The Touring Bike With Japanese Reliability And Gold Wing-Level Presence
For over half a century, if you wanted a touring motorcycle, the go-to choice would be the Honda Gold Wing. It was not just an alternative to the large American touring bikes; it was the default choice for many. When Honda set out to develop this motorcycle, it wanted to make the king of motorcycles, and we can truthfully say that is exactly what it has achieved. Since its inception, it has been smooth, reliable, comfortable, and has had all the luxury features you would want in a full-dress tourer. But what is luxury without choice?
The Alternatives To The Gold Wing
The market and consumers’ tastes have evolved with time. Consumers today have more choices than ever. At the same time, they want to hold on to traditional values and features that have drawn them to the segment in the first place. In the case of the touring segment, they want all the good features of the Gold Wing: its legendary reliability, its luxury, and its presence, but they also seek variety. They do not want to be just another Gold Wing rider. This alternative to the Gold Wing needs to look and feel like a flagship touring motorcycle, but it cannot be too similar to the Gold Wing or to the established American V-twin tourers.
The Engineering Needs To Be Spot On To Compete
Japanese reliability is no joke; look at any list of motorcycles that are reliable and efficient, and you’ll find products from the Land of the Rising Sun on it. The Japanese themselves got there through meticulous planning and execution, and with trial and error over decades. To match this level of reliability requires serious engineering, and not every manufacturer can afford to do it. All of them today have the ability to engineer a bike that can compete with the Gold Wing, but not all of them have the badge or brand value to compete with it. However, there is one brand that has both and decided to take on the Gold Wing in its own backyard.
BMW Has What It Takes To Dethrone The Gold Wing
BMW has always marched to the beat of its own drummer, which is why when it decides to come up with solutions to a problem, you can be sure those solutions will not be conventional. So it has been with the Gold Wing as well. BMW has always been a force to reckon with in the premium touring segment, and its take on the Gold Wing is a breath of fresh air. It has the reliability you require to cross state lines, not to mention the luxury and performance, but it treats corners as part of the journey that you can enjoy, not just something you need to get through as best you can.
The BMW K 1600 GTL Is The Touring Bike With Japanese Reliability And Gold Wing-Level Presence
The K 1600 GTL is to BMW what the Gold Wing is to Honda. It is the most luxurious bike BMW has ever made and therefore sits at the top of the BMW two-wheeler food chain. It is an interesting take on the grand tourer concept. Yes, it is loaded with luxury and features, but BMW has paid particular attention to making it handle like no full-dress tourer has a right to. This is a motorcycle that likes corners within the definition of a full-dress tourer. It has also been on sale for well over a decade now, and the styling has evolved to make it very distinctive. So its size, unmistakable looks, and mature platform combine to give it the reliability and presence of a Gold Wing.
The Base Price Is Almost The Same As The Gold Wing
BMW has priced the K 1600 GTL’s base at $30,095. The Gold Wing Tour’s base price is $29,500. There is a good reason they are priced within a few hundred dollars of each other. Despite being flagship motorcycles, neither of them needs anything beyond the base variant to feel like a luxurious full-fat tourer, but both have a few options should you want some. Unlike a lot of other products from Bavaria, the K 1600 GTL actually does not need any of the optional packages to make it a complete motorcycle for the segment, which is a pleasant surprise. In fact, you could get a preowned one and get one of the best used market bargains, since it has not had any major or mechanical updates since 2022.
The Inline Six Cylinder Is Unique And Engaging
The GTL’s engine is as unique as the Gold Wing’s. This is also a six-cylinder engine, but unlike the Honda, this chooses a transverse layout and an inline configuration, making it the only inline six-cylinder engine in the motorcycle world today. It is just 2.6 inches wider than the old four-cylinder engine that it superseded, so the size difference is minimal.
It displaces 1,649 cc, has a compression ratio of 12.2:1, and offers an incredible 160 horsepower at 6,750 RPM and 132.7 pound-feet of torque at 5,250 RPM, making it the most powerful six-cylinder motorcycle on the market as well. This is fed through a six-speed manual gearbox and drive shaft to the wheel. A two-way quickshifter is optional. This is the only feature that we wish were standard, because it would make life so much easier. Plus, the K 1600 GTL does love being hustled along within its limits.
Aluminum Chassis Helps Reduce Weight
All BMW K series motorcycles use a bridge-type aluminum chassis with the engine as a stressed member to keep weight down. BMW also uses its Duolever double wishbone front suspension with the Paralever single-sided swingarm and a mono-shock at the rear. This is BMW’s most advanced electronic suspension setup with electronically adjustable damping. It is also self-leveling. The travel available is 4.5 inches at the front and 5.3 inches at the rear.
Surprisingly Sporty Wheels And Brakes Are Present
The electronic suspension is coupled with big 320 mm front discs and radial four-piston fixed calipers, and a single rear disc of the same size mated to a two-piston floating caliper. It has surprisingly sporty 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends, which are shod with tubeless radial tires. It is worth noting that the GTL chassis specs make it look like a sport tourer, and it helps to think of it as one, but a premium full-size one that nails comfort, stability, and power.
More Than Enough Size And Comfort For Two-Up Touring
This is a large motorcycle at 98 inches in length and with a 39.4-inch width. The wheelbase is a similarly long 63.7 inches. At the same time, BMW has managed to keep the seat fairly low at 29.5 inches because the engine is canted over towards the front. This also means that the center of mass is low, which is a significant advantage when the bike weighs nearly 800 pounds. The fuel tank is also quite big and can hold an incredible seven gallons of fuel — a necessity when you have a motorcycle that makes long rides feel short.
This Is A Flagship Motorcycle, Meaning Flagship Luxury Features
The K 1600 GTL sits at the pinnacle of BMW’s touring lineup, so it has everything you would expect from a flagship model, and it leaves Gold Wing owners questioning their choices. It comes with a 10.25-inch TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. Other standard features include adaptive cornering headlamps, heated grips and seats, hard luggage, an audio system, keyless ignition, intelligent emergency calling in the event of a crash, a USB charging port, and a storage space where you can keep your phone while it charges.
Since this is a flagship BMW, you can expect nothing less than a full set of electronics. It has a by-wire throttle and a six-axis IMU. Three ride modes are present, and for safety, there are dynamic traction control, engine brake control, hill start control, tire pressure monitoring, and reverse assist as well. The electronic suspension has automatic load leveling, which means that when you load it up with luggage and a pillion, it will self-level without any intervention from the rider.
Source: BMW USA
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