The BMW K1600GTL - A Review by Bryan Rider #98024

I was given the opportunity to ride the new BMW K1600GTL last week. It was a demo bike (there was no mistaking this, given that it had labels on both sides of the tank reading "Demonstrator"). I arrived at the Northheast Atlanta BMW dealer, in the rain, for some service on my R12RT, and while getting through the paperwork spotted this bike being rolled out of the showroom. My first question to the guy moving it was, "What do I have to do to take that for a ride?" What I love about BMW is that I already knew the answer - a copy of my driver's license and a valid credit card, along with a signature on a release, and I was on my way.

First Impressions

It's smaller than I expected. This is the initial reaction of most riders who have been following the progress of this offering in the media. The pictures lead one to believe that this machine has the same size and stature as the K1200LT. It's a lot closer to the size of the K1300GT, but with bags. When my RT was brought out of the shop, they parked it right next to the GTL; to me they are about the same size.

The instrumentation is cool. The key gauges (speedo and tach) are at the outside of the instrument cluster with a systems display between. The controls for the multitude of settings (suspension, on-board diagnostics, ride computer, radio, and so on) are on the left handlebar with an intuitive design. They didn't, however, work all that well on the demo bike. I couldn't spend a lot of time playing because, well, I needed to pay attention to the road. The few tasks I attempted did not work as expected. A couple of hours in the garage with the manual would overcome these challenges, I expect. Learning how to use all of this on the road, however, would be difficult and very distracting.

The Ride

I'm not going to throw out a bunch of numbers here; if you are reading this, you most likely have access to the Internet and can find out everything you need to know about size and performance from there. So, off we go.

First, the throttle and clutch are very touchy. The throttle is a "fly by wire" design. Therefore, it does not have the cable drag that we are use to. The clutch is also sensitive, but it needs to be that way because it must handle the immense power and torque that are being thrown at it by the engine. It took some time to get use to this. Of course, the worst of it (over-revving, dragging and popping the clutch, and so on) was as I exited the dealership. It took me about a mile to get used to it and another couple to become proficient. Once I got past being a clod, it became simple. I took the GTL into a local neighborhood to get a feel for it before I ventured into morning Norcross traffic. This helped a lot.

When I hit the traffic, I gained a serious appreciation for the torque of this engine. It's been written about, it's been talked about, many technical descriptions have been put forth, but the experience is otherworldly in the motorcycle realm. At 30 miles per hour and 1500 RPM in sixth gear (yes, that's sixth gear at 30 MPH), I could roll on the throttle and be on my way. There was no need to downshift to fifth, fourth, or typically third like most bikes; it just took off. It felt like a 69 GTO.

Then, there's the power. I am a spirited rider and in the 30 minutes I spent on this bike, as much as I tried, I couldn't get everything out of it. Running out to 6000 RPM in the first three gears took me beyond the "here's your ticket" range and into the paddy wagon.

Now let's talk about the handling. Given the terrain, I wasn't offered a lot of curve options so I took advantage of road changes to test the grip. It held the turns well and did not feel top heavy at all. If I got on it in the turn, it didn't squirm or feel unsteady. Note that this demo had the low seat so my center of gravity was below that of my typical ride. Also, the GTL has extended handlebars; the grips are about 11 inches back from the steering linkage and spread by about 18 inches. This takes some of the feel out of the ride. The bar configuration is more typical of the K12LT than the R12RT. This is nice if you are touring, but pushing into the curves will feel somewhat disconnected. I am told that the GT model has tighter bars with a farther forward leaning position.

Back in the neighborhood where I started, I tried some low speed maneuvers. This thing handled brilliantly. A neighborhood street U-turn comes as naturally on the GTL as it did on my Roadmaster Stingray bicycle back in 1968. The balance, weight distribution, and lack of any torque from the engine make parking lot fears a thing of the past.

Oh, by the way, it also has an awesome sound-something akin to a turbocharged flat six in a hard straight. I also mentioned above how smooth the GTL feels. Without getting into a lot of detail, a straight-line six-cylinder engine has a harmonic balance that cannot be reproduced in any other configuration. There is no need for counter-balancing or any other vibration-reducing tricks. The only way this machine could be more flat and even would be if it were electric. This is one fun motorcycle. That being said, there are areas for concern:

The Riding Position

This motorcycle will fit the average rider well. Three different seat heights can be ordered, all at no additional cost. For someone like me (6'3", 270 pounds), the riding position will be tight even with the highest seating position. I will need to make seat modifications and the foot pegs will need to be lowered if I am to do any serious touring.

The other concern I have with the riding position is the ability to change one's leg position. On the Boxers, you can add highway pegs so that you can stretch out as needed during the ride. On the R, RS, and GS platforms, you can just lay your legs on top of the cylinders if you wish. With this design, there's just no place to put your feet forward of the fairing. This leaves few options besides stopping to stand up every 60 miles or so.

The Technology

The GTL has a lot of really cool stuff on board to manage the ride, the machine, and your comfort. This, however, comes at a cost. Not just that this is a $25K plus machine, but also there's a lot of room for failure. If the systems start to go, you'd better have a BMW dealer within reach or your riding days are going to get long. Also, there are very few shops, outside of the BMW dealer service network, that will be able to address any down time failure. It's not a Harley in that aspect.

So, would I buy one?  Oh, yeah, service concerns be damned! To me, given the BMW track record, it's worth the risk. Modifications will need to be made to the riding position and I want to wait until there is a strong collection of after-market accessories to trim it out. The RT isn't going anywhere soon, but will most likely be replaced with this platform a few miles down the road. Unless, of course, they do some really cool stuff to the RT.

Bear in mind that it's not available yet. More than a thousand people across the US have put money down to be the first to own one. The initial expected delivery was March. It's the end of June and they have yet to be released. For the rest of us, it's going to be 18 months (at least) before units will be available on the showroom floor.

I am convinced that this is going to be the strong sport touring platform for the foreseeable future. I don't expect that the Boxer R platform will be replaced or even lose ground. What I do expect is that this will bring riders to BMW that would have looked elsewhere in the past. This is the replacement for single-up Goldwing riders and makes a great crossover between sport and touring for all riding approaches.

For more on the K1600GTL, read our review in the June issue of the BMW Owners News.