BMW K1600GT SE (2014)
January 2015 - December 2016
Nick is in heaven at Cannon motorcycles
In an attempt to persuade Chris that there is life beyond Triumph, we visited the BMW dealer for Essex and Suffolk, Cannon Motorcycles in Braintree to ride a K1600 GT. The trip was muted when Nick received a letter from BMW UK recalling his GS for investigative work on the fuel pump flange so it seemed like a good opportunity to combine that requirement with a ride of what promised to be an awesome touring bike.
Cannon Motorcycles are about 60 miles from Nick’s home in St Albans and so following an 8:00 rendezvous with Chris we set off. In an attempt to avoid the multi lane drudgery that is the M25 and then the even worse A12, we headed across country to Hatfield and then the A414 to Hertford and finally the A120 from Hertford via Stanstead to Braintree. An extremely unseasonal 13 degrees C made the journey unusually pleasant and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing once in Braintree, we arrived at Cannon just after 9 to find the guys there opening up - a huge array of (mainly) air cooled RT and GS approved used bikes greeted us, all running! An impressive sight (and sound).
Tim in Service took Nick’s GS for the recall work and after a brief chat with Adam in sales, we were ready to set off - Adam suggested we take a new RT as well as the GT rather than Chris bringing his Trophy and so once paperwork was signed we were off. A first for Passport Tours, Chris not only sitting on a new BMW (in itself not unusual as he has been talked onto a number of new bikes at the NEC and ExCeL bike shows…), but actually riding one, and in this case, two! Both bikes needed fuel so after stopping at the first petrol station on the A12, we then headed to Marks Tey for a quick coffee and bacon butty before heading into Essex for the main event. We stopped at the Food Company, a local produce food supermarket and restaurant/cafe combined and just off the A12. Read our Tripadvisor review here...
Suitably refreshed, we then set off on a loop basically from Braintree to Finchingfield and back taking in the A120, B1256 and B1057. Again, although damp in places, the roads were as good as could be expected in late December. A quick bike swap in Finchingfield saw Chris on the K and Nick riding the RT back to Braintree. A mixture of dual carriageway, B roads and filtering in (relatively light) traffic. Both bikes were very impressive over the 35 or so miles we put on them before arriving back at Cannon Motorcycles. Adam took the time to prepare some finance quotes which Nick found particularly enticing - his GS plus 36 months of £87 (and £1300 cash back) to ride the K away…and this trip was supposed to convince Chris of the merits of BMW’s flagship tourer! Much to ponder…watch this space to see what happens!
So what are the bikes like to ride? Well, the K first, what an amazing engine, 6 cylinders in a line, 160bhp, 129 lb/ft and starting it up was an event in itself, so incredibly smooth and refined at low revs, full of zing and an almost jet engine whine at higher revs. That said, the bike is so powerful, on a tiny whiff of throttle was ever used! And despite weighing over 300 kg, as soon as it’s on the move, the weight falls away almost immediately and the bike is a doddle to ride (providing you keep the throttle in check!). The ride by wire throttle system is a little oversensitive, or at least it is on first acquaintance and probably something just to get used to. The handling and steering is also worthy of mention, especially again given the size of the bike, very sharp and easy to corner, although Alpine passes would no doubt be a different proposition to the less sinuous roads of the let’s be honest, a fairly flat Essex! And then there is the tech - an amazing coloured dash including 5 stage seat and handlebar grip heating, radio and bluetooth iPod/iPhone connection, various suspension and riding mode settings and a myriad of fuel and trip information. Difficult to comment on the effectiveness of the riding modes and suspension settings on a relatively short ride. Sitting behind the huge screen, with seat and grips on gentle heat is a wonderful experience. After what was really too short a ride, Nick in particular was very taken…
Secondly the RT, a very similar although interestingly not identical, coloured dash and clocks and also similar riding position. The engine of course is a totally different proposition to the K. Very familiar to Nick being an identical layout to his GS, the water cooled boxer now sporting 10bhp more is slightly smoother to the air/oil cooled previous generation in Nick’s GS, but in all honesty perhaps a little too refined compared to the characterful older unit. None the less, another excellent touring bike and perhaps a little more licence friendly than the hot rod K. It’s not the best selling touring bike in the world for nothing and BMW have been careful to maintain the practicality and comfort that makes it so whilst also updating and smoothing out. Chris was not so impressed finding it very vibey compared to his Triumph Trophy. Of course, that’s one of the things that makes the boxer twin and as Nick found when buying his GS unseen (or ridden) it takes a little while to get used to; once you do, it’s an amazing experience being so full of low down torque and grunt. It also smooths out nicely once above idle and pulls very strongly from low revs although not in the same league as the amazing 6 in the K. Chris remained largely unmoved, reckoning his Trophy to be the equal for riding experience although not in fairness, in the controls and clocks. Nick found it too similar to his GS to be a replacement (and costing his GS plus another £7000). Undoubtedly a supremely comfortable tourer, for us a little lacking in wow over either a) the K or b) our existing bikes.
A huge thank you again to Adam at Cannon Motorcycles (www.cannon-bmw.co.uk) for being so accommodating and helpful.
First impressions
The intention of our visit to Cannon Motorcycles in Braintree just before Christmas 2014 was to persuade Chris that there might be other bikes worth considering beyond those manufactured by Triumph! Both the BMW R1200RT and BMW K1600GT that we rode that day were quality bikes, it was the GT though that stood out, in particular for its truly amazing 1600cc 6 cylinder turbine of an engine. On the day, it was perhaps not surprising that Nick, the R1200GS owner, was actually most impressed and certainly seriously tempted by Cannon's seemingly very cheap PCP options. That said, Nick loved his GS, without question the best bike he has owned, and one for which Nick has been heard to say the word "keeper" so the chances of a change were non existent, right?
It was the PCP quote that did it, a £15k bike in return for his GS (and with £1,500 back) and 36 x £90 per month... Nick spent a few weeks looking at other Ks for sale in the BMW network and it was very soon clear that there were a number of late plate GTSEs for at or similar to the £15500 Cannon were looking for their June 2014, 4,300 mile bike. The cream of the crop though was an October 2014 1,700 miler for £14995 at Chandlers in Brighton. Further investigation revealed this to be an ex-BMW employee bike that had been acquired by Chandlers from BMW GB as part of the BMW GB's staff car and bike scheme - employees choose a car or a bike and keep them for up to 6 months before they become a feed of late low mileage vehicles into the car and bike dealer network. And after discussing with Chandlers, the PCP was even better! Nick part exchanged his GS, received £2500 back and will be paying just £32 per month for 24 months! An amazing deal by any stretch of the imagination.
The deal done on the phone, collection day loomed. So much for the GS being a keeper! A very cold and icy day with lots of salt on the road didn't bode well for a good ride down to Brighton. In reality, it wasn't too bad and we soon arrived at Chandlers, Nick full of excitement. Martyn was there to greet us and once the coffees were hand, the paperwork process began; in fairness, it didn't take that long as Martyn had everything fully prepared in advance. Chris spent the time usefully making updates to the Passport Tours website!
Within an hour, we were ready to depart; Nick's "new" bike looking stunning. A very nervous ride to start with for Nick, 330kg of 160bhp bike in near frozen temperatures, and of course on cold tyres (!) made for some tip toeing along at first. The ride home comprised of a brief stint on the A270 to Shoreham and then heading north to join the A24 to London. A largely uneventful journey with much playing with switches! Sadly, Nick's bike has sat in the garage since returning, wheeled out once to wash off the salt and then back inside. Work and weather have ensured no opportunity to ride has presented itself. Fingers crossed for warmer weather soon.
The enforced lay up has given Nick the opportunity to sort out some maps for the Garmin sat nav and also to read the comprehensive owner's manual, including all the detail for the audio system...many pleasurable riding hours no doubt lie ahead.
One year on...
So after deciding to change his “keeper” GS, how has Nick got on with BMW’s flagship bike after a year in the saddle? And what next?
The big K has the smoothest engine of any bike I have ridden, and with that smoothness also comes huge power, 160bhp and 128 lb/ft of torque. It is by any stretch of the imagination, an amazing engine, 6 cylinders of engineering genius. Whilst the engine absolutely makes a bike, there are other considerations too of course; the K’s sheer size and weight (over 1/3 of a tonne fully fuelled) does make for hard work when manoeuvring in slow traffic, even though the weight does disappear once on the move. The SE model has a huge array of standard (or even Special!) equipment and my bike also had the optional comfort package and preparation for SatNav with radio. Spec highlights include 5 stage heated grips and rider’s seat, electronic suspension adjustment, various riding modes, central locking, cruise control, electric screen and remote satnav adjustment. All in all, an amazing machine.
It wasn’t as comfortable as you might expect though; the seat is low which means that leg room is a bit of a challenge, knees being quite bent after the adventure style chassis of the GS. On tour in 2015, I ended up with a sore bum after 3 days, something that was simply not an issue on GS and a significant disappointment on a bike clearly designed for big miles and long days touring.
After collecting the K on a cold and icy January morning, the ride home was a bit stressful, an unfamiliar and very heavy bike on frosty roads not a great combination! Over the subsequent days and weeks though, I got to know the bike well and put nearly 7000 miles on it in just over 6 months. The long distance comfort aside, the bike was a doddle to ride, handling extremely well for such a big machine and eating miles effortlessly. The ergonomics, from clocks to overall dash design were faultless and the range of information, settings and controls accessed via the multitude of menus was mind boggling.
Following a return to regular commuting into central London, I decided once again that a two bike strategy (see separate report on my BMW R1200 R) was the way forward and the miles on the K reduced significantly. So much so in fact that after the R arrived in August 2015, the K only had a handful of outings, mainly for Essex Fire Bike duty and IAM observing. Whisper this, but I found the R more fun and easier to ride, even for the IAM work, meaning the K was really only reserved for long trips and therefore even more of an extravagance.
Following the receipt of the annual BMW financial services statement in January 2016, and bearing in mind that at the end of the PCP agreement in January 2017, only a further £360 would be paid off the outstanding balance, I decided to see what the K’s p/ex value would be. At the end of the K’s PCP, the final payment would have been £10k and notwithstanding the amazing spec, I could not ever see himself buying it to keep. A trip back to Chandlers in Brighton revealed, after some haggling, that there was sufficient equity in the K to cover the deposit on a new S1000 XR Sport SE (it being February 2016 and Chandlers anxious to register bikes before the new 16 plate) and although I had not ridden a XR, press reports following its launch in May 2015 had all been universally very positive, so I signed up for the new bike.
In an attempt to persuade Chris that there is life beyond Triumph, we visited the BMW dealer for Essex and Suffolk, Cannon Motorcycles in Braintree to ride a K1600 GT. The trip was muted when Nick received a letter from BMW UK recalling his GS for investigative work on the fuel pump flange so it seemed like a good opportunity to combine that requirement with a ride of what promised to be an awesome touring bike.
Cannon Motorcycles are about 60 miles from Nick’s home in St Albans and so following an 8:00 rendezvous with Chris we set off. In an attempt to avoid the multi lane drudgery that is the M25 and then the even worse A12, we headed across country to Hatfield and then the A414 to Hertford and finally the A120 from Hertford via Stanstead to Braintree. An extremely unseasonal 13 degrees C made the journey unusually pleasant and after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing once in Braintree, we arrived at Cannon just after 9 to find the guys there opening up - a huge array of (mainly) air cooled RT and GS approved used bikes greeted us, all running! An impressive sight (and sound).
Tim in Service took Nick’s GS for the recall work and after a brief chat with Adam in sales, we were ready to set off - Adam suggested we take a new RT as well as the GT rather than Chris bringing his Trophy and so once paperwork was signed we were off. A first for Passport Tours, Chris not only sitting on a new BMW (in itself not unusual as he has been talked onto a number of new bikes at the NEC and ExCeL bike shows…), but actually riding one, and in this case, two! Both bikes needed fuel so after stopping at the first petrol station on the A12, we then headed to Marks Tey for a quick coffee and bacon butty before heading into Essex for the main event. We stopped at the Food Company, a local produce food supermarket and restaurant/cafe combined and just off the A12. Read our Tripadvisor review here...
Suitably refreshed, we then set off on a loop basically from Braintree to Finchingfield and back taking in the A120, B1256 and B1057. Again, although damp in places, the roads were as good as could be expected in late December. A quick bike swap in Finchingfield saw Chris on the K and Nick riding the RT back to Braintree. A mixture of dual carriageway, B roads and filtering in (relatively light) traffic. Both bikes were very impressive over the 35 or so miles we put on them before arriving back at Cannon Motorcycles. Adam took the time to prepare some finance quotes which Nick found particularly enticing - his GS plus 36 months of £87 (and £1300 cash back) to ride the K away…and this trip was supposed to convince Chris of the merits of BMW’s flagship tourer! Much to ponder…watch this space to see what happens!
So what are the bikes like to ride? Well, the K first, what an amazing engine, 6 cylinders in a line, 160bhp, 129 lb/ft and starting it up was an event in itself, so incredibly smooth and refined at low revs, full of zing and an almost jet engine whine at higher revs. That said, the bike is so powerful, on a tiny whiff of throttle was ever used! And despite weighing over 300 kg, as soon as it’s on the move, the weight falls away almost immediately and the bike is a doddle to ride (providing you keep the throttle in check!). The ride by wire throttle system is a little oversensitive, or at least it is on first acquaintance and probably something just to get used to. The handling and steering is also worthy of mention, especially again given the size of the bike, very sharp and easy to corner, although Alpine passes would no doubt be a different proposition to the less sinuous roads of the let’s be honest, a fairly flat Essex! And then there is the tech - an amazing coloured dash including 5 stage seat and handlebar grip heating, radio and bluetooth iPod/iPhone connection, various suspension and riding mode settings and a myriad of fuel and trip information. Difficult to comment on the effectiveness of the riding modes and suspension settings on a relatively short ride. Sitting behind the huge screen, with seat and grips on gentle heat is a wonderful experience. After what was really too short a ride, Nick in particular was very taken…
Secondly the RT, a very similar although interestingly not identical, coloured dash and clocks and also similar riding position. The engine of course is a totally different proposition to the K. Very familiar to Nick being an identical layout to his GS, the water cooled boxer now sporting 10bhp more is slightly smoother to the air/oil cooled previous generation in Nick’s GS, but in all honesty perhaps a little too refined compared to the characterful older unit. None the less, another excellent touring bike and perhaps a little more licence friendly than the hot rod K. It’s not the best selling touring bike in the world for nothing and BMW have been careful to maintain the practicality and comfort that makes it so whilst also updating and smoothing out. Chris was not so impressed finding it very vibey compared to his Triumph Trophy. Of course, that’s one of the things that makes the boxer twin and as Nick found when buying his GS unseen (or ridden) it takes a little while to get used to; once you do, it’s an amazing experience being so full of low down torque and grunt. It also smooths out nicely once above idle and pulls very strongly from low revs although not in the same league as the amazing 6 in the K. Chris remained largely unmoved, reckoning his Trophy to be the equal for riding experience although not in fairness, in the controls and clocks. Nick found it too similar to his GS to be a replacement (and costing his GS plus another £7000). Undoubtedly a supremely comfortable tourer, for us a little lacking in wow over either a) the K or b) our existing bikes.
A huge thank you again to Adam at Cannon Motorcycles (www.cannon-bmw.co.uk) for being so accommodating and helpful.
First impressions
The intention of our visit to Cannon Motorcycles in Braintree just before Christmas 2014 was to persuade Chris that there might be other bikes worth considering beyond those manufactured by Triumph! Both the BMW R1200RT and BMW K1600GT that we rode that day were quality bikes, it was the GT though that stood out, in particular for its truly amazing 1600cc 6 cylinder turbine of an engine. On the day, it was perhaps not surprising that Nick, the R1200GS owner, was actually most impressed and certainly seriously tempted by Cannon's seemingly very cheap PCP options. That said, Nick loved his GS, without question the best bike he has owned, and one for which Nick has been heard to say the word "keeper" so the chances of a change were non existent, right?
It was the PCP quote that did it, a £15k bike in return for his GS (and with £1,500 back) and 36 x £90 per month... Nick spent a few weeks looking at other Ks for sale in the BMW network and it was very soon clear that there were a number of late plate GTSEs for at or similar to the £15500 Cannon were looking for their June 2014, 4,300 mile bike. The cream of the crop though was an October 2014 1,700 miler for £14995 at Chandlers in Brighton. Further investigation revealed this to be an ex-BMW employee bike that had been acquired by Chandlers from BMW GB as part of the BMW GB's staff car and bike scheme - employees choose a car or a bike and keep them for up to 6 months before they become a feed of late low mileage vehicles into the car and bike dealer network. And after discussing with Chandlers, the PCP was even better! Nick part exchanged his GS, received £2500 back and will be paying just £32 per month for 24 months! An amazing deal by any stretch of the imagination.
The deal done on the phone, collection day loomed. So much for the GS being a keeper! A very cold and icy day with lots of salt on the road didn't bode well for a good ride down to Brighton. In reality, it wasn't too bad and we soon arrived at Chandlers, Nick full of excitement. Martyn was there to greet us and once the coffees were hand, the paperwork process began; in fairness, it didn't take that long as Martyn had everything fully prepared in advance. Chris spent the time usefully making updates to the Passport Tours website!
Within an hour, we were ready to depart; Nick's "new" bike looking stunning. A very nervous ride to start with for Nick, 330kg of 160bhp bike in near frozen temperatures, and of course on cold tyres (!) made for some tip toeing along at first. The ride home comprised of a brief stint on the A270 to Shoreham and then heading north to join the A24 to London. A largely uneventful journey with much playing with switches! Sadly, Nick's bike has sat in the garage since returning, wheeled out once to wash off the salt and then back inside. Work and weather have ensured no opportunity to ride has presented itself. Fingers crossed for warmer weather soon.
The enforced lay up has given Nick the opportunity to sort out some maps for the Garmin sat nav and also to read the comprehensive owner's manual, including all the detail for the audio system...many pleasurable riding hours no doubt lie ahead.
One year on...
So after deciding to change his “keeper” GS, how has Nick got on with BMW’s flagship bike after a year in the saddle? And what next?
The big K has the smoothest engine of any bike I have ridden, and with that smoothness also comes huge power, 160bhp and 128 lb/ft of torque. It is by any stretch of the imagination, an amazing engine, 6 cylinders of engineering genius. Whilst the engine absolutely makes a bike, there are other considerations too of course; the K’s sheer size and weight (over 1/3 of a tonne fully fuelled) does make for hard work when manoeuvring in slow traffic, even though the weight does disappear once on the move. The SE model has a huge array of standard (or even Special!) equipment and my bike also had the optional comfort package and preparation for SatNav with radio. Spec highlights include 5 stage heated grips and rider’s seat, electronic suspension adjustment, various riding modes, central locking, cruise control, electric screen and remote satnav adjustment. All in all, an amazing machine.
It wasn’t as comfortable as you might expect though; the seat is low which means that leg room is a bit of a challenge, knees being quite bent after the adventure style chassis of the GS. On tour in 2015, I ended up with a sore bum after 3 days, something that was simply not an issue on GS and a significant disappointment on a bike clearly designed for big miles and long days touring.
After collecting the K on a cold and icy January morning, the ride home was a bit stressful, an unfamiliar and very heavy bike on frosty roads not a great combination! Over the subsequent days and weeks though, I got to know the bike well and put nearly 7000 miles on it in just over 6 months. The long distance comfort aside, the bike was a doddle to ride, handling extremely well for such a big machine and eating miles effortlessly. The ergonomics, from clocks to overall dash design were faultless and the range of information, settings and controls accessed via the multitude of menus was mind boggling.
Following a return to regular commuting into central London, I decided once again that a two bike strategy (see separate report on my BMW R1200 R) was the way forward and the miles on the K reduced significantly. So much so in fact that after the R arrived in August 2015, the K only had a handful of outings, mainly for Essex Fire Bike duty and IAM observing. Whisper this, but I found the R more fun and easier to ride, even for the IAM work, meaning the K was really only reserved for long trips and therefore even more of an extravagance.
Following the receipt of the annual BMW financial services statement in January 2016, and bearing in mind that at the end of the PCP agreement in January 2017, only a further £360 would be paid off the outstanding balance, I decided to see what the K’s p/ex value would be. At the end of the K’s PCP, the final payment would have been £10k and notwithstanding the amazing spec, I could not ever see himself buying it to keep. A trip back to Chandlers in Brighton revealed, after some haggling, that there was sufficient equity in the K to cover the deposit on a new S1000 XR Sport SE (it being February 2016 and Chandlers anxious to register bikes before the new 16 plate) and although I had not ridden a XR, press reports following its launch in May 2015 had all been universally very positive, so I signed up for the new bike.
