BMW Goes After Harley Again

The BMW K1600B is another BMW attempt at entering the cruiser market. You have to go back to 2004 for the last time BMW had anything in this market and the R1200C was not a very good attempt. Here is what we know about the current entry:

The bike makes 160 horsepower and 129 lb-ft of torque out of an inline six-cylinder engine. The bike is based on to the K1600GT– a standard seating touring motorcycle that competes with Triumph Trophy. The K1600GT was described by BMW Motorrad boss Stefan Schaller as “the backbone of our brand” at a press conference unveiling the K1600B.

The B version takes the GT’s frame a little lower, adds a little more “slope” to it and drops the passenger seat about three inches.

A massive front fairing blocks the wind and it is stretched back to give the bike a sleeker profile than the GT. The windshield is also adjustable.

Suspension is electronically controlled, with “road” and “cruise” modes. Which is essentially soft and softer, perfect for eating up miles. It remains to be seen if road is stiff enough for spirited riding.

BMW will offer “Shift Assistant Pro” which means you no longer need the clutch if you don’t want to shift. Similar to high end sport bikes that allow you to just press up on the shift lever. There’s reverse too, which is starting to get a little bit ridiculous. On the other hand I know many older riders who can extend their riding life with this feature.

The K1600B was introduced as the first BMW made specifically for the American market at its unveiling ceremony. It will be sold in other countries, but BMW’s looking to double their U.S. market share by 2020 (from 4 percent to 8 percent) The K1600B is how they intend to take a big bite out of Harley-Davidson’s market share. Truthfully they are more likely to take share from the Japanese manufacturers than a sizable chunk from HD. 

No price has been printed yet but based on the GT’s MSRP in the low $20,000’s my guess would be just above or right at that price point. Much more and you price yourself above the competition.

I think this BMW is going to do pretty well with this bike. It’s the perfect combination of rider features combined with a massive power plant and decent styling.

As for how it actually rides, I guess we’ll see but I do know the K1600GT is like a rocket propelled missile that’s as smooth as molten glass.

What’s your take, would you want a cruiser with 160 HP?