The Luxury Motorcycle That Undercuts Popular Middleweights
Today’s motorcycle consumer faces a dilemma. If you are looking for a cross-country machine, then you’ll have to pay as much as you would for a mid-size sedan. At the same time, with inflation and input costs rising, even brand-new middleweight machines have become quite expensive. Then, to keep base prices low, they have been stripped back of features, compromising their ability to be what they intended to be in the first place. So what do you do if you want a luxury machine at a low price? Well, you take a look at the used market, where you’ll find bargain prices for heavyweight tourers. Here’s a prime example from Bavaria.
How To Achieve Grand Touring Without Breaking The Bank
Smart buyers do a simple thing: they let the money grow in their investments, while other buyers put the money into one of the most highly depreciating assets you possibly can put it into. The value of used touring motorcycles, especially luxury ones, goes down faster than a stone thrown into a lake, turning once-unattainable flagship motorcycles into achievable bargains. That makes all the sophistication and electronics of a top-tier product accessible at an unbelievable discount.
Using Depreciation To Its Maximum Advantage
As appealing as that is, navigating the used luxury touring market can be tricky. Models with bulletproof reliability hold their value too well, whereas those that come across as the best bargains become so because of hidden mechanical nightmares. BMW occupies a sweet spot between the two. It has proven its long-distance capability time and time again. But because of how complex its products are and the fear of the maintenance cost of a European product, the resale prices of its flagship tourers have plummeted. Win win!
The 2015 BMW K 1600 GTL A Luxury Motorcycle Bargain Today
If you’re going to dip your toes in, you might as well jump in at the deep end, which is why the 2015 BMW K 1600 GTL is what you should aim for. It is one of the most luxurious motorcycles BMW ever made, but pick one up used, and you’ll notice that it undercuts popular middleweights on every front. Its inline six-cylinder engine provides effortless performance on the highway no matter how loaded it might be, and it has features middleweights can only dream of. Even well-maintained examples do not carry much of a premium, which is why it remains one of the best long-distance bargains in the market today.
Around $11,000 Is Enough To Land You In The Lap Of Luxury
An 11-year-old BMW K 1600 GTL is priced at around $11,135, which is less than what you’d pay for a mid-size tourer today. This is a used-market bargain by any measure. It might seem like it’s a little long in the tooth, but the fact remains that this is essentially the same frame and driveline that powers the K 1600 series today. That means you will have the feeling of being whisked along by the massive power of that 1,600 cc engine, and all for a shade over $10,000.
A 160-Horsepower Inline-Six Engine Still Outperforms Modern Middleweights
BMW upgraded its 1,300 cc to an all-new 1,649 cc unit in 2011 and added two more cylinders to it while retaining the inline configuration. This configuration, which has perfect primary as well as secondary balance, is one of the smoothest engines ever at any point in the rev range and under any load conditions. At the same time, it has an eye-popping figure of 160 horsepower at 7,750 RPM. That makes it the most powerful six-cylinder motorcycle engine on the market today.
As for torque, a maximum of 129 pound-feet is present at 5,250 RPM, and over 70 percent of that is available from just 1,500 RPM onwards. This is sent through a six-speed gearbox and a driveshaft to the wheel. All that means this can definitely get you to your destination in a hurry despite its weight.
Unique Suspension Components And Heavy Use Of Aluminum Help It Handle Well
The 2015 K 1600 GTL utilizes BMW’s aluminum bridge-type frame. This is paired with a die-cast aluminum subframe. It runs BMW’s double-wishbone Duolever front suspension and a central monoshock with a single-sided swingarm called Paralever at the rear. This is electronic suspension, and it offers 4.9 inches of front and 5.3 inches of rear travel that helps balance luxury and highway performance.
Twin 320 mm front brake discs paired with four-piston fixed calipers offer the bite and fade resistance required to stop this heavyweight, with support from a single 320 mm disc at the rear. 17-inch cast aluminum alloy wheels are present and shod with tubeless radial sport-touring tires. Lastly, the preload at the rear can be set to one of three settings: single rider, rider with pillion, or rider, pillion, and luggage. You miss out on the self-leveling suspension you get in a modern model.
The Size And Weight Make It Unwieldy In Traffic
This is a BMW that is designed for serious riders, so it is understandably massive. It is 98 inches long and 39.4 inches wide. The wheelbase measures 63.7 inches, and the standard seat is 29.5 inches high. There are also optional seats available with different seat sizes of 30.7 inches and 31.5 inches. The fuel tank can hold seven US gallons, and the unladen weight with 90 percent of fuel is 794 pounds. With that sort of weight, it is going to be difficult to back it up in a parking lot. Unfortunately, this does not have reverse assist.
Factory Option Packages Dramatically Increase Used Market Value
The 2015 GTL added a fair amount of features as standard that make long distances feel short, starting with the 5.7-inch TFT instrument display, which was flanked by an analog speedometer and tachometer. It also had the Multi-Controller wheel to navigate the menus. The audio system had AM/FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity, and was ready for satellite radio as well. In the US market, you could also store your iPod or MP3 player in a weather-sealed storage compartment that supported USB and AUX inputs.
Heated seats and grips, an electronically adjustable windshield with memory, and auto-leveling adaptive xenon headlamps are part of the package, too. As for storage, quick-release lockable hard saddlebags and a top case with an integrated backrest for the passenger allowed a combined four cubic feet of storage space.
Electronics Package Keeps Safety Tech Relevant Even Today
The by-wire throttle gives access to three ride modes. It also had a rudimentary version of an IMU that measured roll rate and yaw rate, which is why the dynamic traction control has a lean-angle function. 2015 was also when dynamic traction control became standard, so when you are looking for your bike, make sure that it has it. Other standard electronic features are cruise control and linked brakes that actuate the rear brake when only the front lever is pulled. Among the optional extras are hill start control, a tire pressure monitor, central locking, keyless ignition, and auxiliary headlamps. All of these are things that you should ideally get on your used example.
Sub-$12,000 Middleweight Competitors Fail To Match Flagship Comfort
The most feature-rich middleweight you can get today is the CFMoto Ibex 800 E at $10,299. This is a sleeper adventure tourer that everyone overlooks. A 799 cc parallel-twin engine that generates a little over 90 horsepower and has, as standard, a bunch of features, including a large touchscreen TFT display with wireless Apple CarPlay, TPMS, a steering damper, and fully adjustable suspension. But the luxury of the K 1600 GTL is simply in a different league.
If you want a cruiser-type tourer, then there is the Honda Rebel 1100T DCT, which costs $11,599 and is a Honda cruiser that does it all. Its USP is a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with manual control. It also offers a five-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation, a fairing for wind protection, hard luggage as standard, and the knowledge that this unstressed engine and driveline will run forever. Again, it’s not a full-dresser tourer, though. This is essentially a cruiser with bolt-on bits, which again gives an advantage to the GTL.
Sources: BMW Group Press, KBB
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