Picture Of The Month! German Countryside! (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 July POTM was contributed by Gijs van Dijk of the Netherlands . He says of his contribution .." It was taken mid-afternoon on the roadside on the way to the city of Wittlich, Germany. An absolutely beautiful day. It was about 68F, and basically it was just me and my bike all day. No company to distract from the impressions, thoughts and feelings you may experience during a nice spring ride. No music on, just flowing with the road listening to the roar of the exhaust and snarl of the intakes. So here I am, riding my bike through the hills and fields, being able to look around for miles and all of a sudden there is this patch of trees, with a little white church in the middle of nowhere with a tiny little graveyard in front (you can just see some of the stones in the pic), so I just had to stop and have look around. I have no idea why that little church is where it is, or who put it there. The nearest town is more than 5 miles away. It is funny how people look at you weird when you are parked at the side of the road having a smoke like that. :) . "

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, K1600GT, or any model year K1200GT or K1300GT and B. In focus.

The 2011 Blue Ridge Parkway K12 / K13 Rally: Another Successful Event!

Thanks to the great crew at www.I-BMW.com, for making this years event yet another success, albeit a smaller one than in past years. We hear a lot of GS's showed up this year.. In spite of that... it sounds like everyone had a good time.

The rally weather forecast was suspect from the get go, but in the end it turned out to be a non-issue. There was some rain... sun.. fog.. clouds.. spotty showers. About what you'd expect for this rally. I'd wager a guess that everyone is already thinking about the 2012 event which has already been scheduled. Details below in our upcoming rallies section...

I have posted as many rally pics as I could plunder..er.. accumulate from the I-BMW site in our Pirates Lair Photo Album . It's the first album cleverly entitled.. Blue Ridge Parkway BMW Rally 2011 Enjoy!

Pirates Lair Kawasaki Concours 14 Stealth Backrest!!! The Light At The End of the Tunnel!

If all goes as planned our upcoming Kawasaki Concours 14 Stealth Backrest should be on the market by July 10th. We've just finished our testing phase of the project and so far.. everyone seems deliriously happy. Our testers made some helpful suggestions which will be integrated into the production pieces. I have to admit.. I'm really happy as to how this project has turned out. Look for advertising spots in various sport-touring magazines soon..ie.. Rider, Backroads, etc..Our first production run is in progress.

Install of the Concours 14 stealth rack will be chimp easy taking all of 10 minutes with no mods. It's a simple bolt on. Here's the install. The backrest's polished stainless steel slide bar will slide on and off the bike in mere seconds (just like all our other specialty backrests) for a sleek and sexy look.. At the moment we still are NOT taking pre-orders as I'm unsure of a delivery date. However I'm pretty sure these will start shipping around July 10th or so. Price will be $365US delivered inside the US which puts it in line with all our other offerings. I will be glad to send updates to anyone interested as to progress and availability upon email request.

Pirates Lair Saddles Up for the K1600GT & K1600GTL! Yippe Kiyaa!

We at Pirates Lair are preparing for the onslaught of biz from new owners of the latest and greatest BMWs.. ie the K1600GT and K1600GTL with product sections for both bikes. You're not gonna catch us with our pants down!... Not that there's anything wrong with having your pants down. Some of my fondest memories involved being pantsless.. Ahhh yes... I remember this one time in Cairo when me and this young German hottie......er.. where was I?? O, yea.. The new six cylinders..

We're already getting parts requests from K16 owners all over the world. So far almost all have ordered our Nautilus air horns as apparently the factory horns are total crap. Guess that's not really a shocker if you've ever owned a BMW. We just got notice of the availability of Remus Slip-On's for the GT. I'm sure the GTL version will follow. You anxious new K16 farkel buyers should keep in mind that it'll take a few months for products to start showing up for the bike, but rest assured... we'll offer a full menu for both bikes. With or without pants.

For a gander at our current (and admittedly small) product lines for the new BMWs. Point your mouse thisa way, pilgrim.... K1600GT or K1600GTL

The Pirates Lair Wall Of Shame! “Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!”

Fellow speeders...er.. I mean "velocity aficionados". Over the last few years I've been collecting pictures of our beloved K bikes pulled over by the PoPo and suffering the indignity of getting written up. Unfortunately, many are my own. DOH! Some shots were pilfered from my buds over at www.I-BMW.com  Last week I uploaded them all into a photo album called.. Pirate's Wall of Shame.

I have some pretty good shots of my good buddy, Charlie (aka Kneedragger) getting his infamous 148 MPH radar ticket, DYL unsuccessfully pleading with the legendary Texas lawman..Sgt Sanchez, and many other unfortunate speed-posessed souls. These are superbikes after all. Some things are unavoidable. If you ride them to their potential.. you're gonna get awards no matter what kinda radar detector you're wielding.

If any of my readers have some similar embarrassing shots of their K1200RS, GT, K1200S,1300S, or GT, S1000RR, etc on the side of the road with a cop car and you'd like to contribute to our "Wall of Shame"..please email them to me.

Please show em if you got em... Make me proud.. and don't forget.. Never ride faster than you can see..

1. The guys at Rhinewest Performance, Inc... makers of the legendary Rhinewest Chip are producing one last production run of their performance chips for the BMW K1200RS and 2002-04 K1200GT. They are currently sold out. They actually were NOT gonna produce any more, but using an old Jedi mind trick, I talked them into both producing one last production run and saving a few droids. Once these last performance chips are gone there will be no more.. No amount of begging.. no amount of pleading.. no amount of crying.. no offers of BJs..well.. BJ's might do the trick, but otherwise. ..there will be a limited quantity available around July 5th. If you've been procrastinating on getting one.. Now's the time to get serious. In all my years selling these.. I've never met someone who didn't love the results. Me included.

2. As of 06/082011, Evoluzione has discontinued their K1200S / K1300S Clutch Slave Kits.. Ken Z (the Big Kahuna of Evo) explained to me that sales were slow and didn't justify placing another full production run. As the bikes have already been discontinued.. I can't blame him. Sorry to hear this..

9. For a YouTube Sound Clip of the new Remus Hexacone on a BMW K1600GT .. Click Here Sounds damn nice if you ask me!!

10. Planning a bike trip and want to ride the best roads in the area? Up until recently you're best bet in discovering those roads is to ask locals or seek advice on the various internet forums. Now there's a waaay cool alternative. MotocycleRoadsUSA.com provides state by state listings of some of the best scenic & twisty roads for motorcyclists, sports car drivers, tourists, and other travelers.They list over 3000 roads in all 50 states! It's the most comprehensive listing on the internet or so they claim. The site is chimp easy to navigate. Once you click on the state you are interested in, and the region of that state, you're given a color coded map showing roads designated as scenic, sweeping curves, twisties, and unpaved.Then you click on the specific road and they give exact directions on getting there, detailed description of what to expect, and rider reviews of the specific road. Sweet!!

8. Thinking about a Throttlemeister for your BMW K1300S, K1200R, K1200S, but not sure if they are compatible with your aftermarket bars? Here's some newly gathered news.. Throttlemeisters are compatible with K1200S & K1300S Heli-Bars. Click Here for a View and IDI Designs Risers for the BMW K1300S, K1200R, K1300S.

9. We've been selling Verholen K1200S / K1300S 85mm bar risers for a few years now. Wonderful product. We just got word that they are now offering a 50mm version. The kit will need a clutch cable extensions like the 85mm version, but it will NOT require a longer brake line, unlike the 85mm kit. We already have them on our menu as a special order item. Hope to have some in stock shortly. These will be a nice compromise option for those who want their bars only a little higher and a little closer to the rider. Thx, Wyatt for the intel gathering.

10 Pirates Lair does Facebook.. Woop dee freakin' do... Guess it was inevitable and unavoidable as congress wanting to raise the dept ceiling.. again. I'll post new product updates daily (if I can remember) and Amber plans on making daily weather reports for riders coming into the area.. Would you be our friends? Stop in and say hello!! It'll make Amber happy.. She likes to be poked.

11. In my never ending quest to keep youz guyz and galz informed.. we just got word that ZTechnik has 2 new VStream windshields out for the S1000RR.. A Tall Touring Screen (comes in clear only) and a Sport Touring shield (dark tint only). I've already got them on our menu with full specs.

Newsflash: My ZTechnik rep shipped us (1) S1000RR Tall Touring windshield for evaluation. He wants both feedback and pictures.. With that said... if anyone would like to try this shield.. Email me and I'll ship it to you at no charge.. Ride with it for a week or so, take some pics, and just let us know what you think. If you want to keep it.. you can have it at a huge discount. If you do NOT want to keep it.. you pay to ship it back and we'll put it in the hands of another rider... Simple as that....

The Kentucky Hill Country Rendezvous : August 18-21st, 2011

Where: Lure Lodge, Lake Cumberland, KY
5465 State Park Rd Jamestown Ky 42629
When: August 18-21, 2011 (Arrive Thursday - Leave Sunday)
Reservations: 800-325-1709 or 270-343-3111
$71.95 for Wed and 80.95 for Thur and Fri. Plus tax. .. Be sure to mention that you are with i-BMW.
Agenda: The usual i-bmw tire kicking and general hooliganisms. "Safety" meetings optional. See you there!
Map: Lure Lodge, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, Kentucky

Standard rooms have two queen beds. Rooms have a balcony with a Lake view. Five accessible rooms have one queen bed; four of these also have a sleeper chair. Main lodge has two floors with step access. . Parking areas are not adjacent to most rooms.

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 or lots of velocity awards. You and you alone are responsible for your own safety. Ride within your own ability.

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 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 or lots of velocity awards.. You and you alone are responsible for your own safety. Ride within your own ability. It's called.. "personal responsibility."

2012 Blue Ridge Parkway K12 / K13 Rally: May 17-20, 2012

Where: Wattstull Inn, just north of Buchanan, Virginia
When: May 17th thru 20th, 2011 (Thur – Sun)

Call Wattstull Inn for reservations.
540-254-1551 / Mention: i-bmw group
SPECIFY ROOM TYPE - single, double, king.. / Rooms are 68 (ish*) per night plus tax (*2011 rates)

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