All Tests – BMW K1600GT Test: Grand-Touring at the bottom of six! – Butter and butter money !

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BMW K1600GT test: Grand-Tourisme at the bottom of six !

All Tests - BMW K1600GT Test: Grand-Touring at the bottom of six! - Butter and butter money !

Reducing the BMW K1600GT to a slightly less luxurious and voluminous variation of its statutory sister K1600GTL would be a mistake: the second BMW roadster equipped with an in-line six-cylinder is in fact much more versatile and sporty. ! Test.

Butter and butter money !

Once (well) installed aboard the K1600GT, the differences in ergonomics announced by BMW are indeed noticeable: the saddle, which is six centimeters higher, first of all requires more amplitude at the "leg lift" and its shape flat no longer allows the kidneys to rest so comfortably against the passenger seat.

Accessibility remains nevertheless correct for a motorcycle of this size: the incredible narrowness of the "six-legged" (555 mm) and the wide notches at the bottom of the tank generate a moderate thigh gap which allows a driver of 1.75 m to put both feet on the ground. The little ones can opt for the low seat option (750 or 780 mm), fitted free of charge when leaving the factory..

In order to improve ground clearance, chassis engineers moved the rider pegs up and down, which – added to the shorter, lower, and narrower handlebars – results in a more dynamic stance. Far from being restrictive, it is simply more worn on the front than on the K1600GTL and requires more noticeable folding of the legs.

This different positioning of the footrests has another advantage, invisible to the naked eye but clearly perceptible in use: "the linkage of the gearbox is different from the GTL", explain the German engine manufacturers, assuring that this characteristic makes the gearbox of the K1600GT both smoother and more efficient than the unpleasant one of the GTL (read the" Weak points "of our).

The assertion is verified from the first turns of the wheel: the passage of the first does not cause any more this resounding "klong" perceived on the K1600GTL and the reports are connected with more precision and speed. Certainly, the box – but also the clutch – could still gain smoothness, especially compared to the Japanese references, but this "inconvenience" is quickly forgotten over the kilometers.

Because along the way, a staggering truth tends to eclipse all the small faults of the K1600GT, like the slight jolts caused by an electronically controlled throttle and a cardan transmission not completely transparent: this bike tends to an unprecedented bridge between the comfort of a real road and the dynamic rigor of a sport-GT !

This improbable – because perfectly successful – large gap is first of all made possible by the availability and the breath of the six-cylinder in-line: as on the GTL, the engine agrees to resume idling in sixth at 30 km / h or to come out of a curve at right angles in fourth (!) at 1000 rpm without complaining.

Except that the 29 kg which separate the K1600GTL (348 kg dry with top-case and suitcases) from the K1600GT (319 kg dry without luggage) allow 160.5 hp and 175 Nm of torque to be expressed more freely: where on the GTL the revivals at low revs will be able to leave the amateurs of hairy sensations hungry for their hunger, its lightest sister extends her arms with unimaginable vigor in view of her measurements !

In sixth at 90 km / h, the needle tachometer set to 2500 rpm, a frank rotation of the right wrist awakens the "six-legged" in a hoarse growl. The pilot then takes advantage of the excellent rear view offered by the easy-to-adjust mirrors to watch a doubled vehicle disappear, lulled by an even more pronounced sound thanks to the specific fittings of the K1600GT exhaust..

If the acceleration is maintained, the physiognomy of the block begins to change at 5000 rpm: from this speed, the natural inertia of the mobile crew of the 1649 cc 6-cylinder seems to be halved and the engine reaches 8500 rpm of the breaker at a staggering speed !

As on the K1600GTL but even more impressive, the acceleration in the first gears literally puts the rear axle on the ground and even tries to raise the front (!), While the deep sound makes more than ever think of the angry metallic hiss. three-cylinder Triumph !

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