2017 BMW Motorrad K1600 B – a bagger, BMW style

BMW Motorrad has had a somewhat sketchy history with cruisers, which are a large segment of the American motorcycle market. Its previous attempt at a cruiser, the R1200 C, was not what anyone would call a sales success.

With the unveiling of the 2017 K1600 B – the ‘B’, we assume, standing for bagger – BMW Motorrad is launching another attempt at this lucrative slice of the motorcycling pie. Earlier shown as the “Concept 101”, the K1600 B is done in the American bagger style, a low-slung, sleek cruiser with relaxed riding position and hard case saddle-bags at the rear.

Using the BMW K1600 GT touring bike as its basis, the K1600 B carries BMW’s K-series inline-six engine that is claimed to put out 160 hp at 7,750 rpm and 175 Nm of torque at 5,250 rpm. The big fairing draws its design DNA form the GT, and is visually and physically the highest point of the bike, which then slopes sleekly back to the low-set rider and pillion seats.

Fixed hard-cases fit on the right and left sides of the rear wheel, which feature slimmer covers, but a deeper bodies, to give more storage space. For ease of maintenance, the rear mudguard folds up, allowing for removal of the rear wheel.

New in the cruiser world is the application of BMW Motorrad’s Dynamic ESA semi-active suspension, which comes with automatic damping. This gives the rider a choice between “Road” and “Cruise” riding modes, with road mode giving the rider full traction and automatic damping and cruise mode softening up the suspension considerably for greater comfort at low speeds.

BMW Motorrad hasn’t published a weight figure for the K1600 B, but with the K1600 GT weighing 319 kg wet, we assume the B-model will not be far off that number. This is where the inclusion of a starter motor driven reverse gear comes in handy.

The 2017 K1600 B’s list of accessories is extensive, and includes an electrically operated “shorty” windshield, in typical bagger style. Also available is a factory-fitted quickshifter, which BMW Motorrad calls Shift Assistant Pro.

Other options for the K1600 B – which comes in Blackstorm Metallic – include comfort passenger footpegs and feet-forward controls for the rider. In Europe BMW’s Intelligent Emergency Call is available as a factory option for areas with ConnectedDrive access.

No details have been released about possible pricing for the 2017 BMW Motorrad K1600 B, which joins the K1600 GT, GTL and GTL Exclusive in the K-series line-up. In Malaysia, the BMW Motorrad K1600 GT retails for RM159,900, while the GTL and GTL Exclusive go for RM167,900 and RM185,900, respectively, with prices including GST.

While the K1600 B is certainly targetted at the American cruiser market, what of BMW Motorrad’s plans for a possible rival to the Ducati XDiavel, which, by all accounts is a rather capable handling cruiser? Could we be seeing another K1600, this time with a ‘C’ designation? Leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions below.

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