Just added on TMW: 2011 6-cylinder BMW concept or reality?

[totalmotorcycle]

2011 6-cylinder BMW concept or reality?

2011 BMW K1600GT and K1600GTL... 6 Cylinders, 160 horsepower, over 70% of maximum torque available from 1 500 rpm, ABS, DTC, ESA II, Adaptive Headlight, Duolever and Paralever chassis. See more: 2011 BMW Motorcycle Model Guide



http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2 ... ls-BMW.htm

[totalmotorcycle]

I just got this today from BMW media... it looks like it's going to be made (both models), but it's not a "finished model" yet so no pre-production photos as of yet...

But there you go, an inline-6 from BMW.

[dr_bar]

Gotta keep up with the Jones's.... or is that the Honda's???

[JC Viper]

well Kawasaki toyed with the idea for a 6 cylinder engine when creating the new GPz. The only problem was that it was reportedly too smooth which equated to boring in the 80's.

I would love to see a 6 cyl. bike other than a Goldwing but I would rather have V-4 configs unless they could do a nice compact V-6.

[gsJack]

Kawasaki had an inline 6 years ago, was in the early 80's as I recall. It was in a big touring bike and was quite a bit heavier than the Gold Wings and Yamaha Ventures of the day. It was replaced by the 4 cyl Voyager XII in the mid 80's. The 6 cyl engine was also available in a lighter standard type bike for a while.

[High_Side]

Do ya mean this one???

http://www.tourenfahrer.de/uploads/pics/bmwerl2.jpg

[HYPERR]

Kawasaki had an inline 6 years ago, was in the early 80's as I recall. It was in a big touring bike and was quite a bit heavier than the Gold Wings and Yamaha Ventures of the day. It was replaced by the 4 cyl Voyager XII in the mid 80's. The 6 cyl engine was also available in a lighter standard type bike for a while.

That was the original Kawasaki Voyager. Awesome looking bike actually.

The latter bike you mention is the KZ1300

Neither bike sold very well.

The Honda is more famous for it because the CBX was an air cooled engine and it was a mile wide and it just looked so much more awesome than the narrower and uglier liquid cooled Kawasaki engine. Also the Honda sold the flat six Gold Wings like hotcakes.

[JC Viper]

Kawasaki toyed with the idea of making a liquid cooled 6 cylinder GPz sport bike and made a working concept. It was then that they deemed it too smooth as the story goes. They decided to stick with an inline 4 and made it more compact, liquid cooled and mount it lower in the bike for a lower CoG. I somehow ran across this story when doing research on my GPz 900R purchase.

I love how the EU now requires bikes to come equipped with ABS as standard. Along with traction control the future of motorcycling is looking bright.

I am curious about the adaptive headlight feature. As soon as BMW begins production on the bike I want an in depth video of the bike in action.

[HYPERR]

Also the other reason why people relate Honda with the six banger more than any other motorcycle company is because of the legendary RC174 race bike. This was a 6 cylinder 297cc race bike that revved to 19,000 rpm!

Also consider....

-4 overhead cams driving 24 valves!
-Solid billet pistons with no rings!
-6 carbs!
-7 speed tranny!
-Tiny crank the length of only few inches w/ no flywheel and pressed up from 13 components and could be deformed by hand, but would spin up to 19,000 rpm with no deflection!
-Counterweights made of pure tungsten!
-Magnesium crankcase halves!

Oh and this was back in the 1960s!!!

If this bike was never built and we asked an engineer today if such a bike could have been built back 5 decades ago, every single one of them would have said no.

check out this absolute masterpiece.


Blipping the throttle would instantly rev the motor to beyond the 19,000 rpm redline and closing the throttle would instantly drop the rpm to 0. It would take an absolute master to ride this thing.

Hailwood was the man and he and his Honda RC174 absolutely kicked a$$ beyond belief, even spanking the two stroke Yamahas and Suzukis.

The unmistakable wail of the RC174 was said to be able to be heard 3 miles away.

Here is a soundtrack of Hailwood riding the RC174.


http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Sounds/196 ... da%206.mp3

[fireguzzi]

WOW! what a sound! I never knew of this bike before. Thanks for sharing.