I bought it used and test it daily... ran over 6 countries so far and keep upping the clocked miles.... it is not expensive.. check it out.... you will surprise yourself... I surprise everyone with just how good it is for an everyday bike....
Interesting video Boothy. Just my thoughts on the bike as an Owner. First, I would say that you should have tried the standard GT, as I believe you would have felt far more at home on this one. The GTL isn’t just a “tricked up GT”, there are actually significant geometry changes. The GT has more standard, upright/forward bars and a more neutral seat that gives a better feel of control. The L has bad that come back a fair amount more, leading to a more laid back ride, but more of a disconnect to the front wheel. I actually didn’t like the way the L rode when I test rode them many years ago, and absolutely loved the standard GT (hence why I got one). Your comment about wishing you had knee sliders is very correct. I took my GT to Lydden Hill on a track day, and managed to get my knee down there, on a bike like this it gives such a rush. And one of the guys running the even even came up to me and jokingly asked if I went “just to prove a point”. Which is apt as people take one look at these and think, that must be heavy and handle terribly, which couldn’t be further from the truth. And I will still keep saying that I think telelever suspension is the best suited to 99% of road conditions. Many many years ago, while I was at uni at portsmouth, I went up to Alton to test a variety of their bikes. In fact I think I tested every single one bar the S1000rr (you had to be 26 for that one, and only 21 for the rest) the last bike I tried was the K1600GT, just because they had one there and I though “why not”, I has the same perceptions going into it that anyone else would have who was looking at it for the first time. But I came away with it being my favourite of the bunch. The bikes engine can only be described as magical, and I was smitten at once. Power and torque in absolute spades from idle to redline, beautifully smooth down low, but still had that tingling excitement up top. I ended up buying one a few years later at the age of 24. Which probably made me the youngest K1600 owner in the U.K. at the time by a few decades. I took the bike to Spain merely a month later on a solo camping tour. Fully loaded with a 120litre base camp bag strapped to the back seat. It cruised effortlessly down the motorways to Spain, and yet was still sharp and nimble through all the twisting mountain roads. Corner stability offered by the telelever suspension making it confidence inspiring no matter what was thrown at me. I have ridden and owned a variety of bikes, from an 07 fireblade, a Buell 1125r, several sv650’s, a tracer 700, and even a burgman 400 (equally underrated bike and a good laugh). And all I can say to anyone is, put preconceived perceptions aside and go a try one, because it will blow you away with everything it offers, but most of all, it’s amazing engine
I’ve been riding for 50 yrs and my favorite bike was my 1986 Kawasaki Z-1300-6 cylinder. It was an in-line 6 and was the only model that had EFI (instead of 6 carburetors) and had a shaft drive. The turbine smooth engine experience was so enjoyable. Btw, it was around 300kg but the engine made it feel like an average litre bike!
I ended up on a K1600 at a demo day where I set out to ride an S1000R... Holy shit! Talk about a bike that lights a flame to your expectations. Everything about the K1600 bikes is superlative. They have no business hustling like they do, and that I6 engine might be the most absurdly spectacular engine ever to find its way into a motorbike. It's not just a ridiculous concept; it's execution will have you wondering why there aren't more of them. I doubt we'll see another after the K1600 is retired, but I sure am glad this bike existed.
Just did a BMW demo day here in South Florida wherein I set out to ride an S1000R, but it was booked up for the next couple of rides, so I set out on an S1000RR, then immediately onto a K1600GTL. The S1000RR was as I expected; it's spectacular and completely over-equipped for the simple lead-follow of a demo day ride. The K1600 blew me away. When I got back I immediately booked a K1600B and came away gobsmacked. The way it rides absolutely defies its weight, and that engine... Oh that engine. Smooth as a turbine and power everywhere. I figured out that the floorboards are useful just about anywhere because you can simply leave the bike in 5th gear and just lean on the throttle. I'm kind of looking forward to growing old and retired so I can buy one.
Yeah it’s a shame BMW can’t sell in the US. They keep trying to go against Harley but the market isn’t interested in those excellent bike which offer far more for more or less the same price as the bigger Harley Davidson.
The GTL is BMW's version of the Gold Wing, so it's the tallest and heaviest version. I owned a 2012 GT and that model is slightly sportier with a lower standard seat and the footpegs put your feet more centered under your body. It's a brilliant bike, even at low speed given it's bulk, but take it from me... DO NOT drop one. I couldn't pick it back up on my own and that's what led me to let it go. The storage space is some of the best out there, and the bag attachment with central locking is easily the best system on any bike.
Loved mine, just couldn't live with the weight in the end. You need a pillion to help push you out of a bad parking situation. Two up with luggage lane splitting on the m25 in summer done it for me. It may be different if i was a bigger bloke but that's not really something I can change so I changed to the RT. Still miss that 6 cylinder rush and howl though.
@Steve Cade I had a B and went to the new RT last year. I could just not get used to that boxer motor; for me, the RT lacked soul. The quickshifter was also horrendous on the RT. I went back on a new GT a few months ago.... interesting comment about the weight. I weigh 78kg and find the weight of the bike disappears once rolling and, with reverse, makes moving the bike around a breeze.
@@zunaidkajee4540 I understand where you're coming from. I got an R1200R Classic a few years ago and it took me a long time from 'what the he'll have I bought ' until 'I get it '. Never had reverse on my K16GT but it wouldn't of helped me on the m25 that day. Now I don't get caught like that all the time but it made me realise I should look at something else.
@@mattzeitz7072 I believe you are correct, and it was a part of one of the option packages initially, but it's standard now. Interestingly they made the engine protection bar part of the premium package, which is ordered on nearly all the bikes sent here to the States. I installed one on my K1600 and it was a worthwhile investment. If they added it to the packages, that tells me that dropping the bikes is not an uncommon problem.
I own the previous model, and I look forward to upgrading. The "dynamic and agile" part is a bit hidden and underestimated here. It is sort of natural to ride this bike using the torque and low gears, just like in this video. When you step down to 2nd and 3rd gears and keep the revs around 6000 you have the 160 bhp and it is dynamic and agile and totally different bike. You can do 0 to 100 kmh on first gear, and it is gonna be below 4 seconds. On the other hand, the cruising is just as fun as in this video. I have run over 1000 km days, one after another. Great bike, the previous GTL. This is gonna be better.
It's a grand touring bike. Comfy, luxurious, powerful and smooth engine. No point in reviewing it as if it was an aggressive sports bike and whine all the time about its weight or how it doesn't go around a kart track as fast as a supermoto. Appreciate it for what it is. Never rode one but it looks like a brilliant piece of engineering to me.
The K1600 is such a beautiful beast. Thank you for a great and enjoyable review. The incredible roads and Spanish radio brought back a lot of memories of living in southern España in the late-80's and early-90's with my K100RS.
I get that it was just a bikelaunch, but would really have loved to hear what the real differences between the GT and the GTL is. And why would someone buy the GT over GTL, or the Grand America over the GT/GTL? A big let down on the old ones was that the Grand America had a speedlimiter. Is that still in place? I get that you are not the ideal customer to buy one of these, but those questions is something the actual customers interested in these types of bikes would want to get an answer to.
After not riding for 12 years, I finally bought myself another bike. A 2021 BMW S1000XR. I love the bike. It's fast and comfortable, and it's what I'm used to. Coming off sportbikes. But, I really considered the K1600B for a while. I'm 5'7", but I could actually almost flat foot the Bagger. With the XR, I'm on my toes even with it being lowered. At the end of the day, the B is a massive bike, and I wasn't going to do long trips on it. I believe that is what BMW designed the K1600s for. I basically do 200 mile days in the mtns of NC. I will keep the XR until the 3rd gen comes out. If at the time (I'll be 60) I've changed my riding mileage, I'll have to revisit the K1600B. It is truly a nice bike. Good review 👍
Great review and I’m glad BMW continues this platform as there have been rumors that it was going to be phased out. I own a ‘15 GTL, I’m not a sport bike guy and the K16 is definitely not that, but 0-60 in around 3 seconds is not trivial for a bike that size. I think the torque number is more relevant than the top end bhp number in getting this beast moving. The one thing I think he might have been trying to think of is that on the bagger the panniers are integrated because of the tail lights on the bags. They are not easily removable. On the GTL (or GT) you can remove the trunk and panniers in about two minutes if you’re just taking it out for a rip and it looks darn sexy for a touring bike. And yes, the engine sounds amazing.
The fact they didn’t bother adding the adaptive cruise control they’ve put in the 1250RT is a sign that this will most likely be the last 1600 tho. That and that BMW still isn’t able to move unit in the US where this series is mean’t to compete against Harley (which IMO is a shame tho the bagger being so much better than anything Milwaukee is currently offering but that’s the US market)
Can we please get Boothy to test an R1250GSA? Reason I'm asking is because he look at all bikes from the perspective of a rider who wants to go fast at one point or another. And that's just exactly what we want! Perhaps Boothy needs to test all the slowest bikes and point out which one he thinks has most potential!
I have a 2018 Bagger and it’s the best machine by miles that I’ve owned, so fast, so comfortable, great equipment and it looks the bollox….v few of them around so it certainly attracts attention!
Great review always loved the big smooth 6 cylinder Back brake on this bike is massive they also have linked brakes if you push on the back brake the ABS pump will apply a little front
This was an informative and fun video, no doubts about that. Congratulations! Keep that’s spirits high! What a bike! That’s something to ride smoothly and in style, to crush miles on fast A roads. And what does the more, certainly does the minus! So, with the right handling it’s a bike capable of doing almost everything on tarmac and asphalt. That’s the kind of bike that you take out for a simple ride and unexpectedly you find yourself riding an riding, far from what originally you were planning to do or go to. It does everything beautifully, since we respect its limits or character. Mind the weight on slow speed maneuvers, specially on poorly maintained and tight roads, choose well how and where to park. Apart from that, enjoy that real gem of six cilindres engine. This is pure engineering art.
If in the market for such a bike I’ll buy goldwing. They made the beemer slightly less ugly this time though. Still not pretty enough. Excellent review/impression video.
I test rode one of the early ones in about 2012/2013 IIRC. I straddle walked the bike through the dealer parking lot about 50 feet to the edge of the parking lot when the sales guy who put me on the bike asked if I had ever ridden a bike that big before. Up to that point the heaviest bike I had ridden was probably the RC51 SP2. I thought well I just "rode" the bike the last 50 feet so I told him "yeah". As I pulled out of the lot and onto a small side street I quickly realized just how unwieldy the bike was at low speed. But above about 20 mph the bike was quite easy to ride. I didn't care for the windscreen. I tried moving the screen throughout its range of adjustment and no matter what it created a bubble that at highway speed would pull my head forward toward the windscreen. It felt like I had a passenger just pushing my head forward from behind. Very strange. Never felt that on any other bike before or since but the GTL is still the biggest most touring oriented bike I have ridden. By the time my test ride was over about 45 minutes later the slow speed handling was no big deal but it was not something I would want to run around in a city on regularly. A decent enough bike, just not my cup of tea. Wondering how the newer versions with their different windscreens would behave relative to the issue I noted above.
I had a GTL for 3 weeks in 2011. I had the same complaint with the negative pressure behind the windscreen pulling my head forward. Such a bizarre experience.
@@trwilliams22 Well that's good I guess I wasn't just imagining it. You traded/sold it or was it just a rental for a specific tour or something. I have since ridden some Multis, Connie 1400s, R1200GS, KTM1290 Super Adventures etc but not another pure touring bike. I always imagine some day owning a Wing but by then gas will be like $17/gallon and I'll probably just ride a bicycle everywhere. 😁
@@saisr1 I had the GTL as a loaner from the dealer. At the time, I had an R1200RT that was in for warranty work. I put 2300 miles on the GTL while I had it. It was a good bike, but not a great bike. It got rushed to production, so fit of parts were sloppy and a couple features didn’t work appropriately. 🤷
I’m on my third…..Epic. Did 3500 miles in 7 days on it. Swap out the exhausts for Remus for 1980s F1 car sounds. Take off the box and panniers and I’ve had no problems mixing it with all kinds of bikes on trips and tours in the twisties. Has to be said if BMW built a motorbike for a 40th birthday present for a biker this is it. Get one
Have ridden the GTL, hated it, felt like a boat. Have ridden the Bagger, was very very surprised by it. For what it is, it's well able to go, turn & stop. You can feel it's the electronics suite doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but when you have the chance to make that straight 6 sing, it's very aurally pleasing. With the twin Akras fitted, it sounds like the goddamn Millennium Falcon 👍
👍😃I’ve got one. Bought it brand new. K1600 GTL All options, planet blue metallic brown leather seat. Just magnificent. Fast, smooth, comfortable and ergonomic. 🏍👍😁
A great, honest and brilliant review. Your singing voice is also nice to hear. You really couldn’t do much better for a mile muncher, maybe a Honda’s equivalent would be an ideal comparison. 👍😎🇦🇺
@@gohjohan Very cool! Sadly, I just sold my F6B (didn't realize it was worth so much!) and got back onto a Harley Road King. Totally different bikes but the Harley are so much fun. Rattle your teeth out at idle, forgot about that! Unlike the silky smooth Honda 😂
V12 is technically better, but there's a 0.0% chance of a decent bike having one! I'd love to see an I6 motor put in-line in a bike, although it'd probably try and flop over with the torque
@@KrikkitWarlord A longitudinal i6 would make for an awfully long bike, although it could still be feasible for a touring bike, maybe even a feet forward design. As for transversals, there were the CBX and the Z1300 in the 70s. They were expensive to build and the fuel consumption wasn't the best. The i6 has perfect primary and secondary balance, with overlapping power strokes, which is why it can't easily be beaten for smoothness.
@@Ijusthopeitsquick an offset, VR6-style with a funky gearbox (stacked under the engine, with a bevel gear, for example) would be interesting, still quite big of course but otherwise good. 60° V12 is smoother than the near-perfect I6 as you have 3 pistons' power strokes overlapping rather than 2, so smoother again.
@@KrikkitWarlord Interesting. Didn't Allen Millyard make such a V12 out of two Z1300 engines? Can't remember what the bank angle was, though, and I highly doubt we'll ever see that design in a production bike :)
I had a K13 too, great bike…..I was hoping they might make a 6 cyl K1600S sports tourer equivalent …..oh well. I’ve ridden a K1600 and the engine is great but it’s just too much bike for me.
@@sufeeb plus the k13 got shed loads more power and less weight theyre both big behemoths ut as far as sport tourers I agree with ya there mate the k13 is awesome
Not true exactly. The front brakes give you some rear brake but the rear brake is independent. When you hit the rear brake it doesn’t give you any front brake.
While weight (330 kg) is mentioned lots, as well as engine size (being 1.6 litre) it’s never a subject on a Harley Davidson! I don’t understand when a HD weight starts around 300kg and engines start up near 2 litres?
nice one, abt your comment "its abt enjoying the ride".. when I want to do that i just twist the throttle less, saves abt 25k i recon .. lol - Enjoyed the review thank you, awesome as always
I hear people complaining about warranty issues reliability issues comparing it to the Goldwing if that's your concern then get the extended warranty before the factory warranty runs out then you have your peace of mind.
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boothy blasting tunes on a test is honestly exactly how i expect to see him road testing new bikes lmao. love it
after 45 seconds of rock music I'm turning off. We don't all have hairy arses and want to listen to shite.
A bike I'm never ever going to buy but a review I'll definitely watch because it's a 44 review. Brilliant 😂
Agreed, would never buy it, nor afford it really. But so good to here the 44t aspect. What a machine!
I can only say they are wonderful… had a gt and a Bagger. Engine feel is one for the memories/
I’d buy it! It’s along range touring beauty. Life’s too short. Just by the bike!
I bought it used and test it daily... ran over 6 countries so far and keep upping the clocked miles.... it is not expensive.. check it out.... you will surprise yourself... I surprise everyone with just how good it is for an everyday bike....
What do u have now?
Boothy riding along with music going is for some reason utterly hilarious 😂
So funny 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I would feel so judged by the poor folk hearing my music choice! Maybe for a laugh , the "Birdy Song" on repeat or "Agadoo" .
Interesting video Boothy. Just my thoughts on the bike as an Owner.
First, I would say that you should have tried the standard GT, as I believe you would have felt far more at home on this one. The GTL isn’t just a “tricked up GT”, there are actually significant geometry changes. The GT has more standard, upright/forward bars and a more neutral seat that gives a better feel of control. The L has bad that come back a fair amount more, leading to a more laid back ride, but more of a disconnect to the front wheel. I actually didn’t like the way the L rode when I test rode them many years ago, and absolutely loved the standard GT (hence why I got one).
Your comment about wishing you had knee sliders is very correct. I took my GT to Lydden Hill on a track day, and managed to get my knee down there, on a bike like this it gives such a rush. And one of the guys running the even even came up to me and jokingly asked if I went “just to prove a point”. Which is apt as people take one look at these and think, that must be heavy and handle terribly, which couldn’t be further from the truth. And I will still keep saying that I think telelever suspension is the best suited to 99% of road conditions.
Many many years ago, while I was at uni at portsmouth, I went up to Alton to test a variety of their bikes. In fact I think I tested every single one bar the S1000rr (you had to be 26 for that one, and only 21 for the rest) the last bike I tried was the K1600GT, just because they had one there and I though “why not”, I has the same perceptions going into it that anyone else would have who was looking at it for the first time. But I came away with it being my favourite of the bunch. The bikes engine can only be described as magical, and I was smitten at once. Power and torque in absolute spades from idle to redline, beautifully smooth down low, but still had that tingling excitement up top. I ended up buying one a few years later at the age of 24. Which probably made me the youngest K1600 owner in the U.K. at the time by a few decades. I took the bike to Spain merely a month later on a solo camping tour. Fully loaded with a 120litre base camp bag strapped to the back seat. It cruised effortlessly down the motorways to Spain, and yet was still sharp and nimble through all the twisting mountain roads. Corner stability offered by the telelever suspension making it confidence inspiring no matter what was thrown at me.
I have ridden and owned a variety of bikes, from an 07 fireblade, a Buell 1125r, several sv650’s, a tracer 700, and even a burgman 400 (equally underrated bike and a good laugh). And all I can say to anyone is, put preconceived perceptions aside and go a try one, because it will blow you away with everything it offers, but most of all, it’s amazing engine
Yep, they are not super sports but they are not slow if you ride them right, just like cruisers... each has its own style.
Entirely agree...
I’ve been riding for 50 yrs and my favorite bike was my 1986 Kawasaki Z-1300-6 cylinder. It was an in-line 6 and was the only model that had EFI (instead of 6 carburetors) and had a shaft drive. The turbine smooth engine experience was so enjoyable. Btw, it was around 300kg but the engine made it feel like an average litre bike!
K bikes do not have telelver suspension. It is duolever. R bikes use telelever. Both use paralever system on back.
I ended up on a K1600 at a demo day where I set out to ride an S1000R... Holy shit! Talk about a bike that lights a flame to your expectations. Everything about the K1600 bikes is superlative. They have no business hustling like they do, and that I6 engine might be the most absurdly spectacular engine ever to find its way into a motorbike. It's not just a ridiculous concept; it's execution will have you wondering why there aren't more of them. I doubt we'll see another after the K1600 is retired, but I sure am glad this bike existed.
Just did a BMW demo day here in South Florida wherein I set out to ride an S1000R, but it was booked up for the next couple of rides, so I set out on an S1000RR, then immediately onto a K1600GTL. The S1000RR was as I expected; it's spectacular and completely over-equipped for the simple lead-follow of a demo day ride. The K1600 blew me away. When I got back I immediately booked a K1600B and came away gobsmacked. The way it rides absolutely defies its weight, and that engine... Oh that engine. Smooth as a turbine and power everywhere. I figured out that the floorboards are useful just about anywhere because you can simply leave the bike in 5th gear and just lean on the throttle. I'm kind of looking forward to growing old and retired so I can buy one.
Boothy is the rambling king. Perfect man for the job. 👍 honest review with enough giggles to make it entertaining.. thanks fella.
You have to squeeze the brake all the way in for the hill start feature to be triggered.
Yes exactly, I’m sure it has it. Solid squeeze on the brake lever will do it.
I'm a Harley guy ,when he kept talking about 340kg! I'm think wow thats really light!
Yeah it’s a shame BMW can’t sell in the US. They keep trying to go against Harley but the market isn’t interested in those excellent bike which offer far more for more or less the same price as the bigger Harley Davidson.
6:34 imagine wearing a backpack like that guy when you have enough luggage storage to live off the bike for a year
The GTL is BMW's version of the Gold Wing, so it's the tallest and heaviest version. I owned a 2012 GT and that model is slightly sportier with a lower standard seat and the footpegs put your feet more centered under your body. It's a brilliant bike, even at low speed given it's bulk, but take it from me... DO NOT drop one. I couldn't pick it back up on my own and that's what led me to let it go.
The storage space is some of the best out there, and the bag attachment with central locking is easily the best system on any bike.
Loved mine, just couldn't live with the weight in the end. You need a pillion to help push you out of a bad parking situation. Two up with luggage lane splitting on the m25 in summer done it for me. It may be different if i was a bigger bloke but that's not really something I can change so I changed to the RT. Still miss that 6 cylinder rush and howl though.
@Steve Cade I had a B and went to the new RT last year. I could just not get used to that boxer motor; for me, the RT lacked soul. The quickshifter was also horrendous on the RT. I went back on a new GT a few months ago....
interesting comment about the weight. I weigh 78kg and find the weight of the bike disappears once rolling and, with reverse, makes moving the bike around a breeze.
@@zunaidkajee4540 I understand where you're coming from. I got an R1200R Classic a few years ago and it took me a long time from 'what the he'll have I bought ' until 'I get it '. Never had reverse on my K16GT but it wouldn't of helped me on the m25 that day. Now I don't get caught like that all the time but it made me realise I should look at something else.
Mine doesn’t but pretty sure ‘18 and up they have reverse. Not sure if it’s standard or an option.
@@mattzeitz7072 I believe you are correct, and it was a part of one of the option packages initially, but it's standard now. Interestingly they made the engine protection bar part of the premium package, which is ordered on nearly all the bikes sent here to the States. I installed one on my K1600 and it was a worthwhile investment. If they added it to the packages, that tells me that dropping the bikes is not an uncommon problem.
I own the previous model, and I look forward to upgrading.
The "dynamic and agile" part is a bit hidden and underestimated here. It is sort of natural to ride this bike using the torque and low gears, just like in this video. When you step down to 2nd and 3rd gears and keep the revs around 6000 you have the 160 bhp and it is dynamic and agile and totally different bike. You can do 0 to 100 kmh on first gear, and it is gonna be below 4 seconds.
On the other hand, the cruising is just as fun as in this video. I have run over 1000 km days, one after another. Great bike, the previous GTL. This is gonna be better.
It's a grand touring bike. Comfy, luxurious, powerful and smooth engine. No point in reviewing it as if it was an aggressive sports bike and whine all the time about its weight or how it doesn't go around a kart track as fast as a supermoto. Appreciate it for what it is. Never rode one but it looks like a brilliant piece of engineering to me.
Missed opportunity to show the phone storage and other features. How many times do you have to mention the price and the weight ? Ciuccio
Loving the metal music recently lads 🤘🤘🤘
The K1600 is such a beautiful beast. Thank you for a great and enjoyable review. The incredible roads and Spanish radio brought back a lot of memories of living in southern España in the late-80's and early-90's with my K100RS.
'It's only a hire car, that's what there for' EXCELLENT!
I get that it was just a bikelaunch, but would really have loved to hear what the real differences between the GT and the GTL is. And why would someone buy the GT over GTL, or the Grand America over the GT/GTL? A big let down on the old ones was that the Grand America had a speedlimiter. Is that still in place? I get that you are not the ideal customer to buy one of these, but those questions is something the actual customers interested in these types of bikes would want to get an answer to.
Without doubt one of my favourite reviews, Boothy, you are a legend! Brilliant!
Agreed, Had one felt too top heavy.. traded it in and got a Multi Strada ! Lol...
After not riding for 12 years, I finally bought myself another bike. A 2021 BMW S1000XR. I love the bike. It's fast and comfortable, and it's what I'm used to. Coming off sportbikes. But, I really considered the K1600B for a while. I'm 5'7", but I could actually almost flat foot the Bagger. With the XR, I'm on my toes even with it being lowered. At the end of the day, the B is a massive bike, and I wasn't going to do long trips on it. I believe that is what BMW designed the K1600s for. I basically do 200 mile days in the mtns of NC. I will keep the XR until the 3rd gen comes out. If at the time (I'll be 60) I've changed my riding mileage, I'll have to revisit the K1600B. It is truly a nice bike. Good review 👍
Great review and I’m glad BMW continues this platform as there have been rumors that it was going to be phased out. I own a ‘15 GTL, I’m not a sport bike guy and the K16 is definitely not that, but 0-60 in around 3 seconds is not trivial for a bike that size. I think the torque number is more relevant than the top end bhp number in getting this beast moving. The one thing I think he might have been trying to think of is that on the bagger the panniers are integrated because of the tail lights on the bags. They are not easily removable. On the GTL (or GT) you can remove the trunk and panniers in about two minutes if you’re just taking it out for a rip and it looks darn sexy for a touring bike. And yes, the engine sounds amazing.
The fact they didn’t bother adding the adaptive cruise control they’ve put in the 1250RT is a sign that this will most likely be the last 1600 tho. That and that BMW still isn’t able to move unit in the US where this series is mean’t to compete against Harley (which IMO is a shame tho the bagger being so much better than anything Milwaukee is currently offering but that’s the US market)
@@OneDown5Up Yeah the K1600 is an amazing platform. Gratz on your bike.
As an european I would love to ride across the US on a K1600B
Never really looked twice at the K1600 range, but now I really want to ride one!
I’ve had 2 since 2006 and I absolutely love it.
Boothy you are a natural entertainer.Thanks.
There's a spot in my dream garage for a K1600GT. Great review Boothy.
Can we please get Boothy to test an R1250GSA? Reason I'm asking is because he look at all bikes from the perspective of a rider who wants to go fast at one point or another. And that's just exactly what we want! Perhaps Boothy needs to test all the slowest bikes and point out which one he thinks has most potential!
Buy one. Mines a month old and it’s the best bike in the world. Nothing is as versatile.
I have a 2018 Bagger and it’s the best machine by miles that I’ve owned, so fast, so comfortable, great equipment and it looks the bollox….v few of them around so it certainly attracts attention!
Great review always loved the big smooth 6 cylinder
Back brake on this bike is massive they also have linked brakes if you push on the back brake the ABS pump will apply a little front
It's O.k . But I'd rather have a 2 -stroke piaggio 3 wheeler .😎👍🏼Much more fun !!!
This was an informative and fun video, no doubts about that. Congratulations!
Keep that’s spirits high!
What a bike! That’s something to ride smoothly and in style, to crush miles on fast A roads. And what does the more, certainly does the minus!
So, with the right handling it’s a bike capable of doing almost everything on tarmac and asphalt.
That’s the kind of bike that you take out for a simple ride and unexpectedly you find yourself riding an riding, far from what originally you were planning to do or go to. It does everything beautifully, since we respect its limits or character. Mind the weight on slow speed maneuvers, specially on poorly maintained and tight roads, choose well how and where to park. Apart from that, enjoy that real gem of six cilindres engine. This is pure engineering art.
If in the market for such a bike I’ll buy goldwing. They made the beemer slightly less ugly this time though. Still not pretty enough. Excellent review/impression video.
Except the BMW is vastly more economical and better equipped.
🤣 the stereo demo was perfect. 👌 choice
I have a 2019 K1600B and love it although I’m a Harley Davidson rider all my life
I test rode one of the early ones in about 2012/2013 IIRC. I straddle walked the bike through the dealer parking lot about 50 feet to the edge of the parking lot when the sales guy who put me on the bike asked if I had ever ridden a bike that big before. Up to that point the heaviest bike I had ridden was probably the RC51 SP2.
I thought well I just "rode" the bike the last 50 feet so I told him "yeah". As I pulled out of the lot and onto a small side street I quickly realized just how unwieldy the bike was at low speed. But above about 20 mph the bike was quite easy to ride. I didn't care for the windscreen. I tried moving the screen throughout its range of adjustment and no matter what it created a bubble that at highway speed would pull my head forward toward the windscreen. It felt like I had a passenger just pushing my head forward from behind. Very strange. Never felt that on any other bike before or since but the GTL is still the biggest most touring oriented bike I have ridden.
By the time my test ride was over about 45 minutes later the slow speed handling was no big deal but it was not something I would want to run around in a city on regularly. A decent enough bike, just not my cup of tea. Wondering how the newer versions with their different windscreens would behave relative to the issue I noted above.
I had a GTL for 3 weeks in 2011. I had the same complaint with the negative pressure behind the windscreen pulling my head forward. Such a bizarre experience.
@@trwilliams22 Well that's good I guess I wasn't just imagining it. You traded/sold it or was it just a rental for a specific tour or something. I have since ridden some Multis, Connie 1400s, R1200GS, KTM1290 Super Adventures etc but not another pure touring bike. I always imagine some day owning a Wing but by then gas will be like $17/gallon and I'll probably just ride a bicycle everywhere. 😁
@@saisr1 I had the GTL as a loaner from the dealer. At the time, I had an R1200RT that was in for warranty work. I put 2300 miles on the GTL while I had it. It was a good bike, but not a great bike. It got rushed to production, so fit of parts were sloppy and a couple features didn’t work appropriately. 🤷
Boothy should sing more on his reviews...excellent as always lads!
That looks like you went from Saville and on La Ronda...that's a hell of a road, and if so I've done it on a K1600. Awesome.
I’m on my third…..Epic. Did 3500 miles in 7 days on it. Swap out the exhausts for Remus for 1980s F1 car sounds. Take off the box and panniers and I’ve had no problems mixing it with all kinds of bikes on trips and tours in the twisties. Has to be said if BMW built a motorbike for a 40th birthday present for a biker this is it. Get one
60th birthday maybe.
@@alrightdave6135 Not even for my 120th!
@@alrightdave6135 lol
Great work, Boothy. That engine is so buttery smooth.
Did I miss the walk around of this beauty? I must have.
Could watch/listen to Boothy all day 👍
Have ridden the GTL, hated it, felt like a boat.
Have ridden the Bagger, was very very surprised by it. For what it is, it's well able to go, turn & stop. You can feel it's the electronics suite doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but when you have the chance to make that straight 6 sing, it's very aurally pleasing.
With the twin Akras fitted, it sounds like the goddamn Millennium Falcon 👍
👍😃I’ve got one.
Bought it brand new. K1600 GTL
All options, planet blue metallic brown leather seat. Just magnificent. Fast, smooth, comfortable and ergonomic.
🏍👍😁
Boothy is actually really, really good at this kind of stuff. Heal up fast!
Thanks mate xx
Probably one of the last bikes I would buy but leave it to 44teeth to make it fun to watch.
Saw this in Birmingham NEC last year. Thought it was an armchair. Its more like a Chesterfield 4 seater. Pops along though.
Used to live and ride my super moto’s in this area. Great video and thanks for the flash backs. Good luck bud.
A great, honest and brilliant review. Your singing voice is also nice to hear. You really couldn’t do much better for a mile muncher, maybe a Honda’s equivalent would be an ideal comparison. 👍😎🇦🇺
Gotta love Boothy. Damn legend ⭐️
Boothy is properly good now. Love him 👌
This is the bike I’d have if money were no option. I love everything about it.
Finally, someone has raised the issue of the shoddy standard of repair work of all the king's horses and all the king's men.
But no mention if the Grand old Duke of Yorks inability to sweat
I have absolutely zero interest in this road barge but Boothy.. 😍
Anything with Boothy is going to be entertaining, he's comedy gold !, Brilliant !
Very entertaining review! God job Boothy!
2:01 -- The Hill Hold light comes on quite clearly............
in before the bamboleo copyright claim
I'd love it if they released a stripped back K1600S version.
I won't, but if I was ever wanting and able to buy a new big touring bike, I probably would go for the K1600, great looking bikes for what they are.
I'd never have one but by God that noise is amazing 😱
Nice work Boothy. Respect to BMW for making 6 in a row 👌
In 2018, I was torn between a new K1600b and a leftover, new, 2016 F6B Honda. I went Honda but always wondered, "what if"... 😂😂
Me too but after trying the Goldwing, it wasn't too bad. I ended up buying it. Mine's the 2017 model.
@@gohjohan Very cool! Sadly, I just sold my F6B (didn't realize it was worth so much!) and got back onto a Harley Road King. Totally different bikes but the Harley are so much fun. Rattle your teeth out at idle, forgot about that! Unlike the silky smooth Honda 😂
Very enjoyable Boothy! Thanks for showing it off.🍻✌️
impressed with Boothy's Spanish singing, How easily is he distracted "oh, that bread looks nice"
How would you compare against the pikes peak ? Hard I know given they are so different bikes
That open riding shot made me spit my beer all over my desk.
I have a 18 GT, I will pick up the new model as soon as they offer the GT in Mars Metallic Red.
Boothy’s stream-of-consciousness reviews are entertaining and hilarious. Good job, Mike!
Didn’t expect to hear you singing a Carpenters song while riding a k1600! Great review!
Wait, doesnt modern bikes, some anyway break on front and rear if when you use the front break, or as an option at least?
Nice work boothy 💪
I have a 2016 model, they are fantastic bikes, the fact that good Honda copied the suspension on the latest "Goldwong" is testament.
I have the 2016 as well... just before they did reverse... grrrrr. So, I have a deposit on a 2022 Grand America ;)
Where's the music at the beginning of the video coming from guys?
The main takeaway from this is Boothy can sing and speak Spanish
Who knew
The straight six is the best engine design in the universe; I just wish they'd find a way to design a normal sized bike around it.
It won't happen. Trend is downsizing, in auto and motorcycle industry. You can see more and more 3 and 2 cylinder vehicles, sadly....
V12 is technically better, but there's a 0.0% chance of a decent bike having one! I'd love to see an I6 motor put in-line in a bike, although it'd probably try and flop over with the torque
@@KrikkitWarlord A longitudinal i6 would make for an awfully long bike, although it could still be feasible for a touring bike, maybe even a feet forward design. As for transversals, there were the CBX and the Z1300 in the 70s. They were expensive to build and the fuel consumption wasn't the best. The i6 has perfect primary and secondary balance, with overlapping power strokes, which is why it can't easily be beaten for smoothness.
@@Ijusthopeitsquick an offset, VR6-style with a funky gearbox (stacked under the engine, with a bevel gear, for example) would be interesting, still quite big of course but otherwise good. 60° V12 is smoother than the near-perfect I6 as you have 3 pistons' power strokes overlapping rather than 2, so smoother again.
@@KrikkitWarlord Interesting. Didn't Allen Millyard make such a V12 out of two Z1300 engines? Can't remember what the bank angle was, though, and I highly doubt we'll ever see that design in a production bike :)
I’m a huge fan of K1300S. Great sport-tourer and you can pick them up cheap.
This is the 1600 and is a totally different bike.
@@alrightdave6135 think he knows that he was just saying what he liked
I had a K13 too, great bike…..I was hoping they might make a 6 cyl K1600S sports tourer equivalent …..oh well. I’ve ridden a K1600 and the engine is great but it’s just too much bike for me.
@@tundaslug07 why?
@@sufeeb plus the k13 got shed loads more power and less weight theyre both big behemoths ut as far as sport tourers I agree with ya there mate the k13 is awesome
I love my K1600 GT, a pretty accurate review.
I think you double tap the rear brake for hill hold.
TFT layout looks perfect.
Great to see and a fair appraisal of the bike wouldn't be my first choice but like you say I'd like the bagger version of the bike
2:00 **Hillstop coming ON on the dash**: "Am I a joke to you?"
Excellent. And a video with bonus Hargreaves if I'm not mistaken.
These bikes have linked brakes, so hitting the back brakes also gives you a bit of front brake. Thats why you felt the back brake was so effective.
Not true exactly. The front brakes give you some rear brake but the rear brake is independent. When you hit the rear brake it doesn’t give you any front brake.
A nice bike and well built/engineered. Just not my type.
Cheers Boothy
While weight (330 kg) is mentioned lots, as well as engine size (being 1.6 litre) it’s never a subject on a Harley Davidson! I don’t understand when a HD weight starts around 300kg and engines start up near 2 litres?
Is the engine mounted Flying Brick style?
Great video, had me laughing all the way through as usual! 👍👍
Comfort is king as I get older😂
Nice one boothy....would look at home sat outside seaways cafe on a Sunday afternoon.👍
You've slid the rear few times. Where's the TC?
Great review!
Boothy, have you been practicing your Spanish for the last 2 years? It's pretty nice!
nice one, abt your comment "its abt enjoying the ride".. when I want to do that i just twist the throttle less, saves abt 25k i recon .. lol - Enjoyed the review thank you, awesome as always
@1:25 lol That's me in the white Cupra. I thought it might have been you lot.
I adore the sound that these make. I despise the fact that it can't be any lighter.
It’s incredible how Boothy didn’t notice that the K1600B doesn’t have a top case/passenger backrest
I hear people complaining about warranty issues reliability issues comparing it to the Goldwing if that's your concern then get the extended warranty before the factory warranty runs out then you have your peace of mind.
Excellent review, but you freaked me out with the Humpty Dumpty and Grand Old Duke of York shit. But I am quite pissed right now.🍻😜
Boothy, best bike reviewer on the planet👌🏼😊
I had one of those for a weekend. Sounded like a Ferrari, handled like a boat.
You haven’t heard a Ferrari nor driven a boat, have you?
@@Eidrian111 well I would admit, I have not driven a boat, don’t know anyone that has. Sailed one however…..
Not a bike I would buy any time soon but great review mate.
Should be the K1600TT - Tierce Tonne. I love the k bikes, though. Excellent engineering!
Good video Mike, lovely machine, not sure I want to part with my Multistrada Enduro just yet though 👍🏍🏍👍