Meet the new Touring Masterpieces — LIVE WORLD DEBUT!
Greetings all, it's great to be back again and thanks for joining! I can tell you that you're in for a treat because we're going big today. Big size. Big performance and big smiles when you ride them. Yep, it's our flagship K 1600 series models, so anything you want to know, just ask away in the comments. For now though, here to tell us more about them and the six-cylinder riding experience in general are our two special guests in the studio: Timo Resch and Hannes Jaenicke.
Great to see you both, guys! Hi Andy, good to see you. Great to see you. Good to see you both. You sound a long way away but you guys have done really well to fit four new models into a single studio.
BMW bikes don't come much bigger than these, do they? So Timo, maybe you can start by giving us a brief overview of the new bikes and where they fit into the model range? Andy you're absolutely right. Four big motorcycles in our studio and we are really proud to show that because these four bikes represent the touring masterpieces of BMW Motorrad. You can ride them on and on and I think the performance and the luxurious comfort for two people is just unrivalled out there. So I think for these bikes it really is true, there is no replacement for displacement and the 1600 cc engine is, especially with six-cylinder, something truly unique.
So I think it's very clear that with the GT and the exclusive GTL, which i'm standing in between, these are the bikes that give you all the touring capability but on the fast lanes. You can really have all the comfort and the fast accelerated riding experience that you can wish for. On the other side, Hannes is standing next to the other two models. This is obviously a little more relaxed and laid back, the Bagger and the Grand America models which show all the luxuriousness but obviously have a little bit more the cool relaxed riding experience in mind — especially when you look for example at the floorboards which put this riding into the more comfortable side of things. All four bikes come with the newest technology, and I think this is what everyone has been waiting for because with this upgrade these bikes are completely up to date and technology-wise on the very pinnacle.
So we're talking for example about the 10.25-inch TFT display with map navigation and connectivity. We have a completely new audio platform, which we call the 2.0 platform, and obviously there's a smartphone charging possibility built in as well and I think this is also very special.
We have a completely new headlight design which is setting the standards again in this segment when we talk about technology, especially in the six-cylinder model. We can't stop talking about a six-cylinder and revving about the six-cylinder because it's not just the newest technology in terms of emission controls, but our engineering team here in Munich has been able to get the same horsepower, even 1000 rpm sooner and to even increase the torque curve by another five Newton meters and I think there's no one out there that ever complained about the lack of torque or power on these bikes anyway. But next to the pure torque and power on these engines, I think there are a lot of other things that people really think and truly admire about the six-cylinders and these are definitely the huge array of optional equipment.
So we're talking about things like floor illumination, but obviously also keyless ride and shift assist functions. So there's really an absolutely unique way to customize your individual K 1600 like never ever before and I think one also very striking feature is the colour, but we are going to talk about it later. Yeah you're going to be doing a lot of talking today Timo, that's for sure.
But that was a really brilliant summary, so thanks for that. I mean yeah in a nutshell, something for everyone. From dynamic and sporty to chilled out and laid-back luxury. Now Hannes, you're looking cool and laid back as ever next to the bikes that are also cool and laid back that Timo mentioned, and I know that you love riding long distances. I know you spent a lot of time over in the states as well as here, riding in places like the Alps. So, which of these bikes would have your name on it and why? I had the previous model of the Bagger in 2018, which I think last time we met each other in Garmisch and I was madly in love with that bike.
It's not just a great touring bike and great cruiser, it's actually an everyday bike. I mean, I have like a 45 kilometre ride from home to my office in Munich and I always come to the office a big smile. So I'm kind of really excited about the new model.
To me it's just the perfect bike if you love travelling, if you like to take luggage — which I do — and it's the smoothest ride I know. It's all I can say! Yeah I mean that's the thing isn't it? Smoothness! Let's talk about six-cylinders for a minute and actually what it feels like to experience that magical engine because I'm guessing many of our viewers won't have actually had the opportunity. It's a very very special machine and just to experience that abundance of power and that sound, you know? Hannes you've ridden the outgoing model as you say, so try to put into words if you can what six-cylinders feel like on two wheels. Well I'm not a motorcycle poet like you are, maybe, but it's like- imagine somebody constructing a rocket that feels like a luxury couch. It's just the perfect cross between like a really mean big machine and like total comfort.
It's hard to describe. It just doesn't feel as heavy as it looks, so once it rolls it basically does everything by itself and you still feel like a biker, you know? You guys have done a great job is all I can say! So I'm gonna drill a little bit deeper now and bring Timo back into the conversation just on some of those important new model updates. How about we start with the engine characteristics, Timo? Can you say a few more words about power, the torque and the latest generation ECU functions? Of course I can't match the emotional description of Hannes about the bike and just as a side note: we had the chance to ride together just four weeks ago at the Pure&Crafted Festival, so I know that he knows what he's talking about when he talks about motorcycle riding.
But back to the engine of the K 1600. I think it's truly unique and this engine, as the entire bike, is built at our Berlin factory. But the topics and the engineering that went into the engine upgrade are really very very unique. So we're talking about 160 horsepower, which is the same horsepower as the outgoing model, but one thousand rpms earlier.
So we reached this immense amount of torque and power already at 6750 rpms. The torque increased, and there was never a lack of torque before, to 180 Newton meters. And obviously with the newest engine generation like that, you get all the tricks and the cool things that an engine control unit can bring along like knock-control, obviously, also changeable torque characteristics. So by switching through the modes while riding on the bike, the torque characteristic of the engine is changed. Everything has been thought of, yeah. Everything is thought of and nothing is missed, for sure. So, moving on to the cockpit, Timo. I remember that the predecessor model, it had sort of like a mix of an analogue and digital functions on the dashboard, but I've seen that new TFT arrangement now and, it really does: it looks much cleaner somehow and I guess it's also got that improved functionality, too? Yes, it's all about the functionality and an increased performance of the entire system and when you take a look when you sit on the bike, I think you can really enjoy what the engineering team and the design team has been able to achieve here because it's so smoothly integrated and has all the functionality that you can desire for.
So, it's a 10.25-inch display perfectly in the centre of the bike and also has a HD resolution. So, a very good way to look at things but and I think that’s really important, we try to keep the attention of the rider on the road. So, coming from our BMW group experience on the car side, building a motorcycle interface in terms of usage, that doesn't distract from riding but gives you all the opportunity, luxurious comfort features to be controlled from your control on the handlebar. I think this is something that we at BMW Motorrad really know what we are talking about. So next to that this feature obviously we are talking about navigation functions.
You can connect it with the cell phone, media phone functionality all of that is in there and something that is also easy to use. Here on the side of the bike we have four favourite configurations that you can store and pre-store on this functional bookmark. And this is something that helps you to navigate to your most used functions like seat heating or grip heating or stuff like that. That's brilliant yeah. It seems like you guys have thought of everything. So I'm going to throw out there, I'm assuming there's also a place up front to store and charge your phone and make use of all those connectivity functions.
Yeah absolutely. And these days a phone has to be thought about. So, there's a compartment right here, built into the motorcycle, which gives you the possibility to store your phone and your mobile. But what is obviously also needed today is that you have a USB-C charging possibility. So, it's very good put into the bike.
This is also good for riding conditions in hot climates there's even a fan built in. So, in case that there's a hot climate situation and we all know it sometimes these phones have the tendency to overheat, there's a fan built in, which will avoid that. So, at the same time it's waterproof. And I think this is really a cool, tricky function, there's also a safety feature because this box here only opens if you have the key fob for the bike. And you can get up the front and then you can access this, this little compartment here. So, it's helping you to protect your belongings or your cell phone and only people that have the key to the bike can get to it. So, I think we tried to cover all the bases here.
Yeah, you certainly did, Timo. And I’m glad to hear it's fully waterproof. Certainly, for riding in the UK that's reassuring for sure. Okay staying at the front end then and moving on to the lights I believe there are some significant improvements here and also some additional lighting functions available.
So can you tell us and maybe show us even more Timo? So let me switch on the headlights and I think the headlights always have been a big story part when we talked about the K 1600 models. And you can see a very distinct new front headlight design, which I think is underlying the performance but also the uniqueness of the six-cylinders. And there are some testing reports, where the previous outgoing model has achieved the very highest ratings in terms of this headlight array. So obviously our BMW engineering team said this is not good enough for us and they set a new benchmark. So, all the functions in this full LED configuration are even better than before.
So, we have obviously horizontal alignment with the BMW light icons. Which have this new very cool shape and make a very distinct look of the six-cylinder bikes. We have the best ever front headlight system of any BMW Motorrad’s motorcycle.
We have a lot of features like adaptive LED headlights. And what is also really cool and what I like very much if you like to rid curvy mountain roads in the evening or in the dark the previous model had a 24 degree leaning angle. That this heavy swivelling headlight was able to adjust to. The new function goes all the way to 35 degrees, so leaning into a turn 35 degrees you get a fully levelled headlight. Which is awesome for riding and dark hours so it's a definitely increase in terms of riding safety as well.
On top of that we have functions like welcome, goodbye, follow me headlight functions so that also increase the attractiveness on the bike. And help you to find it when it's parked somewhere. And not to forget there's also a floor lightings options, so you can illuminate the floor under the bike if you want to. Wow! You're not going to be able to mistake when okay 1600 series bikes in town that's for sure.
That's fantastic and I’ve been reading some of the comments that have been popping up. And yeah, people have been waiting for these upgrades for a long time. So brilliant. What about audio? I believe there's even a new audio system in this latest version Timo.
There's a new audio system and one of the cool things we also try to clean up a little bit. So, the previous model had an antenna that for some people might not have been as attractive. So, the new antenna is now not visible anymore, but we increased the performance of the audio system by a fully digital sound experience. So, we have new speaker covers that also very
smoothly integrate into the front of the bike with galvanized chrome clips. And we call it the audio system 2.0. It has different settings and pre-qualified amplification stages. So, when you ride on the bike, and you listen to music or when you use it as a sound device for your helmet headphones.
So, I think the capabilities are very, very broad and you can do a lot of different things, if you enjoy riding with music. Not everyone does. But for the people that want to I know Hannes is sometimes a little bit not such a fan on listening to music.
Look I think it's a great feature to have. It's a question of taste, I mean I know guys who smoke cigars while riding a motorcycle. I don't, I just love the sound of an engine. I love the smell, so I always ride without music. But I think it's a fantastic feature for everybody who can't live without music.
Yeah, and you can listen to the sound of the engine for a while, can't you. And then sort of when you get tired of that put some music or a podcast on and then when you hit the twisties listen to the sound of the engine going through the gears again. So, I’m totally with you on that one, Hannes. I'm just from a distance again myself looking at those really cool colours on the bikes I've got to mention the paintwork too. Because I’ve heard the owners are going to be able to take advantage of special paint finishes.
And that this is going to be a world first in motorcycle series production. So, Timo please tell us more. Andy, you're absolutely right. And don't get me wrong I also like the sound of the 600-engine. When we're talking about colour options, there's something that has never been done in the motorcycle business before.
And we brought such a bike here into the studio it's the 719-colour midnight for the baggar and for the Grand America. This colour and the procedure to get this colour scheme on the bike is truly unique. It is something that in the automotive industry is used from time to time in times of customizing but also in the aerospace industry.
So, this opens up a completely new world of design possibilities for BMW Motorrad and for our customers. And we can combine graphics with very high-quality metallic paintwork. So, especially in the sunlight the richness and the depth of this colour is truly unique and what is very, very cool all of this gets done in an absolute manual process.
So, putting this transfer paint onto these bikes is done by hand and that at their end result gets into a very unique combination for every single motorcycle So, every single option of the 719 motorcycle is unique. There's not one alike to the other and I think this is something that is a world first for BMW Motorrad again. Yeah, it looks fantastic through my screen thousands of kilometres away in the UK. I'm sure it looks even better in the metal, and you've just given us loads more options on top, on top of loads of options. So, thanks for that one, Timo.
Alright, over to you Hannes. Because clearly I can see that there's loads of new features across this range of high performance tourers. But I’m interested to hear which one is your favourite colour option, standing there. I picked this one. And I love the design. You stood behind it for a reason.
Yeah, it's a little like dangling a piece of salami in front of a dog's nose, just being in a photo studio with these toys and you can't ride them. but anyway, I just think the design is amazing, I can't wait to ride it. I love the previous model as I told you, I think we talked about this, I did my longest tour from Munich to Naples and further on to the Amalfi Coast. Which is about 1200 kilometres and on the way down I actually took breaks, stopping in Florence and Perugia. On the way back, I did it in one go and that's almost 1300 kilometres and I felt like I’ve been sitting on my couch all day.
I mean, it really is the most comfortable ride I've ever experienced. So for anybody who likes to travel long distance - perfect bike. Yep, fresh as a daisy after a long ride, so yeah for sure you like to rack up the miles Hannes. But I want to know what's the best ever road that you've ever ridden while you've been touring on on a bike? Tough question, it's funny I just talked to the product manager Christian from BMW and he went through the Sahara desert in 1992, I did that trip in 1989.
So that was at least an adventure. I wouldn't say it was the most beautiful ride, but I think my personal favourite was actually flying to White Horse in Canada which is the Yukon province. And then a whole tour of Yukon and Alaska.
Skagway up and down the Yukon river, I think that was the most beautiful ride I’ve ever done. Because there's no people, it's never crowded, there's no traffic, super friendly people, amazing scenery. I did it in September, “Indian summer” as they call it. And that was probably my all-time favourite ride. yeah, and was that on tarmac, that second ride? Yeah, I mean most of the Dempster highway is actually tarmac, it only is gravelled once you get close to the coast. And then, you could do it on the GS, I wouldn't really recommend doing it on this one. It's everything but an off-road bike. It really is everything but an off-road bike.
I got you. Yeah, plenty of options for sure. Right. Well, thanks for all your input so far guys! And now well it's time to open up things for a few questions from our community, so let's see if we can show the first one on our screens, please.
All right, so this one's from Britta. How far can you go on these bikes? Well, what's the range? I'm going to throw that one across to you Hannes, because I know you did 1300 kilometres. But do you know what the range is — how far you can ride without fuelling? My record was just over 400 kilometres, but Italy has a speed limit, so if you ride it like not too aggressively, you can easily do 400 kilometres. I think if you go faster and ride in a more sporty fashion, you're probably going to do 300-350 is my guess. It all depends on the right hand, doesn't it? Absolutely. Yeah, okay.
Can we have the next question on the screen please? Okay, this one's from Pablo. Do they also come with a choice of riding modes? Good question Pablo, I should have asked that one myself, well spotted. Hannes, do you have the answer to that question? Well, for poor people like you, who live in the UK with a lot of rain, there's a rain mode, there's a road mode for the drier parts of the world, and there's like a dynamic, sporty mode. So, if you live in Germany, in the UK, you'll use the rainy mode a lot. If you live in Italy, Spain, southern Europe, you'll be doing road most of the time and if you want to go sporty, you can see it looks like a motorcycle cop’s bike — you can just ride as aggressive as you like. That sounds perfect and if you own one of these bikes, I guess you can ride far enough to get from the rain to the permanent sunshine anyway.
So okay next question. I can't pronounce your name, I apologize for that. But I can read your question out! What is the weight of the bikes? Timo, I guess you'll have to answer this, because I haven't got a clue. Yeah, the weight of these bikes, obviously we're talking about a big 6-cylinder bike, it’s not extremely light but I think for the performance, absolutely acceptable. So we are talking about a weight of 343 kilograms for the GT, which is here standing right next to me. And the Grand America over here is around 367 kilograms.
So it's quite a machine but I think at the same time, as soon as you start rolling — and Hannes has mentioned that before, you can't feel the weight anymore so it's easy to manoeuvre and to get around. Yeah, very low centre of gravity. Good to know. Okay super, have we got another question please. Okay. Reverse standard, question mark.
I think that means: does it have a reversing gear? Can anyone answer that question? I don't know. Trust me, you'll need it sometimes. It does, and it's very useful. Yeah so that's, I think it's probably an option rather than a standard piece of equipment.
But I know in the past on some BMW bikes, if you sort of park a big bike going down into a slope or into a parking lot, it's a really useful feature just to have it be able to take it back easily and safely. So good question, good answer, thanks for that Hannes. Okay can we have the next question please? What can I find under Option 719? I'm thinking even more options and accessories available, so I’m going to throw that one across to you Timo. Yeah and I was mentioning before that there's one very distinct Option 719, which is this great colour scheme that you can see here on the Grand America. But next to that we also have a couple of other 719 features and options. For example you can see on this bike also the diamond stitched seat,
which really looks cool and also has a very comfortable way of sitting on the motorcycle. But we also have very cool and also distinct looking wheel options and you can also see that on this bike. You might have spotted it before, so this is something that is polished — a polished wheel but obviously has some metal sides to it so it really shows that you have a very distinct taste.
And I think it's very cool and a technology distinct look. Yeah, I mean I think the thing with bikes like these is, you've got to go online and check out all the information. By the way, the information should all be up there now, have a look at a bike configurator and then talk to your local dealer and just see what all the options are. Because it's a big decision. But you can literally configure the bike of your dreams! So yeah, all right well, we're just about out of time now so I hope that's whetted your appetite for six-cylinders and if you haven't tried the joy of six before, then maybe now is the time! So, thanks to all of you for watching today, thanks to Timo and Hannes for joining. And as always please just reach out with any questions about these new bikes or any of our bikes in fact.
So, take care stay safe out there and bye from me and bye from Timo and Hannes. Thanks Andy, thank you bye.
2021-10-30 14:29
