RE: PH2: BMW K1600 GT

[AlexKing]

The irony, that BMW are phasing out the straight sixes in their cars in favour of turboed fours, and putting sixes in bikes instead.

[GroundEffect]

"It all boils down to physics. Bikes lean, cars don't. Stick a wide engine on a bike and you start to encounter ground-clearance issues."

Uhm, that's a package issue, not a physics issue.

[AlexKing]

GroundEffect said:

"It all boils down to physics. Bikes lean, cars don't. Stick a wide engine on a bike and you start to encounter ground-clearance issues."

Uhm, that's a package issue, not a physics issue.

No, bikes leaning is due to physics. Not the size of your package, or whatever you meant.

[Yazza54]

Sounds fantastic

[UnluckyTimmeh]

There was a lovely one at the Silverstone sunday service

[ZesPak]

off_again said:

Love the idea though. The spec list is astonishing though. Stereo, ipod integration, sat nav, heated seats, cruise, swivel headlights.... is there anything it doesnt have?

DCT.

Like the VFR .

[kilarney]

Sounds no better than my Triumph triple and certainly not in the league of a cbx1000 on pipes.

[srob]

kilarney said:

Sounds no better than my Triumph triple and certainly not in the league of a cbx1000 on pipes.

Which in turn is not in the same league as the legendary racing Honda 250/297cc six. Turn your volume as loud as it will go, and it'll be about half as loud as it really is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIed0D0DxpI&fea...

[Battlecat]

I think that I came across one of these on the way into and out of London this week (or maybe last week), if it wasn't the exhausts were almost identical. The reason I remember is because there were quite a few puffs of smoke from the exhaust. Didn't seem an entirely healthy engine.

[ZesPak]

BlackPrince said:

First! (sorry :$ )
Brilliant bike. I think BIKE and RiDE rated the Honda VFR better but I'd have this. All the gadgets and tools make it a much better long distance tourer imo. F8cking expensive though. Here in Canada its $30grand when an 1199S is around $25k

That's an odd comparison, the vfr is a direct rival to the k1300s. The more logical comparison would be with a pan/goldwing, wouldn't it? Have you got a link?

[BlackPrince]

ZesPak said:

That's an odd comparison, the vfr is a direct rival to the k1300s. The more logical comparison would be with a pan/goldwing, wouldn't it? Have you got a link?

Sorry - BIKE and RiDE dont post their stuff online. Will take a look at my giant magazine stash later this week if you'd like. I think it was the BMW K1600GT vs. BMW R1200RT vs. Honda VFR and the Yamaha FJR

[6fire]

off_again said:

is there anything it doesnt have?

Reliability - if my recent experience of BMW motorbikes is anything to go by.

Shame, they're lovely bikes ruined by woeful build quality and incompetent dealers. Only buy one if you like meeting recovery truck drivers...

[UnluckyTimmeh]

6fire said:

Reliability - if my recent experience of BMW motorbikes is anything to go by.

Shame, they're lovely bikes ruined by woeful build quality and incompetent dealers. Only buy one if you like meeting recovery truck drivers...

Which BMW have you got? and what problems have you had?

[6fire]

UnluckyTimmeh said:

Which BMW have you got? and what problems have you had?

I now own a Honda. I've had the following in recent years:-

R1150R Rockster
K1200R
R1200GSA

I've had final drive failures several times, electrical faults, brake system faults, clutch problems, suspension problems, throttle bodies that stuck wide open (on the 'K) several times, oil leaks, criminally poor finish, a starter motor that failed - the replacement ate the ring gear... And probably other stuff - I've tried to forget what an unpleasant experience it all was.

All the time the bikes were under warranty, dealer serviced and everything got fixed, but not without a huge amount of hassle and inconvenience. In one 48 month period I averaged a warranty claim every 2 months...

To be fair I also owned an older R1150GS which I maintained myself - the finish was rubbish, but the bike was at least faultlessly reliable.

[UnluckyTimmeh]

6fire said:

I now own a Honda. I've had the following in recent years:-

R1150R Rockster
K1200R
R1200GSA

I've had final drive failures several times, electrical faults, brake system faults, clutch problems, suspension problems, throttle bodies that stuck wide open (on the 'K) several times, oil leaks, criminally poor finish, a starter motor that failed - the replacement ate the ring gear... And probably other stuff - I've tried to forget what an unpleasant experience it all was.

All the time the bikes were under warranty, dealer serviced and everything got fixed, but not without a huge amount of hassle and inconvenience. In one 48 month period I averaged a warranty claim every 2 months...

To be fair I also owned an older R1150GS which I maintained myself - the finish was rubbish, but the bike was at least faultlessly reliable.

Jeez. You've had a fairly good innings. Sorry to hear that.

I can't say I have much experience with them as I've only been with a dealer for a year and don't see many/any older models. But luckily we don't see many issues with the new models.

[GreigR]