All Tests – BMW K1600GT Test: Grand-Touring at the bottom of six! – Grand Tourism … sporty!

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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! - Grand Tourism ... sporty!

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.

Grand Tourism … sports !

However, and this constitutes the second tour de force of the BMW engineers, this mechanical temperament with many faces is sublimated by a confusing cycle part of ease, both tolerant and comfortable on a rough road network and surprisingly healthy and playful when a beautiful sequence is emerging !

Thanks to the lower weight, the Duolever front axle is even more precise and responsive than the K1600GTL, which is already surprising in this area. Quickly, moreover, the confidence gained allows eccentricities almost incongruous with a vehicle of this stature..

Entering turns on the brakes, improbable angle grips (however, while composing with a slightly tight ground clearance), trajectory corrections when unbuttoned, exits from curves like "cannonball": the K1600GT accepts everything and handles like if she weighed a good 50 kilos less !

In addition, the stability at very (very!) High speed is irreproachable: due to the absence of a top-case and its better profiled windshield, the K1600GT turns out to be totally devoid of these light (and all in all logical) ) swaying felt from 200 km / h on the bulky K1600GTL.

The rigor in curve could shame a TGV, even though the engine – without giving the impression of forcing! – is able to propel the K1600GT to 260 km / h … At these highly prohibited speeds (especially in France), we appreciate the excellent work of the suspensions which can be adjusted electronically and efficiently via the ESA II option.

Similarly, despite its smaller size, the protective action of the windshield remains commendable: in the high position, only the shoulders are slightly exposed at high speed. Like the K1600GTL, the legs and feet of the pilot are perfectly sheltered from the elements … but not from the rising heat of the "six-legged" !

Finally, given that they use the same excellent devices, the traction of a K1600GT equipped with the optional DCT anti-skid system (the action of which is more or less intrusive depending on the injection map chosen) comes close to peaks when exiting curves, while the braking remains formidably powerful, biting and enduring. And even more than the K1600GTL, since the weight to be stopped is less.

When it comes time to take stock, we have to admit that Hendrick Von Kuenheim and his men had not lied to us: the new BMW K1600GT is indeed a revelation, capable of transporting you from point A to a (distant) point B in a multitude of ways.

Bye bye the K1300GT

Available in the BMW network from March 19 in gray or red, the K1600GT replaces the K1300GT which is now leaving the BMW Motorrad range. The German leaders specify, however, that the K1300S and K1300R remain in the catalog … and it is almost a shame, as the vision of a big K1600R roadster powered by the hallucinatory six-cylinder already makes our mouths water. !

On (and in) torque first, thanks to its exceptional engine, its comfort and its supreme standard equipment: Multi-controler, combined ABS, TFT color screen, on-board computer, heated saddle and grips, windscreen electric breeze, cruise control, coded key, central stand and two suitcases.

But also sportingly, with its formidable efficiency chassis and this surprisingly lively six-cylinder from mid-range. There remains the question of price: at 20,400 euros (without option), the BMW K1600GT is obviously not within the reach of all budgets.

This high price (but nevertheless justifiable and justified in view of the services offered) will surely force some interested parties to move towards its Japanese or European rivals, invoiced between 5,000 and 7,000 € cheaper. Finally, last detail and not the least: the Franco-French bridle (for a few more months, read) on this mechanism so enjoyable in the towers may deprive the K1600GT of part of its appeal….

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