Following the Concept 101, BMW today has introduced a production bagger based on the K 1600 Tourer. The new K 1600 B has the familiar in-line six-cylinder engine with 160 hp, but adopts styling and features to fit into the bagger category popular with many cruiser enthusiasts who enjoy comfortable touring. We do not have details regarding availability date or pricing at this time. Here is the press release from BMW:
The new K 1600 B: emotion and fascination with 6 cylinders in the exclusive Bagger style.
The presentation of the “Concept 101” concept study as part of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in spring 2015 was an impressive new chapter for BMW Motorrad in the history of BMW Motorrad Concept Bikes. This BMW Motorrad interpretation of motorcycling on endless highways, the dream of freedom and independence and the embodiment of “Grand American Touring” now becomes reality in form of a series version of the new K 1600 B bagger.
As a high-performance, highly emotional and exclusive motorcycle, the new K 1600 B with the familiar 6-cylinder in-line engine and supreme 118 kW (160 hp) output, like the “Concept 101” study that preceded it, already embodies the motto of the “Spirit of the Open Road”. It is synonymous with elegance, power and luxury on two wheels and transforms every road, every tour and every moment into a particularly intense experience.
The characteristic streamlining with a low rear section and masculine colour scheme make for relaxed dynamic elegance.
In design terms, the new all-black (Blackstorm metallic / black for chassis parts and drivetrain) K 1600 B takes the form of a bagger, an exclusive custom bike type that is particularly popular in the USA. The characteristic properties of the bagger are its drop-shaped silhouette, whose highest point is the front fairing, the stretched drop-like silhouette in a “streamlining” style and the deep-set side cases with integrated US American style rear lights. New fully chrome-plated silencers run parallel to the road and are an organic fit for the visual appeal of the bagger.
Largely based on the technology used in the BMW 6-cylinder tourer K 1600 GT, the new K 1600 B implements its spectacular backward sloping linear design with a completely reconstructed rear section. This not only makes the bagger look particularly low-lying and slender, but also, thanks to the new rear frame, significantly reduces the height of the passenger seat.
Side cases with newly designed compartments and folding rear mudguard for easy dismantling of the wheel.
A re-design of the compartments in the side cases with slimmer covers and deeper body allows for particularly comfortable and effective loading of luggage. The rear mudguard has been designed to fold upward to make it easier to remove the rear wheel.
High visual impact and effective wind and weather protection.
The fairing of the new K 1600 B with its closely tailored dynamic windscreen makes the motorcycle look particularly powerful and impressive. For especially effective wind and weather protection, the side sections of the wind deflectors are stretched further back. Wind deflectors protect the rider’s hands. The two mirrors also match the design concept, ensuring a particularly good view of the following traffic thanks to the large mirror surfaces with an aspherical element.
Electronic suspension Dynamic ESA with automatic damping adaptation as standard.
With the electronically controlled Dynamic ESA chassis and its “Road” and “Cruise” modes, the new K 1600 B combines riding comfort, stability and dynamic performance ensuring an incomparable riding experience. In the standard “Road” setting, damping adaptation is fully automated, offering the very highest level of comfort and ultimate traction on virtually all surfaces. In contrast, the new K 1600 B offers very gentle damping in “Cruise” damping mode, ensuing a very high level of comfort at low speeds.
New reverse assist feature for comfortable manoeuvring and Shift Assistant Pro for shifting up and down without activating the clutch.
The new K 1600 B is particularly easy to manoeuvre thanks to the reverse assist feature. This is activated conveniently at the press of a button on the left-hand handlebar panel. Pressing the starter button initiates movement.
The Shift Assistant Pro available as an option allows the rider to shift up and down without activating the clutch in a large number of cases.
Comfortable foot rests for a “feet forward” position and optional exclusive forged wheels for individualisation.
A wide range of Original BMW Motorrad Accessories and options available ex works means that nothing is left to be desired in terms of the individualisation of the new K 1600 B. This includes the provision of comfortable foot rests for the passenger, while these elements can also be fitted to offer the rider a particularly relaxed “feet forward” position. Redesigned forged wheels with eleven double spokes each further enhance the exclusivity of the new K 1600 B.
An overview of highlights of the new BMW K 1600 B:
- 6-cylinder in-line engine according to EU4 regulations with an output of 118 kW (160 hp) at 7 750 rpm and a maximum torque of 175 Nm at 5 250 rpm.
- Bagger design with eye-catching stretched streamline-style silhouette and low rear section.
- Low rear frame for reduced vehicle height, dropped passenger seat height (- 7 cm) and typical bagger look.
- Fixed side cases with a new compartment design, rear central cover and integrated light units in US-American styling.
- Chrome-plated parallel silencers with ribbed end caps.
- Folding rear mudguard for easy wheel removal.
- Effective wind and weather protection with wind deflectors stretched further back.
- Typical short bagger-style electrically adjustable windscreen.
- Electronic suspension Dynamic ESA with automatic damping adaptation and “Road” and “Cruise” damping modes as standard.
- Reverse assist for even simpler manoeuvrability as an optional equipment item ex works.
- Shift Assistant Pro for shifting up and down without clutch as an ex-works option.
- Intelligent Emergency Call as an ex works option for rapid assistance in the event of an accident or in emergency situations (only in European markets where ConnectedDrive is available).
See more of MD’s great photography:
I love it. I have a 2014 k1600 GT and it is a fantastic bike. I haven’t had a single reliability issue and the maintenance cost don’t seem any different than my Honda or Victory. I plan on buying one.
I think this bike is awesome looking and would probably buy it if not for the price. But then again, I love the Valkyrie, F6B, CTX1300. I loved the Rune. I loved the R1200C.
You do realize that the R1200C is the most ill proportioned bike to ever make it into production?
Does it have optional ape hangers? All kidding aside good luck making money on this. I have yet to see a Honda Gold Wing FB6 or a CTX1300, which I will consider baggers, anywhere but on a dealer showroom. I sort of like the bagger thing whoever makes it because of appearance and their practical aspects.
I have owned a K1600GT for the past three years. Having ridden everything from a 250cc two-stroke to an UltraGlide I can say with a modest degree of credibility that the GT engine is one of the most amazing power plants I have experienced. If this chassis and engine combo handles anything like the GT, it will be one awesome ride. However, I don’t think it will garner much interest from the Harley/Star/Vulcan crowd since the engine is not on display nor would the fairings and electronics lend themselves to much customization. Not a Chrome Christmas tree. Agree that the pipes are too large- disproportionately so. Not a fan of the teardrop profile either. But OMG, 160 HP and 130 pounds/feet of torque is exhilarating in every gear no matter the size or shape of the bike. For those of you familiar with the Navy Blue Angels, it must be something akin to Fat Albert doing the patented rocket assisted takeoff. So much mass just isn’t supposed to accelerate like that. It’s just effortless, fluid, smooth power. Add a Remus exhaust and the sound is more than satisfactory as well.
I like it. I will buy one as soon as they are available.
To my eye it looks good with the exception of those awful exhaust pipes. Almost Rune like in their awfulness. Although they do fall short of the B-King in the ugly pipe record book.
Call me stupid, but where are the rider’s footpegs?
It looks to me like it has mids like the GT, but must also have forward located “foot rests” as mentioned in the description.
All these negative comments !.
When there’s a new release bike that is 500cc or under, they all say they want big motors.
When there is no luggage, they say they want luggage.
When the fuel tank is small, they want a big range.
No windscreen, they want one.
This has a radio too, probably a flat screen smart TV inside the front headlight.
This fugly bike was made for the USA market – the intro said so, so who spoke to BMW here ? – hands up now.
Be careful of what you ask for, you might just get it.
Looks better than an F6B, seems like it could appeal to riders who want something slightly more streamlined than a Gold Wing but not a Harley. Hasn’t Moto Guzzi come out with something slightly comparable style-wise? There must be a market somewhere, either that or they all have terrible market research departments.
They are selling ABS Bandits for $7999!
$6999 here in the Twin Cities!
Wow. Those are great bikes. That is a heck of a deal.
I know. THat’s the price my Suzuki Dealer quotes me for one in Southeast Wisconsin. I’d love it. It’s all I can do to hold off.
I have the 2002 Bandit. And a 1983 GS1100E. I love those things.
Truth be told, what would really be great is a 1250 Bandit that looks like this BMW or Harley Glide. But just simple and not all screwed up with expensive nonsense. But a touring/bagger affair, like a Road or Street Glide or Road King.
Ah, heck. I’m just going to go get it.
I like it a lot. Only the need to spend money responsibly prevents me from buying one.
no center stand?
Many great comments (read them all), and the two below take special honors:
“…When I get to the point where I feel I need a bike like this, I’m going to buy a Miata and spend the $5000 I saved on a cross-country tour.”
and this choice one (w/respect to Muhammad Ali):
“…Float like a buffalo, sting like a Beemer.”
I am a cruiser guy who rides a Yamaha cruiser rather than H-D, so I’m open to new bikes that aren’t H-D, but I think they’ll have a difficult time getting anyone to cross over. For good or ill it’s not an air cooled V-twin and it has shaft drive. And it will be $30K.
Beats the heck out of the R1200C.
re: “I think they’ll have a difficult time getting anyone to cross over.”
not so much. for more than a decade now, when all those doctor and lawyer types have gotten tired of having their kidneys pounded playing biker gang member on the hard tail HD’s they bought, one of the first brands they’ve been making a bee-line for is BMW. the existence of this bike is not a “tail wags dog” scenario, but your normal “dog wags tail” scenario. this “bagger” look had already long been identified with the older generation 4 cylinder K12LT. if you ever saw one of the young pimply faced kids at your local dealer taking one out of the crate to assemble it, you would’ve seen they shipped every single one of those bikes without the top box (I assume they do the same with new 6). but the old model is where this look originated, and the simultaneous arrival of throngs of “papered up” HD defectors is what’s ultimately made the business case for it.
I don’t think any major manufacturer has has had a hard tail cruiser in their line-up for thirty years.
I guess your message is a bit cryptic to me “shipped without a top box”? I don’t understand what that means.
“Better than the 1200C”? That’s not very hard.
Truly amazes me how many nitpickers come on this board to berate what by any reasonable standard is a brilliant and innovative piece of engineering. Yeah the thing would serve my purpose, but when I found out it doesn’t have telescopic bar ends and for/aft adjustable windscreen I said deals off…my proverbial Norm G ass, ahem…Give it a rest. Sure its expensive and even though many of us would want one, it’s just out of reach. Thankfully, those with deep enough pockets and in the market for these machines probably aren’t the ones kicking electronic tires on motoboards.
re: “my proverbial Norm G ass”
hey, quit looking at my butt, i’m workin’ on it…!!! (best Mike Myers Middle-Aged Man voice)
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/middle-aged-man/n9951
uh..1st amendment? Besides if only positive comments were allowed there would only be 5 comments to read instead of 60. I like reading what the nit pickers say regardless of how deep their pockets are. Food for thought, you know?
Ok fair enough, Mickey. Another pint and I’ll return to my sociable self :).
Pints have a way of doing that to people. Bottoms up! Lol
yeah ok….. you show this, but you sure as hell wont show a Harley article 10 days after it debuts
Most people here don’t get too excited about Harley news.
what did we miss? They already talked about the Milwaukee eight here. Is there something else new?
Probably a new paint color…lol
Where does the market share for a bike like this come from?
Are there a significant percentage of bagger buyers that wish their baggers had modern design, performance, refinement and power? Do current buyers of the K1600’s and Goldwings think to themselves, “Gee, I love this bike, but I sure wish it had inferior luggage capacity and passenger accommodations so that I could look more badass?”
If you put ape-hangers and floor boards on an R1, will cruiser riders defect in droves to buy the newfangled contraption? I think not, and what we have here with the K1600B is analogous.
Honda already has the F6B and the Valkyrie.
Where have you been?
Perfectly familiar with those bikes. What is your point exactly?
“Are there a significant percentage of bagger buyers that wish their baggers had modern design, performance, refinement and power?”
We can only hope 🙂 To be perfectly honest, though…Yes
I currently own a 4-going-on-5 year old Victory touring bike. To upgrade to the new model, I’m looking at spending $24-$25K to buy the exact same package, and aside from the stereo, ipod connecter and paint, it’s essentially the same bike that they sold me at the end of 2011. Nothing has changed with the Victory bikes. I think I would happily plunk down that money on this or a GT.
Where the big question mark comes in for me personally is cost of maintenance. I keep seeing comments about European bikes and their upkeep cost, and while I have no personal evidence one way or the other, it does give me pause. The Victory is a tractor. Upkeep cost equates to oil, tires and brakes when needed…other than that, it’s never been touched by a mechanic. It would be a difficult adjustment if this Beemer required frequent trips to the dealership for whatnots.
I had always just assumed that guys who bought Visions and Road Glides and the lot were really looking for a cruiser experience with long distance capabilities. Otherwise they would have already bought a Goldwing or K-bike or something else. But you are saying that You weren’t tempted by such machines until the “bagger” styling was applied to them? And there there are apparently a fair number of people in the bagger community that share your opinion? Interesting.
Though I didn’t say so in my original post, I like the look of the bike. But I am a solo rider who appreciates a fairly light motorcycle, so this is nothing I would ever buy regardless. If I did want something that big, it would be for two-up, long-distance touring in which case I’d want it to be more like the LT than this, even if I think this “B” looks better.
Not so much that I wasn’t tempted by them, just wasn’t what I wanted at the time. I’ve got a few bikes now and looking to downsize, so in looking for the best “all around” bike, I’ve started to look at a lot of bikes that I would’ve passed on before.
I don’t understand why you’d want to replace it and take such a huge hit in depreciation. You’ve only had the bike a short time. Why not enjoy it longer? I doubt manufacturers try to update bikes to keep up with such short ownership, more likely they want to add more customers.
5 years to own the same motorcycle is eons these days. Wantsies worm their way into the brains and motorcyclists are weak for something new and improved. Most guys I know keep a bike 2 years, 3 tops before they are on to the next one. Think about it, guys on here brag about having 40, 50 80 motorcycles since they started riding. They certainly aren’t wearing them out.
Another ugly motorcycle into the market.
Batman’s bike. Would Batman ride a BMW?
no he would ride an NM-4 Honda
Funny
Nah, I think he’d pass on the NM4’s 670cc engine.
… with Robin perched on the back seat.
… hands wrapped around Batman’s waist.
That’s what I’m talking about! But it will be too expensive for me. Why wouldn’t Suzuki make something like that, only not unnecessarily outlandish and expensive. Something more basic.
As for the F6B, as I recall, it didn’t have cruise control and self cancelling indicators, so I passed.
Plus, three cylinders, like the Rocket, is plenty.
Ri-ight, no cruise no self cancelling turn signals, that’s why you didn’t buy it, or was it the seam on the tank?
Capo over on the CB1100 forum nicknamed it the ” Road Fuhrer” lol
Remember the prototype of this they rolled out a couple years ago with all the wood grain paneling like a Buick Roadmaster? This looks 100% better.
As baggers go, this looks pretty decent, and you know it will go like stink. If it were my money, it’d come down to the Moto Guzzi 1400 or this thing.
“The characteristic streamlining with a low rear section and masculine colour scheme make for relaxed dynamic elegance.
In design terms, the new all-black—-
BBM: Black bikes matter.
Wow, I guess I need a black bike to be masculine–EH BMW? I’ve had 5 of your bikes and only my GS was black.
All kidding aside, I like this bike but after having owned my 2012 Triumph Rocket 3 Roadster, the power would be a disappointment:)
Why is that? This BMW, though not as unique as the Triumph, is more powerful.
like it 1000x better than the R12 cruiser they had a few years ago. Appears to be knocking off Honda’s ctx1300 with the styling. No doubt will be outrageously high $$ but otherwise pretty cool imo.
I was in love, for a moment, almost. Then I saw that gawd awful fugly rear end! What’s with the skinny, weird shaped tail lights? It looks like they couldn’t figure out where to end it so just kept going up over the top. They stick very awkwardly up and out. Looks like they were stuck on with double-sided tape as an after thought. Could they put bigger diameter exhausts on it? Do they really need to be the size of sewer pipes to work? The rest of the bike looks good so far. But that rear end needs some plastic surgery for sure!
According to the press release above, Das K1600B FLTRUBEGOLDBERG ULTRA SPECIAL CLASSIC LTD SUPER BOOT “transforms every road, every tour and every moment into a particularly intense experience.” Now that’s truth in advertising, given that it probably weighs in excess of 800 lbs. Should you drop it, the cost of replacing the plastic is likely to exceed the list price of a new FZ-09.
When I get to the point where I feel I need a bike like this, I’m going to buy a Miata and spend the $5000 I saved on a cross-country tour.
The Miata… making every other option look bad since always…
“It’s the best, it’s number one”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp1kuo6xkbE&feature=youtu.be&t=239
I’d ride that. I wouldn’t pay what BMW will be asking for it and I wouldn’t want to pay the maintenance costs, but I’d ride that thing for sure. I’m planning a ride the Blue Ridge Parkway in a couple weeks as part of a road trip to visit a friend, this would be the perfect bike for that ride. But then again, I’m planning on settling into an Goldwing FCB as my forever-bike.
It had to be done. Finally there is a BMW that makes the R1200CL look good.
That is, unfortunately,debatable.
My R12CL takes that as a compliment! She may not have great looks, but after 40 years riding and 15 bikes, I’ve found she has a great personality and I enjoy her company!
BMW arrives late, crashes the Bagger party, and kicks everybody’s a** LOL
I actually like it. It’s like the LazyBoy-in-reclined-position version of the K1600GT.
Oh, and leave it to the Germans to completely sterilize the typical, over the top “store bought custom” hyperbole – “A wide range of Original BMW Motorrad Accessories and options available ex works means that nothing is left to be desired in terms of the individualization”
Ah yes. In terms of the individualization. LOL
as opposed to Harley Davidson where you can also buy every factory accessory and come up with an “individual” custom motorcycle???
I was referring to the terminology they used. Whereas HD, Indian and Victory use endless hyperbole that almost guarantees super powers of coolness and endless sex appeal, BMW just doesn’t. Their ad copy is like the “Big Bang Theory” version of that.
I love this website!
What a great bike. Glad to see the reverse gear too. So many great choices for people who RIDE bikes instead of just nitpicking, complaining, and living in the past.
BMW what are you thinking? This is not worthy of your name.
Black hides a lot of ugly, but all the spray paint in Germany can’t help this thing.
I think it looks pretty good, personally (though as always it’s best to wait and see in person). If the price is similar to the GT, though, I couldn’t see buying this over that unless I really, really wanted my feet forward.
Your post well summarizes sports car purist response to Porsche releasing their first SUV, the Cayenne. (My friend’s daily driver is a well equipped Cayenne V8 first owned by ex-49er’s RB Roger Craig.)
Quickly the Cayenne rocketed to source the majority of Porsche’s profit margin.
Well under 10% of pure cruiser bikes turn me on; the ratio is much higher for baggers.
I like the looks/concept of the Honda Valkyrie. I also like this BMW. A few months ago the lbs had a left over Valkyrie for 13k. I was seriously considering trading in my CB1100.
Has Honda been selling so many F6Bs that BMW decided they want a piece of the action?
You can still buy 2013s from Honda. The F6B was the worst selling bike, right up with their new Valk. I had a 2013 and could not give it away…
I was sorta confused about that too. Same deal with the leftover F6Bs around here (some of which seemed like a screaming deal, if you were in the market for something like a ‘Wing). As usual, there are probably things we don’t know. Or maybe it’s just that the ship of design/production/marketing takes a long time to turn…
Biggest scooter ever!
Great looking bike…cross between a sport tourer and boulevard bagger? You bet!
Their GT looks much better, comes in contrasting colors, and can be fitted with pullback bars if one is really feeling like an EZ Rider.
I honestly can hardly imagine what it must be like to ride a bike that must weigh at least 200 lbs more than my ’00 R1150GS.
I simply would not own an HD based on engine architecture and the general type of owners to which the brand caters. The F6B Honda kinda turns me on, styling wise, but this BMW may look better.
A professional reviewer did an in-depth analysis comparing hp/tq/weight of BMW’s six vs. their largest and most advanced four. The bottom line, balancing all three items, favored the four except for the top most portion of the RPM band.
As someone w/considerable time riding two well-tuned Honda CBX’s, the above statement does not account for the rare sound, riding experience, and almost impossible smoothness or a superb inline six.
And if you pull out the baffles, they sound just like a chain saw running down the road.
Glorious! 😉
That may well be true, but I’d not know.
The CBX’s I rode were owned and lovingly tuned by a skilled professional full time German service technician (Sandy Kosman helped tune one of his other bikes).
One CBX had a stock exhaust, the other had Denco 6-1 header and Honda OEM sport kit. The latter CBX was ’80, OEM black (rare), w/’79 cams (’80 cams were softer for emissions regs). Brass S/A bushings replaced the OEM nylon garbage, S&W shocks, steering damper, etc, etc. Carbs were perfectly jetted and synched.
Persons who rode such bike know exactly what I mean, when I say that blipping the throttle on that ’80 CBX at a red light is as close to a religious experience as you can have on a motorcycle. Imagine the tach needle spike from idle to X, almost devoid of vibration.
I suppose a Lead Wing is at least as smooth, but w/300 lb weight penalty unless you find an old naked vintage (just saw one today in fantastic shape…shocking how well are some old bikes preserved in Utah because of the short riding season).
Have to admit, when my next door neighbor occasionally revved his late model Lead Wing in the driveway, it sounded remarkably sexy, similar to a flat six Porsche on song.
Ridiculous as the F6B version of the Wing. An elephant without its trunk isn’t n elephant.
It’s a pig. Pass on this thing. Maintenance on BMWs is nightmarish cost-wise and the final drive problems are the stuff of Sleepy Hollowish legend surpassed only by the aforementioned driveline problems.
And it’s even fuglier than an F6B or the even more grotesque than an F6B, Valkyrie. Bring My Wallet. BMW has long been out of the money because their overall cost is way too much money.
“BMW has long been out of the money.”
Oh, really? Point of fact, BMW is one of the very few motorcycle manufacturers that continued to grow and prosper during the economic downturn. In case you haven’t been paying attention, they have been absolutely kicking ass and taking names over the past decade.
Not my money and the money of those I personally know. If you buy into their schtick, not a problem. It’s your money.
And people think HD’s marketing is ridiculous. It can be. But then so is BMW’s.
Bring My Wallet: Unreliable at any price.
It looks a lot like a Buffalo.
Chip.
Float like a buffalo, sting like a Beemer.
Should be cool but undoubtedly pricey.
Good night..that has the power of 3 Harley Baggers lol
Chasing the F6B maybe?
“Chasing the F6B maybe?”
Indeed, 6 vs 6.
Could this mean that Honda needs to update the GoldWing? ST1300 owners are already on that list…
We ST1300 owners have given up… Although there was an interesting very ST 1300 looking VFR1200 on display at Intermot.
We’re into the 17th year of this millennia, and Honda’s Gold Wing still does not have an electrically-adjustable windscreen.
Give them some time – it’s only the 16th year of the millennium. There was no year zero, and the last millennium ended Dec 31, 2000, despite claims to the contrary.
All these years as the leading heavy tourer and still no electric windscreen? Maybe not an important feature for something with a huge windscreen?
If Harley had two 266cc cylinders, then yeah. Just saying… But I’d take a F6B or this BMW over a Harley. Mazda had a 6 cylinder 1800cc in their MX-3’s years ago. I like the concept. It’s like 6 hamsters vs 2 guinea pigs. I’d put my money on the hamsters.
Kyle, I don’t quite understand your “two 266cc cylinders” comment. This Latest BMW bagged is truly three times more powerful (i.e. three times more acceleration) than some of the previous H-D baggers, but only around twice as powerful or less than their new ones. The BMW 1600-6 engine is actually smaller than the latest 107cu-in (1750cc) H-D twin even though it’s more powerful.