BMW K1600GT review [ashonbikes.com]

[UFO]

Kevin Ash has had a chance to throw a leg over BMW's new uber-tourer and write up his thoughts for us.  There's a snippet below as well as a link to the entire review on his website.

BMW has trodden a narrow line in its extensive build-up to the new K1600GT and K1600GTL models.

The Germans haven’t quite told us – as Honda did with the VFR1200F – that the new six-cylinder machines were going to change motorcycling for the next decade, but simply by listing and explaining the array of new technology the bikes can boats, they’ve managed to whet appetites, fuel excitement and more pragmatically, generate quite a few orders already,



The question I can address now is, having ridden both the GT and the GTL, are those trusting early adopters going to get what they’re expecting? The K1600GT uses the new, inline six-cylinder engine first seen in the Concept 6 concept naked bike in autumn 2009. It’s designed as a touring and sports touring engine rather than high performance one with an emphasis on torque more than outright power. This has allowed the use of a relatively long stroke of 67.5mm compared with the 72mm bore (most modern engines have more oversquare dimensions), which in turn has helped keep this potentially very wide power unit narrow. In addition, the cylinders are spaced just 5mm apart and no ancillaries are carried outboard of the crankshaft, resulting in an overall weight of 226lb (102.6kg).

Aside from its sextet of cylinders there’s nothing too unusual about the K1600GT engine. The valve gear is based more on the older flat four K-Series design, built to similar length restrictions, while the engine management is a full ride-by-wire system, the first on a motorcycle in fact to have no direct mechanical fail-safe – the rest all have a cable which will pull the throttle closed regardless of what the computer is telling the system to do). It is of course still covered by a multitude of electronic fail safe systems, just as well when it makes 158bhp (160PS, 118kW) at 7,750rpm, and a maximum torque of 129lb.ft (17.8kgm, 175Nm) at 5,250rpm.

Read the entire review here:
http://www.ashonbikes.com/content/bmw-k1600gt-review

[atadaskew]

Given the fat torque curve you’d hope to be able to snick the smooth-changing transmission into top and leave it there until you switch off at the end of the day, but in practice typical 50-70mph (80-110kph) overtakes demand a couple of downchanges if you’re going to despatch with slower traffic rapidly. And that’s solo, with a passenger, full luggage and steep mountain roads to negotiate (which is the point of a bike like this) you’ll be using the gearbox a fair bit more than you might have expected.

Bit of a bummer really, cuz isn't the point of having a monster motor being able to just twist the throttle and go?
This is what happens when you build a 700lb + touring bike, not a 500 lb + touring bike.

I did see this on the BMW site though:

Presale Program to Close Early Due to Extraordinary Customer Response

That's gotta kill companies like Honda who can't move their latest and greatest.

[RiderCoach]

To be honest, didn't expect to hear it was gonna be 700+ lbs. We have enough sport tourers in that category already don't we?

Sure it sounds like a great bike with gobs of torque and hp, but I use to ride an st1300 at about 730 lbs. Not going back to something that heavy again myself.

The fjr is as heavy as I'm doing, and it can be a beast to move around at 80 or so lbs lighter.

[GilaMonster]

Bit of a bummer really, cuz isn't the point of having a monster motor being able to just twist the throttle and go?
This is what happens when you build a 700lb + touring bike, not a 500 lb + touring bike.

I absolutely agree.  That's why I got off an '04 K 1200 GT flying brick and bought a new '06 K 1200 S.  Yes, the S has more power, but my main reason for the change was the loss of over 150 lbs.

[McHack]

OH Geez,  I have to down shift to get some ZOOM ZOOM....   If you dont wanna shift,  get a Harley.  

[three west]

I dunno, I just have trouble even considering a 1600cc bike because that seems like such LT/wing territory

I love the tech;  I'd love to have the display & the led lighting on my K12GT, but just don't know if I could consider something that "big"

[cruisin]

   I just don't get this deal about not wanting to use the transmission these days.  It takes all of a tenth of second to down-shift and a smidgeon of skill to do it properly and at the right time -- can someone splain to me why there is such widespread aversion to using the transmission for it's intended purpose?

heck, you can have a blast on a 250 if you know how and when to shift.

[atadaskew]

   I just don't get this deal about not wanting to use the transmission these days.

Simple.

They did not build a high revving 400cc motor.

They built an all new 1600cc 6 cylinder motor with a relatively low red line.  So one would naturally assume the reason for that was to have eyeball flattening torque.  Otherwise, why bother?  A downshift to pass at fwy speeds? Really? Remind me again what all those cylinders and engine capacity was for?

 

[Orson]

me thinks that 6th gear overtakes might still be possible

just not at the warp speed gonzo-journalists seem to demand  

[eng943]

Glad  I snapped up a '10 K13GT after reading that. Kind of validates some concerns I had and others I would not have expected.

[atadaskew]

me thinks that 6th gear overtakes might still be possible

just not at the warp speed gonzo-journalists seem to demand  

Any top gear overtakes on my Vespa PX are done in 4th gear.  Apparently the same as this new BMW.

So there is that.
 

[Bug R]

Hey may be County has a axe to grind.
1600cc and you have to change down twice to overtake

If I changed down twice and cracked the throttle on my FJR I'd be in 3 figure territory even before I reach the car I was trying to pass

Chris

[Geoff]

OH Geez,  I have to down shift to get some ZOOM ZOOM....   If you dont wanna shift,  get a Harley.  

LOL!

They're FJR 1300AE riders. Give 'em a break.  

[mcrider007]

I think you may need to give BMW a break on this issue since it sounds like they finally geared a touring bike like a touring bike.  I test rode a K1300GT a year ago and the ultra low 6th gear was a deal breaker for me, if I want an engine to be turning 4,000 rpms at 65 mph (indicated) in 6th gear, I would save my money and buy a 750.

http://ashonbikes.com/content/bmw-k1600gt-torque-comparison

[Aero]

Here's the MCN launch video report:

           http://bcove.me/y5ycecko

Seems to get down the road quickly enough, and I love the sound!  

[McHack]

LOL!

They're FJR 1300AE riders. Give 'em a break.  

LOL

[swimmer]

It has 6 cylinders.   Why would someone expect that configuration in a small engine to have a lot of torque?

[atadaskew]

It has 6 cylinders.   Why would someone expect that configuration in a small engine to have a lot of torque?

Cuz other 6 cylinder motor bike engines do/did.

Kawi KZ
Honda CBX
Honda Wing 1500/1800

And this motor is obviously much much more recent than those dinosaurs.

[GS1100GK]

Hey may be County has a axe to grind.
1600cc and you have to change down twice to overtake

If I changed down twice and cracked the throttle on my FJR I'd be in 3 figure territory even before I reach the car I was trying to pass

Chris

Same for my C-14, except that the front wheel may be off the ground too!!!

[birdrunner]

Simple.

They did not build a high revving 400cc motor.

They built an all new 1600cc 6 cylinder motor with a relatively low red line.  So one would naturally assume the reason for that was to have eyeball flattening torque.  Otherwise, why bother?  A downshift to pass at fwy speeds? Really? Remind me again what all those cylinders and engine capacity was for?

 

Exactly,   tell me again what the advantages are of this motor  or the VFR to my old XX?   NONE,  . They're heavier, slower, more complicated and more money.  Not what I'd expect with 13 years to improve the breed.  The real improvements seem to be with the adjustable suspension we're seeing.



I'm all for the Ducati approach ... handling starts with weight.