All Duels – BMW K1600GTL Vs Honda Goldwing: 6-cylinder in-line or flat? – Germany strikes back

Posted on by admin

BMW K1600GTL Vs Honda Goldwing: 6-cylinder in-line or flat ?

All Duels - BMW K1600GTL Vs Honda Goldwing: 6-cylinder in-line or flat? - Germany strikes back

In the clan of opulent road cars, the Honda GL1800 Goldwing is sovereign, at the same time very comfortable, soft and pleasant … But this year arrives a second 6-cylinder motorcycle: the BMW K1600GTL… Face to face full options !

Germany strikes back

Despite all its qualities, the aging BMW K 1200 LT has never managed to eclipse the benchmark of the "ultra-GT" category: the indestructible Honda 1800 Goldwing (read our). The Bavarian manufacturer therefore had to react and took the time to organize a rather massive response..

Thus, the K1600GTL, the new flagship of the Bavarian brand (read our), trades its traditional 1,200 cc 4-cylinder for a noble in-line 6-cylinder of 1,649 cc. Add to that a damn sharp chassis and awesome tech content and you’ve got some hell of a competition for Her Majesty Goldwing. !

Natural length test

It is therefore with weapons and luggage – and our passenger Delphine, great passenger saddle tester before the Lord! – that Site sets sail for five days in the North of Brittany, just after the Tour de France has passed.

Nothing better than to align the kilometers and to vary the routes to test these machines with a vocation eminently traveler with dignity … even if some will not fail to point out that "Goldwing" rhymes from now on very (too?) Often. with "Taxi for fried executives" !

The taulière and the "little" new

The Goldwing keeps a look of its own which means that it cannot be confused with any other motorcycle on the market. It is designed around the pilot and his passenger, and designed above all for travel. Unlike the BMW, the Honda luggage is completely integrated into its structure. In this sense, the K1600GTL looks more like a "traditional" motorcycle on which we would have grafted two suitcases and a big top-case..

Long (1692mm of wheelbase!) And low, the Gold cannot deny the fact that it was primarily developed for the US market. With its general line sharper – more "European" -, the K1600GTL would almost pass for a (big!) Sport-GT alongside the Honda !

The price of quality … or not !

Unfortunately, the perceived quality is inversely proportional to the prices of our two machines. Yet more affordable, the "K16" does not suffer from any criticism, both in terms of the quality of the materials and that of the assemblies. It is not the same for the "Gold" which nevertheless flirts with the 30 000 €…

For a machine of this price, the quality of certain plastics is disappointing, as are a few details such as the suitcase closing system or the absence of an electric windshield. Beside, the German scores big with its well-designed luggage and its standard equipment including an electronically adjustable windshield with memory function, an on-board computer and an alarm.

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *