signal a few minutes later, it sends another signal notifying the rider that your are again locked on to a satellite. Unless you know that the unit actually has this feature, you'd assume that it's a warning.. DOH. With that being the case, I'll now say that the fix is 100% effective in stopping all falses. |
 |
| Follow-Up: 2010 Reevu MSX1 Helmet July 2010 / I have put a few thousand miles on this helmet now and over-all I'm still in love with it. My initial opinion that the MSX1 is absolutely invaluable for any sportbike rider hasn't changed. In fact with long term use it has been reinforced. I have multiple helmets in the shop to choose from, but when I go out on the Ducati.. the Reevu is the ONLY helmet I wear. I feel it makes me safer. That's not an opinion. Dat's da fact, Jack. On the BMW, which has wonderful mirrors..it doesn't matter as much. I originally reported that the optional dark tinted shield was total crap. I spoke with the manufacturer and reported the problem and they suggested I try another shield which I did. It was also total crap. I suggested to them that they should change materials and/or manufacturers. They pretty much blew me off. O, well. The optics when direct light hits the tinted shield are horrible making it look like you've just ridden into a light fog bank. Pathetic. As for the fit of the helmet.. after wearing the helmet for consecutive hours, it's not as comfy as many other helmets due (I think) to the ear pockets being designed poorly. It doesn't exactly surround the ear like it should. Instead, part of the padding causes pressure on my lower ears with the result being sore ears. I may try to modify this at some point. Of course, none of these complaints detract from the revolutionary function and design of the Reevu. I still think that in a few years many if not most helmets will have a similar rear view system as a standard feature. Do I still recommend the MSX1? Yes. Follow-Up: Dunlop Sportmax Q2s June 2010 / Dunlops latest greatest tire has kinda surprised me. I'm now on my second set and relatively happy with them. While I still think the Q2's aren't even in the same league as the Pirelli Corsas which are marketed to the same demographics,.. they sure are a better value. While I wouldn't say they inspire 100% confidence at knee dragging lean angles..at least on a 560lb+ motorcycle, in real-world "sane" street riding situations they are a worthy choice if you are looking for a tire that does everything pretty damn well and gets decent (at least in my opinion).. mileage. By comparison, I never got more than 2600 miles out of the Pirelli Corsas which do cost more. I'm getting a consistent 3200 miles out of the front Q2 and almost 4000 miles out of the rear. IMHO...not too shabby for the price of admission. I'm stickin' with them (no pun intended) until the economy turns around. |
What's
New In the K12 / K13 / S1000RR No-Spin Zone |
| I should note that as the K1200RS and first generation K1200GT have been discontinued, I receive less and less news of any new products for them.. I mention this as a few semi-loyal subscribers have accused me of abandoning our roots.. Not true.. I only report what's going on.. Don't shoot the messenger.. I will NEVER abandon the K1200RS crowd. It appears that the times.. they are a changin.' Deal with it. Also.. a special thx to www.I-BMW.com, www.K-Bikes.com , and www.BMWK1200S.com for the information & pictures I regularly pilfer from these sites.. |
1. BMW 'definitely' in 1000cc MotoGP 1987 500cc world champion Wayne Gardner claims he has been told by Honda that Aprilia and BMW will enter MotoGP under the new 1000cc rules from 2012. In his weekly column on his waynegardnerapproved.com.au website, the Australian wrote: "Now, you won't have read this anywhere else, but it was also confirmed to me by Honda representatives that Aprilia and BMW will definitely be participating in MotoGP from 2012. That's huge news. It already looks like the regulation changes have brought about the desired effect - more bikes on the grid." At present there are four MotoGP manufacturers – Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and Suzuki - but Suzuki will run only a single bike next season. 2. There are already a dozen slip-on exhausts available for the mighty S1000RR... Some I like.. some not so much. Another option just went live from British company, Austin Racing. Their kit offers a MotoGP style in either Carbon Fiber or Titanium with choices of slash cut end or oval. Damn impressive if you ask me. Sleek.. smaller than most. I got wood. Here's a You Tube sound test. Price prior to shipping is around $637.US 3. and now for something completely different... Check out this Russian YouTube video of a custom bodied BMW K1200S... They have successfully integrated the front end of a Ducati 999 and a rear end from an MV Agusta F4 onto the BMW for one damn fine looking package... замечательный! 4. Another teaser alert: One of the sales guys at Sterling BMW (automobiles, Northern Virginia), says there will be a new BMW motorcycle dealership in Sterling, at Highway 50 and Pleasant Valley Drive (Highway 609), just past the Cadillac dealer (Right where Fairfax County ends)( 38.912708,-77.475393). Before the end of the year. That area is part of Dulles Industrial Park South, so it could be in one of the faceless buildings there. 5. Is the steering damper on your BMW S1000RR simply not giving you the feel you need/want/desire? Here's a viable, albeit expensive alternative.. the BMW S1000RR GPR V4 Sport Stabilizer. These are used on too many race teams to list. Cost is $445 in a chitload of colors. 6. Here's a well done How-To on an HID conversion on a S1000RR. 7. This just in from Mike Figielski at the BeemerBoneyard. .. "We have recently started stocking replacement paper air filters for the K1200S, K1200R and K1200R-Sport bikes. The filter media is made here in the US and is the same media used to produce the OEM BMW filters. The difference is we are selling them at 40% off dealer list pricing!" Thanks, Mike |
8. In the May 2009 Cheesy Newsletter I introduced the world to the Laser Stealth HotCam 2 slip-on exhaust for the BMW K1200S.. It was (and still is) the sleekest, best looking, and best sounding exhaust for the BMW K1200S on the market, IMHO and I've seen and heard them all.. Unfortunately .. to this day only a handful are on bikes as the HotCam 2 project was seemingly cursed from the get go. Alfred Hitchcock couldn't have written a scarier narrative. I documented much of the horror in our August / Sept 2009 Cheesy Newsletter regarding destroyed shipments, sub-par farmed out materials, carbon fiber changing colors, poor packing materials, tens of thousands of lost dollars, and one reported case of testicular cancer. Basically.. "end of days" type luck. |
 |
The good news is.. I would have guessed that after all the serious money invested and lost on the project, Laser executives would be living in a van down by the river. Au contraire mon frere. Rather.. they sorted out all the issues one by one and are about to re-release the Laser Stealth Hotcam2 to the world. How do I know this?? I received my replacement on November 12th. Woohoo!! They have NOT given me a an ETA for US shipments, but when they do.. I'll be the first to let everyone know. All they've told me was that they did extensive road testing with this new version and they guarantee they are problem free. This is good news. O, yea.. I think they said they would be offering a K1300S version, too. Stay tuned. 9. Motorcyclenews.com just proclaimed the BMW S1000RR as the MCN Machine of the Year. Was there ever any doubt?? Let us all revel in it's magnificence... 10. Got your BMW S1000RR home and shockingly discover there's no place on the bike to carry anything? Duh! For those of you who want to blatantly refute the fact that its a pure sport bike, Sierra BMW is selling a tail bag for the bike. Guess it looks OK as tail bags go. Personally I'd rather shove a flaming pointy stick in my eye than install something like that on a sport bike.. Just sayin'. As someone who does ride a similar bike.. here's a clue.. "Kriega Back Pack." |
What's
New at Pirates' Lair? |
1. Could you use a hugger today? If you thought your only option for a rear wheel hugger for your BMW K1200S , K1200R, K1200R Sport, or K1200RS was paying the big bucks for foofoo fancy Carbon Fiber (not that there's anything wrong with that) .. you were wrong, bukko! Pirates' Lair just added these beautiful black fiberglass rear wheel huggers from Pyramid Plastics to our menu. Protect your bike from flying debris and add a little flash without plundering your wallet. Each piece has a deep, hand rubbed gloss finish for the ultimate in spectacular looks. Of course, if you don't want/need/desire a black hugger... these are paintable! Price is $188 delivered. We also have them for your BMW K1200RS or 2002-05 K1200/GT. Who says their ain't no Santa?! 2. We just found out that our R1200GS Stealth backrest will fit the new 2011 GS!! |
 |
3. Just in case you missed the blurb in last months cheesy newsletter... we now carry the Pyramid Plastics (of the UK) Fiberglass Belly Pans for the BMW K1200R. Since then we have learned that this will also fit the K1200R Sport! We offer a choice of 3 colors or unpainted. These are damn beautiful if I say so myself.. Price is under $500 for unpainted. 4. For the ADD sufferers who may or may not have missed the blurb above.. as of 10/26/2010 I have stopped taking any further Ilmberger orders until my current stack of back-orders are filled. I do NOT do this lightly has I have spent 40-60+ hours designing our website around their product. FYI.. I have pre-paid-orders going back 4 months which IMHO is simply unacceptable. It's not fair to me and it's not fair to my pre-paid customers. With that said.. until ALL Ilmberger back-orders are filled and parts start arriving in a timely manor, I will advise our quasi-esteemed customers to purchase Bestem Carbon Fiber which we can get within a matter of days in most cases and 1-4 weeks worst case scenario. Unlike the Germans, which apparently have over-extended themselves, no doubt due to greed, the much more business savvy people at Bestem seem ahead of the game and concentrate on customer service and a reasonably priced product. Feel free to email me if you want me to check with my Ilmberger supplier to see if an item is miraculously in stock. You might get lucky... I will remove this banner when the situation changes. 5. As per the blurb above.. Pirates Lair has an all new section of Bestem Carbon Fiber for the BMW S1000RR. Click Here |
6. Speaking (or typing) about Carbon Fiber.. Pirates Lair has lots of new pieces on the menu from Bestem Carbon Fiber for the BMW K1300S & K1200S. Click Here 7. The 4 words your wife/significant other/cell mate needs to know for the upcoming holiday season... Pirates Lair Gift Cards! 8. Looking for the perfect Christmas present for your favorite BMW rider? Here ya go. The Extenda Fenda is an inexpensive farkel that actually has a function unlike a lot of the foofoo fancy gratuitous crap that we sell.. These are designed to protect your bike from debris thrown up by the front tire. The extenda fender helps keep the bike cleaner, cuts down on paint damage on the lower fairing, and also protects important parts of the bike such as the radiator and oil cooler. Chimp easy install. We now have them to fit every model year K1300GT, K1200S, K1200RS, 2002-05 K1200GT, R1150R, and R1150RS. Price is under $45 delivered and we have these in stock. |
 |
K12 / K13 Rally / Event
News : 2011 |
2011 Texas Hill Country K12 / K13 Rally: April 10-14, 2011 (New!) Location: Hwy 39 near Hunt - 22 miles from hwy 83 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. |
 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011 Blue Ridge Parkway K12 / K13 Rally: May 12-15, 2011 (New!) Where: Wattstull Inn, just north of Buchanan, Virginia |
 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 12th Annual Deals Gap K12 / K13 Rally: October 6-9th, 2011 (New!) 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. |
 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
How-To-Survive
On A Motorcycle If you'd like to help others by contributing a How-To-Survive On A 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 shave your legs. 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 |
 |
Guess that kinda wraps up yet another year. Don't they pass so quickly? This will be the last communiqué for 2010. It's been a slower than usual year for Amber and I (and Pirates' Lair) thanks to the shenanigans going on in Washington, but we will persevere. We appreciate everyone's help, advice, encouragement, and occasional naked pics. Best wishes to you all for a prosperous 2011... In spite of what the far left ACLU would like us to say, we sincerely hope that you and yours (no matter what bike you ride and/or religion) have a Happy Hanukkah, a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Remember if you're gonna drink...stop by here and of course... leave the bike at home... For our secularist customers... Happy Winter Season... For our troops serving all around the world... a heartfelt thank you for everything you are doing.. Godspeed, soldiers. You do us proud. |
 |
|
