2012 Bmw K1600gtl
2012 BMW K1600GTL
The technology and performance to alter luxury touring
MARK HOYER
IT TOOK ABOUT FIVE CORNERS ON BMW’S ALL-NEW K1600GTL luxury-tourer to completely forget about its spacious top trunk and easy-to-use saddlebags. A few turns after that, the 7.0-gallon fuel capacity totally slipped my mind, as did any notion of the bike’s 753-pound dry weight. And while I might have been able to forget about the across-the-frame 1649cc inline-Six because it was so smooth, 1 was reminded of its presence every time 1 cracked open the light, precise throttle and felt the brutal yet effortless charge forward. The GTL possesses many impressive qualities, but perhaps the most definitive is the absolute ease and precision with which this large motorcycle responds. In fact, “ease” would be the defining quality—if it weren’t so freakin’ fast!
CYCLE WORLD TEST
Because, while everything from steering to braking to the clutch pull takes almost no effort, the straight-line speed, the high-speed cornering composure and the amazing braking performance set this bike even more apart.
Especially considering its market position. The K1600GTL is the revolutionary replacement for the departed K1200LT. It maintains or amplifies all the “luxury” elements of the LT while taking on-road performance for a fullrig touring motorcycle to a completely new level.
I’ll go on record right now about the 1649cc inline-Six: It’s one of the greatest production motorcycle engines ever made. It is wickedly smooth and exceptionally linear in its power delivery. The sizzling sound it makes is off the charts, too, with a surprising and pleasing amount of on-throttle intake and exhaust noise. The 72.0 x 67.5mm engine revs to 8500 rpm, which is not astronomically high, but it still manages to sound
like a Formula One car at redline. Or maybe it sounds better, especially if you are lucky enough to be sitting in the saddle. Angry bees amped on caffeine ripping apart a strip of velvet?
A single 52mm throttle body sits atop a plastic intake manifold and feeds a common chamber, which in turn feeds six long intake runners. The abundant torque is smoothly delivered, even in sixth gear when pulling revs down below 1000 rpm. There is no shuddering or ill behavior under these circumstances, just a smooth, rapidly building symphony of sound and movement when you roll on the throttle. Once the engine revs past 6000 rpm, it’s incredible, both in terms of forward progress and the intake and exhaust notes.
If there is any minor complaint, it regards
throttle response at low rpm. Because of the distance of the throttle body from the intake valves, the time it takes for the increased amount of air from the throttle opening to reach the combustion chambers is very slightly delayed; but although this is detectable, it’s hardly an issue. Otherwise, the throttle-by-wire (with Dynamic, Road and Rain modes that vary power and throttle response) is exceptional.
So is the fueling. On the GTL I rode during our South African press-launch First Ride and our California-spec testbike, there was never a hiccup or odd behavior with the engine hot or
cold. When entering corners at speed, rolling back into the throttle to settle the bike delivered the exact amount of power I asked for every time, allowing very smooth, fast riding. Peak output is 132.7 horsepower at 7850 rpm, with an astonishing 112.3 foot-pounds of torque at its 5200-rpm peak. More impressive is the 100 ft.-lb. at 3000 revs and the 85 ft.-lb. at just 1800.
This means the engine is always on. Passenger? Full luggage? Doesn’t even notice. Shut off the optional Dynamic Traction Control (similar to the gyro-
equipped system used on the S1000RR) and the front wheel can be torqued right off the ground in first gear. No matter what, the engine feels like it is surgically dissecting every fuel molecule at lightspeed and getting the most from it.
While engine character for both the K1600GT and K1600GTL is virtually identical (there are minor differ-
enees in the silencers), chassis tune (with the Duolever front and Paralever rear suspension) and riding position are the big differentiators.
The GTL provides a softer, smoother ride, and the pilot sits more upright, with the footpegs lower, more forward and with a broader rubber platform. Additionally, the cast aluminum handlebars sweep farther back. The seat on our testbike is rather low at a measured 29.8 inches, but a 1.2-inch-taller seat is available at time of purchase for no addition-
al cost. At six-foot-two, I would prefer the optional 31.5/32.7-inch saddle (the optional seats are height-adjustable by flipping mounts on the frame), because I was a bit cramped. The rider’s seat is excellent, and passengers praised the accommodations for both legroom and seat/backrest comfort.
One noted difficulty regarded the passenger grab handles: The wide seat makes it impossible to fully grip the handles; they can only be “hooked” with fingers. Also, the backrest side
bolsters tend to interfere with the passenger’s arms when trying to grip the grab handles but do provide good lateral support. The passenger seat was deemed “excellent” after a 275-mile day.
Wind protection from the large fairing and electrically adjustable screen (which is both wider and taller than the one on the GT) are excellent. Sitting as low as I did caused the screen’s top edge in the lowest position to cut my vision a bit. With the screen fully raised, there was some pressure at my back but buffeting was light no matter where I set the height. Shorter riders had no complaints regarding the screen or airflow.
While I wouldn’t the call GTL “slim,” it doesn’t feel wide between the legs or the ankles. In fact, the fuel tank is sufficiently narrow that I could rest my legs at a comfortable angle.
Due to these ergonomic factors, the riding position of the GTL is less “attack” oriented than that of the GT, but don’t let that turn you off if you like to ride aggressively and at high speed. Set the optional ESA II electronically adjustable suspension to Comfort, and the ride is smooth and very plush. Snap it up to Sport, and this big, luxo-tourer
smokes on a backroad. It is a very impressive transformation, and the GTL can be pushed incredibly hard, with significant cornering clearance available. “It steers lighter than a sportbike at normal road speed,” said Road Test Editor Don Canet. “I blitzed some backroads about 80 mph and it was just planted. It feels good, very solid: What you put in is what you get, and it takes very little bar pressure.”
There were corners where I applied significant braking force while leaned well over, howling the rear tire as ABS controlled the slip, and the cornering attitude did not change, despite the clear information the chassis was supplying regarding the fact that the tires were approaching the limits of adhesion. The GTL, for example, feels lighter-steering than the Kawasaki Concours 14.
Setting the ESA II to the Two Helmet position maxes preload and maintains correct chassis attitude for two-up riding. What is significant here is how little a change there is in cornering performance when carrying a passenger. Steering remains dead-neutral and very light-effort.
While the GTL’s load capacity of 438 pounds is not spectacular, it’s slightly better than that of the Honda Gold Wing but less than the Concours 14’s 481 lb.
How about slowing down? “The brakes are pretty phenomenal,” enthused Canet. “The ABS cycles quickly
and smoothly. This bike probably has learned some lessons from the S1000RR in terms of working hard at maximizing braking at the traction threshold. Stopping in 117 feet from 60 mph for a 750-pound motorcycle is amazing. And it was two fingers all the way.” Braking feel and stopping power are definitely improved from what I experienced last year on the R1200RT (“High Country,” January, 2011). And those were great brakes.
Shift quality is good from the sixspeed gearbox, making it easy to be smooth from gear to gear and ensuring comfort for both you and your passenger. Downsides? The stacked shafts in the gearbox put the geared primary drive quite high and close to the rider, and there is audible gear whine and some clunky driveline lash. What’s more, the clutch has a downshiftsmoothing slipper mechanism, as well as a drive-torque-induced mechanical “squeeze” effect that allows use of light springs and, therefore, lighter lever effort. Add up all of this and include the shaft final drive, and there is moderate but noticeable driveline lash.
Heat management, meanwhile, is excellent. The width of the engine in this case is helpful because it works as a blocker, pushing the heated air from the radiator and those six gorgeous stainless header pipes (so unfortunately hidden by the radiator and fairing) under the bike.
"No matter what, the engine feels like it is surgically dissecting every fuel molecule at lightspeed and getting the most from it."
The engine and chassis set these bikes apart from their competition, no question, but so does the available electronics package. The optional Garmin-provided BMW Navigator IV system (supplied on our South African GTL but not on our U.S. testbike) integrates with the stereo and the BMW Communicator Bluetoothequipped Schuberth C3 flip-up helmet that BMW provided for us to utilize all those features on the press launch. The left handlebar has a wheel controller to command stereo, navigation, seat and grip heating, Bluetooth pairing, etc., and it was easy and intuitive to operate.
On the left handlebar is a “Menu” rocker switch, which also has a directaccess hot button that allows bookmarking of your favorite settings menu; I chose the ESA II suspension setup, for example. The right-hand fairing cubbyhole (down low at shin level) contains slotted foam to hold music players, and the system allows for display of playlists, etc., on the TFT display.
I streamed music from my iPhone via Bluetooth directly to the helmet, and the sound quality and volume were quite good, although the ability for the Communicator system to talk to the iPhone software was spotty. A BMW engineer admitted that “Apple software is.. .different,” and that it was best to use the cable connection and run it via the motorcycle. The external in-dash speakers offer ample volume and good clarity, audible even through a closed faceshield and earplugs, but they are far from audiophile quality. Better to stream inhelmet if you’re actually trying to listen to music.
How will the GTL compare to the re-
vised 2012 Honda Gold Wing? We have yet to ride the mildly changed Wing, but the GTL is, nonetheless, a different animal, with much-higher dynamic capabilities and lighter weight. When I remarked about the differences between the softer, larger, 895-pound-dry Gold Wing and the GTL, a BMW executive replied with a pleasant smile, “We wanted to build a shark, not a whale.” The question that will need answering is whether the Gold Wing faithful—the true practitioners of American-style luxury touring—will convert to this very comfortable and luxurious shark.
BMW is a seriously changed company. Starting with the introduction of the 2004 R1200GS, it has placed a new emphasis on lightness and performance. A succession of models since that time has continued to impress, with the S1000RR and now the new six-cylinder touring bikes really slamming the point home, both to consumers and to BMW’s competition. And if the motorcycles aren’t impressive enough, the very competitive pricing structures further the cause. The base K1600GTL lists at a Gold Wingcompetitive $23,200 MSRP. With the Premium package, which adds DTC, the full audio system, central locking for the saddlebags, ESA II and more, the GTL, as tested here, is $25,845.
The K1600GTL (and its GT stablemate, for that matter) truly combines a level of comfort, convenience and performance that motorcycling has never before seen. This is not an inexpensive piece of equipment, but it offers impressive value-for-money. And it will forever change customer expectations in both the luxuryand sport-touring segments. □
EDITORS' NOTES
Burdened with the task of muscling this beast of a Beemer onto the scale for its CW certified weigh-in, and leader of the tag-team effort that wrestled it up a narrow ramp onto the dyno, I can attest that handling a 750-pound bike is not to be taken lightly.
The payoff has been superb rider comfort with its cushy, supportive saddle and ultra-smooth-running engine. Once rolling along at trot or quicker, the big BMW transforms into an amazingly nimble, sure-footed handling machine. I’d go so far as to suggest its steering is not only dead-nuts neutral but is actually lighter in feel than even the featherweight Suzuki GSX-R750 tested elsewhere in this issue. I’m also equally impressed by the exceptional chassis stability I felt at all times while riding and performance testing the GTL.
The ABS brake system’s excellent two-finger power and feel has raised the bar for other big bikes to aspire to match. Okay, I’ll stop now. Well done, BMW. -Don Canet, Road Test Editor
Something is terribly, inexplicably wrong here. BMW either forgot to mention that it has invented power steering for motorcycles or has covertly come up with some sort of anti-gravity device. Either that or our vaunted, high-tech scales are seriously out of calibration. Because there is no effing way a 753-pound lump of saddlebagged, top-trunked, fully faired, feature-laden, six-cylinder touring bike can turn and bank and handle as lightly as this one. During my first half-dozen miles through the twisties on the GTL, the bike kept responding to my steering inputs so effortlessly and instantly that it would start to turn before I actually got to the corner; to anyone watching, it must have looked like I was trying to apex the straightaways. Yet out on the open road, it was as stable and serene as one of BMW’s fourwheeled “driving machines.” Plus, it has enough low-rpm torque to do power wheelies in first gear! Yep, something definitely is wrong here. —Paul Dean, Senior Editor
There are so many changes and so much hidden tech in this bike that it is almost overwhelming. But one of the coolest things BMW debuted on its new flagship touring machine is the Adaptive headlight.
In all these years of riding motorcycles at night, often on remote, winding roads,
I have never been so secure in carrying so swift a pace in the absence of any light except for that coming from my motorcycle. I first used the system in one of BMW’s cars, the twin-turbo V-12 760ÍL, and was amazed at its effectiveness. Application to a bike, where it is arguably more important and certainly more difficult to apply considering the extra dynamic imposed by lean angle, is even better. It really works.
How? The headlight uses the same gyro system utilized to allow Dynamic Traction Control to vary its degree of intervention based on how much the motorcycle is leaned. An electrically controlled mirror reflects the light based on information from the gyro and points it in the direction of your travel. I just hope other manufacturers see the light, too. —Mark Hoyer, Editor-In-Chief
BMW
K16OOGTL
$25,845
