BMW K 1600 GTL 2024 Review

The BMW K 1600 GTL is the intercontinental cruise missile of the German brand’s range and boasts every mile-obliterating feature you can imagine for travelling further and for longer, either solo or two-up.

Proper luxo tourers are often derided with jealous backhanders like, ‘It may as well be a car’, or, ‘All it’s missing is a roof’, the inherent insinuation being that there’s a point at which a motorcycle becomes so plus-sized that it’s no longer dynamically interesting. To investigate the ignorance (or otherwise) of those sentiments I secured my horse-sized teenage lad to the K 1600 GTL’s rear armchair and set sail for distant lands.

The standard BMW K 1600 GTL will set you back a princely $47,360 ride away, but you do get a whole lot of motorcycle for the money. Considering it's the ultimate limousine of BMW’s tourer range, with all the associated bells and whistles, plus a five-year warranty, that price seems pretty reasonable. The GTL also comes with the ‘Comfort pack’ as standard, including keyless ride, up/down quickshifter, central locking, LED fog lights, alarm and engine protection bar.

However, while most of the photos here are of the standard K 1600 GTL in Gravity Blue Metallic, taken in Europe, the bike I sampled here in Victoria was the K 1600 GTL Option 719, with Option 719 forged wheels, Option 719 seating, and Option 719 Meteoric Dust II Metallic paint, which pushes the price to $52,610 ride away.

Rivals? The GTL’s obvious competitor is Honda’s Goldwing. This veteran of the Honda line-up is powered by an 1833cc flat six engine (93kW/170Nm). It has a smaller 21L tank but comes similarly well equipped, also adding Apple CarPlay/Android Auto to the mix. It has a two-year warranty and the base-spec model will set you back $44,445 ride away (ex-Melbourne)

For lovers of American iron there’s also Harley-Davidson’s new CVO Road Glide ($62,495 ride away) and Indian’s Roadmaster ($46,995 ride away).

Powering the BMW K 1600 GTL is a naturally aspirated, 1649cc, inline six-cylinder engine. It’s easily the smoothest unit I’ve ever sampled, with zero vibration throughout the rev range.

It’ll pull crisply in sixth gear from almost idle, with no dips in the big K’s abyssal torque reserves. That silky response makes the GTL sneaky-fast, and it was hard not to giggle as I dispatched caravan-towing dual-cabs with a fractional twist of the wrist.

The straight six also loves to rev, and while the full 160hp (118kW) is now unleashed 1000rpm earlier at 6750rpm, that gritty howl as you wind it on makes it impossible not to delve into the upper ranges of the tacho – behaviour which propels the GTL with preposterous verve for a big tourer.

Such performance doesn’t come at the expense of fuel economy either; over a variety of riding I averaged a reasonable 5.8L/100km, which equates with a range of over 400km from the 26.5L tank.

This bratwurst comes loaded with all the toppings you can think of. Starting up front, you’ll find adaptive LED headlamps, fog lights, and a large electric windshield. The screen can be raised to cocoon the rider in a bubble of calm air, reducing fatigue and allowing you to hear helmet-fitted Bluetooth audio, should you have it, far better.

The lovely 10.25-inch TFT screen is new for this model and looks bigger than the TV I had in my bedroom as a kid. It’s bright and super clear, allowing you to scroll through vehicle, infotainment and navigation settings with ease in conjunction with the bar-mounted multi-controller. There’s also an inbuilt radio and adjustable twin speakers on either side of the dash, though I find modern helmet Bluetooth systems far better for enjoying audio and comms at speed.

For the navigation to work you’ll first need to download the ‘BMW Connected’ app and link your phone to the motorcycle via Bluetooth, but irritatingly I found that when the phone app was interrupted it would stop working. I ended up just listening to Google Maps through my helmet audio for spoken directions and leaving the screen set to ‘map’ mode.

A USB-C-equipped smartphone compartment sits handily behind the screen, which kept my phone nicely juiced up. A fan even kicks in if the temperature inside the compartment gets too hot, though BMW warns you to be careful about leaving your phone there in really hot weather.

For cooler days the passenger gets a seat warmer with a dedicated control switch, while the rider makes do with adjusting their seat and 'bar temperature via the vehicle settings.

There’s stacks of lockable integrated luggage space in the form of panniers, top box and small side compartments. Rest assured there’s a heap of storage, and the topbox will handily accommodate two adult helmets.

Managing the big Beemer in car parks or the garage is made so much easier via its thumb-operated reverse feature – it’s a godsend on a bike of this size and weight.

Speaking of gears, the typically excellent BMW quickshifter has a lovely snickety-snick feel in combination with the precise gearbox, while electronic torque drag control helps to keep the rear wheel composed should you toe the shift lever down too enthusiastically. A centrestand is also standard.

As you might expect, BMW has left no stone unturned in this department. You get cornering ABS, dynamic electronic suspension adjustment, hill start assist, dynamic traction control, tyre pressure sensors, Bluetooth connectivity for rider and passenger, plus cruise control.

There are three riding modes – Rain, Road and Dynamic. I mostly preferred the sharper throttle response offered by Dynamic, but the Road setting’s softened suspension and fuel maps smoothed out proceedings when riding two-up.

The damping can be independently adjusted via the vehicle settings, but the suspenders will also automatically adjust for varying loads. The system seems to work well, with barely any noticeable difference to ride quality with the addition of a pillion.

The term, ‘all-day comfort’ gets thrown around a fair bit in bikes, but BMW does a great job of nailing everything that separates a tolerable mile-eater from a proper long-haul tourer. The GTL’s plush saddle, neutral ride position and wide footpegs meant I could shift my weight around on longer rides, with the ’bars set at just the right distance and inclination so I was neither slouched nor crouched. The low 750mm seat makes walking speed manoeuvres easier, but does reduce the available legroom somewhat. The forward-mounted floorboards on the BMW K 1600 Grand America might better suit taller types.

As good as the captain’s chair is, the passenger accommodation is even better. My 14-year-old isn’t a fan of motorcycle pillion perches, which usually make him feel like he could fall off the back, but the GTL’s huge, cosseting backrest had him actually volunteering for father-son motorcycle trips.

The chassis geometry makes it just as easy to steer with a passenger as when solo and while there’s no disputing it’s a large motorcycle, the BMW K 1600 GTL actually weighs 21kg less than the 379kg Goldwing and 35kg less than 393kg Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide.

By separating the damping and steering forces, BMW’s Duolever front suspension delivers precise, stable cornering with minimal dive under brakes. Though the sensation through the ’bars feels slightly remote, the GTL is more than capable of harassing sportier bikes in the hills once you get used to how it turns. So much so that the ‘boys in blue’ decided I needed a stern talking to after I rapidly rounded a bend in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges, only to find my riding partner already being pulled over by a squad of motorcycle police up ahead.

This necessitated a sudden stab of the anchors as I uttered words to the effect of ‘Oh dear’ and attempted to scrub off speed instantaneously. The 320mm discs front and rear are electronically linked, which you notice more when cruising than when emergency braking in a straight line, but it’s very effective and feels reassuring rather than intrusive. It was of course way too late anyway, but luckily the fuzz were more interested in chatting about the GTL, as it sat alongside a gaggle of its police-issue BMW R 1250 brethren.

Great motorcycles get beneath your skin, whispering to you with every passing mile that their raison d’etre should also be yours. Such is the case with the BMW K 1600 GTL. It’s a supremely convincing two-up tourer that’ll have you finding implausible excuses to go on long rides like, ‘Oh, the eBay seller won’t deliver and lives interstate”, or, “I haven’t seen Trevor from Wooloomudgieroobra Flats since his divorce, we should drop by”.

Not only is the BMW K 1600 GTL every bit a dynamically involving motorcycle, it’s one of the best two- or four-wheeled machines you can get for exploring Australia’s vast distances with a loved one.

ENGINE
Type: Oil/water-cooled, four-stroke, four-valves-per-cylinder, in-line six-cylinder
Capacity: 1649cc
Bore x stroke: 72mm x 67.5mm
Compression ratio: 12.2:1
Engine management: Digital engine management BMS-O with ride-by-wire

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 160hp (118kW) at 6750rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 180Nm at 5250rpm

ELECTRONICS
Rider aids: BMW Motorrad full integral ABS, ABS Pro, Dynamic ESA, Hill Start Control Pro, Engine Drag Torque Control, Gearshift Assistant Pro, Dynamic Traction Control, 10.25" TFT Display with connectivity, radio software, cruise control, adaptive headlight
Ride modes: Rain, Road, Dynamic

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed helical with reverse assist
Final drive: Shaft drive
Clutch: Multiple-disc clutch in oil bath

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Bridge-type frame, cast aluminium, load-bearing engine
Front suspension: BMW Motorrad Duolever; central spring strut
Rear suspension: Cast aluminium single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever; central spring strut
Front brakes: Twin 320mm discs with four-piston calipers, ABS equipped
Rear brake: Single 320mm disc with twin-piston caliper, ABS equipped
Tyres: Front 120/70ZR17; rear 190/55ZR17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 62.2 degrees
Trail: 106.4mm
Claimed wet weight: 358kg
Wheelbase: 1618mm
Seat height: 750mm
Fuel capacity: 26.5L

OTHER STUFF
Price: $47,360 ride away (Option 719: $52,610 ride away)
Availability: Now
Colours: Gravity Blue Metallic (as shown, European photos), Black Storm Metallic, Option 719 Meteoric Dust II Metallic (as shown, local photos)
Warranty: Five years/unlimited kilometres
More information: BMW Motorrad Australia