Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

13 photos

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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From right: BMW K 1600 GT, Moto Guzzi Norge 8V, BMW R 1200 RT and Kawasaki Z 1000 SX.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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The six-cylinder engine of the BMW K 1600 GT pushes always and everywhere. The proportions are powerful.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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BMW K 1600 GT: The handling is surprisingly easy, the transmission is unworthy of this class.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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Tourers in the 2011 Alpine Masters: BMW K 1600 GT, Moto Guzzi Norge 8V, BMW R 1200 RT and Kawasaki Z 1000 SX.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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The two-cylinder of the Moto Guzzi Norge 8V delivers a nice sound, but it has the lowest power in this field with 102 hp.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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The dimensions of the Moto Guzzi Norge 8V are clear for this class, but the consumption is far too high.

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Tourers in the 2011 Alpine Masters: BMW K 1600 GT, Moto Guzzi Norge 8V, BMW R 1200 RT and Kawasaki Z 1000 SX.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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The engine of the BMW R 1200 RT runs rough, but otherwise offers perfect sweeping characteristics.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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BMW R 1200 RT: two-cylinder engine, 1170 cm³, 110 hp, 120 Nm, 285 kg.

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Tourers in the 2011 Alpine Masters: BMW K 1600 GT, Moto Guzzi Norge 8V, BMW R 1200 RT and Kawasaki Z 1000 SX.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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The handling of the Kawasaki Z 1000 SX is great overall thanks to its low weight, but the turning behavior is bulky.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
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Kawasaki Z 1000 SX: four-cylinder engine, 1043 cm³, 138 hp, 110 Nm, 231 kg.

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Tourers in the 2011 Alpine Masters: BMW K 1600 GT, Moto Guzzi Norge 8V, BMW R 1200 RT and Kawasaki Z 1000 SX.

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer / Sport Tourer

BMW K 1600 GT, R 1200 RT, Kawasaki Z 1000 SX, Moto Guzzi Norge V8

Done! After 48 turns in a row. With tourers who were apparently not born for the hairpin. How are BMW’s flagship touring battleships doing? Or is less more here?

You can never be quite sure. Is it admiration or pity with which the assembled audience looks after the tourer quartet. Right at the top, at the summit of the Stilfser Joch, most of them conquered here on two wheels. The question is in the room: What about these touring giants in the supposedly narrowest hairpin bends in the world? The author of the previous all-rounder text, our valued colleague and Italy correspondence-
dentin Eva, didn’t want to know. Answered the offer to try it with a very decisive one "Grace, no!"

If only she had tried. Would have had less respect for a full tank of 342 kilograms (K 1600 GT) or 285 kilograms (R 1200 RT). It would have been clear that the much more delicate-looking Guzzi also weighs around 280 kilograms. Or the torque power that the six-wheeled series practically heave from idle and the boxer a little further up on the crankshaft. Then the hairpin bends would have lost their horror for Eva. Certainly! Roll into a corner, check oncoming traffic beforehand, move it, accelerate – this complex exercise makes the mighty K 1600 easier for its driver than all the others in this quartet, because it plays with the driver even in the very nasty, narrow corners No coupling required. Close the gas, open the gas! If need be, at 800 revolutions. The 1600 always pushes forward, you just have to trust yourself. In all honesty: Eva would have experienced her white and blue miracle. Even under such dire conditions as seen in the pictures below. Rain, fog, cold, a wavy, slippery surface – there is not only fear of falling over in the bends, but also when braking and accelerating. It is the high time of the assistance systems.
So the two BMWs have their mighty front panels again, of course. At least as far as the acceleration phase is concerned. And as with the engine, the K 1600 GT doesn’t fool anyone. The control quality of the traction control adopted from the sports sister S 1000 RR is well above the ASR of the RT and is at least one generation ahead. It is well known that the Munich team are also leaders in blocking prevention.

And, as expected, is reflected in the measured values. From 75 to 25 km / h downhill, manned by two people, the fat K 1600 can’t be beat. It’s not just her fellow tourers who are biting their teeth against her, but also the assembled Alpen Masters competitors. The tall Bavarian woman stands after 24.3 meters – a record! And if we are already at the best. Pulling uphill with two people – record (see table on page 39). Acceleration from zero to 140 km / h – five seconds, almost a record. Tank capacity: 23 liters – almost a record. No question about it, the K 1600 GT is a rolling superlative.

And what if here, around the Stelvio Pass, you have nothing to do with superlatives and just want to ride a motorcycle? Not in the control range of ABS and traction control, but if possible in your own. Hand on heart: Even then, the K 1600 or its sister RT are a very good choice, because in addition to their diverse (and expensive) equipment packages, the perfect ergonomics for driver and front passenger (even better with the K than with the R), The well thought-out luggage system and the simple operation are both one thing above all else: very easy to drive. They fall into bends in an exemplary neutral manner, put away the nasty bumps of the yoke without complaint even when fully loaded, are wonderfully handy when measured against their mass, provide full comfort (the GT even a little more than the RT) and can be perfectly operated with ESA adapt to your own needs and the route profile. Under these conditions, one even forgives the lousy K-gearbox or the rough engine running of the R, so that the bottom line is that there are actually only the known reasons of the two
To distance monuments. You don’t like BMWs or you are just not fluent. Wait, there is something else: Without a drive, moved with your own muscle power, both (the K, again, even more clearly) are an imposition. Anyone who has ever parked the big 1600 on sloping terrain knows how important it is to go backwards.

The sporty Kawasaki Z 1000 SX definitely doesn’t need anything like that. The sports tourer – a term that used to be very popular – is experiencing an attractive rebirth in the green SX, promising driving dynamics even while stationary. Exactly the right vehicle for travel purists and sweeping maniacs? No, just the opposite. Here at the yoke she is quite a disappointment.


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Tourers in the 2011 Alpine Masters: BMW K 1600 GT, Moto Guzzi Norge 8V, BMW R 1200 RT and Kawasaki Z 1000 SX.

Your big mishap: the narrower and wavier the track, the more uncomfortable the ex-naked bike feels. Especially on the brakes and when turning, the front section gives you little confidence, is indifferent, especially on changing surfaces and on bumps (i.e. almost in every bend), stands up or falls into the curve. This is all the more surprising as the SX down in the valley, where the radii continue and
the toppings are better, still worked convincingly. A robust, powerful engine, snappy brakes, a sportier seating position that is less decoupled than the K 1600 and RT 1200, and significantly less weight at 231 kilograms – these are all arguments in favor of the BMW sisters, at least with a committed driving style and without Sozia (the space is limited) to show where the hammer hangs. In the thicket of turns of the yoke that will clearly not succeed. On the contrary: Even at tourist speeds, the SX requires more attention than the two big ships.
More than is necessary with a Moto Guzzi Norge 8V to get from Trafoi to Bormio. Even if the V2 finally has four valves per combustion chamber – sporting laurel is not a desirable goal for it. A characterful representation, however, is a must for every Guzzi.

In this respect, the 1200 is no slouch. With a full bass, but without too much emphasis, it roars to itself and thus fits perfectly with the comfortable, handy and neutral chassis of the Norge, which plays wonderfully as long as there is no pressure. Only the smooth load changes are a challenge that has to be mastered in view of the large play in the drive train and the pronounced pitching torque when applying the gas. If you succeed, you drive through the bends of the northeast ramp and the longer arches of the southwest ramp, hardly feeling the weight (as with the BMWs), touring relaxed and relaxed and with great entertainment value. The only downer: The Norge tipped 8.6 liters of Super behind the bandage on the 116-kilometer lap. That is also a record, but a sad one, especially since things are moving slowly here. If the pace gets faster, not only does fuel consumption rise rapidly, but so do the crew’s concerns. The shock absorber begins to pump and – much worse – after a few turns with the brakes on, the brake lever can be pulled through to the handlebars. No, the alpenglow is not the Norge world. Otherwise her name would probably be Stelvio!

And the bottom line? If the new K 1600 GT stands out impressively from its boxer sister, it moves into the final with a big lead and the maximum number of points of all participants. The test crew agreed: it is unbelievable what repertoire this giant BMW ship has mastered. The Stilfser Joch is one of them!

Conclusion: Tourers / Sports Tourers

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer
13 photos

Images: Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer / Sporttourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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Alpen Masters 2011: Tourer sports tourer

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R 1200 RT in the bends? The result: great. Even the sporty Kawa Z 1000 SX, which always plays big when the radii get wider, can’t keep up. The strengths of the Guzzi, however, lie in the leisurely pace. But the BMWs can do that too.

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