Comparison: BMW K 1600 GT vs. K 1600 B

Six-cylinder engines are as much a part of BMW as veal sausage is of a Bavarian Sunday breakfast or the Oktoberfest is of Munich. The in-line engine became an icon in 1973 at the latest, when it appeared on racetracks in the BMW 3.0 CSL Coupé, also known as the Batmobile. The sports car, with only 167 built units, perfectly embodied the philosophy of a Gran Turismo (GT) vehicle intended for racing.

Perhaps the BMW Motorrad product managers came up with the idea for the K 1600 at a beer table as the inveterate gearheads mourned the K 1200 LT, a milestone in the touring segment that came in the same silver color as the 3.0 CSL. In the 2010s, BMW’s motorcycle department really got moving. From MotoGP to Dakar and the Enduro World Championship, they tried out everything. All of this accumulated expertise resulted in the S 1000 RR superbike, which would become the reference model for consumer racing bikes.

However, the K 1300 touring model was now getting on in years. So, BMW presented the completely new six-cylinder engine for the touring segment for the first time in 2009 at the EICMA show in Milan. This prototype motorcycle was a naked bike—probably because there wouldn’t have been much to see of the engine in a tourer like the K 1600. This is why today, the number six logo on the side of the cylinder bank emphasizes the special nature of the powerplant.