BMW K1600B (2016 - on) Review

Brakes are amazing, the suspension is electronic but not the best, short rear travel makes some really rough roads a bit uncomfortable. the new 2022 version has a better system apparently .

sublime engine , pulls from any rev range with a searing top end if needed . sounds incredible at high revs and burbles along nicely at low revs. so much more pleasing than a V twin .

My bike is nearly 6 years old and everything still works perfectly , only issue is rusty centre stand which I took off anyway .

Great MPG for size of engine and bike, insurance is also reasonable.

It has every thing possible anyone could need . only issue is phone connectivity. but there are ways around this and I dont see it as a deal breaker.

My first ride was 300 miles, no issues whatsoever, brilliant long legged tourer, its ideal hunting ground is on the motorways & fast A roads. capable of silly lean angles & can keep up with most 'sport bikes' when ridden hard. not so great around town as filtering nigh on impossible due to its bulk

Like sitting on a comfy chair strapped to a cruise missile, turbine smooth engine, great quickshift & gearbox

Rust on the rear subframe at 1500 miles - typical of recent BMW's I have owned - they dont / cant paint anything properly any more!! radio is pants! Otherwise a great bike

If you can afford one, service costs shouldnt be a problem apart from valve check / set at 18k which will be extortionate

Reverse a hoot to use & essential on a bike this size, loads of toys, radio connectivity & function poor though speakers usable to apx 70mph (best to plug in the phone & use Spotify)

The 1600B is very comfortable and you can ride all day without any problems. The quick shifter is very smooth, even at low revs. Overall it is a cruiser and is at its best doing around 60 mph on twisting roads. The brakes are phenomenal for such a heavy bike and always inspire confidence. The suspension only has two settings - cruise and road - and I found both of them too soft. The bike is long - longer than a normal K1600 - and I thought this would make it more stable, but it doesn't. Motorway riding is worrying. The best compromise is to set it to rider plus luggage and road, which sets some preload and raises the rear of the bike.

Overall I didn't like the bike, but the engine is phenomenal. It pulls from any speed in any gear, and the noise is exhilarating. You feel like it is revving its nuts off, and look down to see 3000 rpm, and then it keeps going until it is screaming. Put it in dynamic and it pops and bangs on gear changes and overrun. Great fun.

Being a BMW it is built beautifully, but there were some problems. The back cover for the mirror fell off and I had to tape it on. I was surprised at how much oil the bike was using and at my first service on the bike (it was ex demo) the dealer found a serious oil leak on the engine, which surprised me for such a relatively new bike. Whenever I parked the bike in my garage there was a very strong smell of petrol. Again rather worrying. The dealer checked the bike and couldn't find anything wrong.

I only paid for one service, when the bike had covered 4000 miles. The dealer told me that the front tyre had worn unevenly and both tyres needed to be replaced. They thought that this was why the bike was twitching on motorways, but changing the tyres didn't fix it.

If you have deep pockets you get just about every extra going. Reverse gear is a must and I loved the central locking, heated seats, quick shifter and cruise control. The radio seems a complete waste of time but it does provide traffic info to the sat nav (I believe). It annoyed me to try controlling the sat nav from the hand controls. I had a R1200GS and this was so easy, but on the K1600B it seems like a late add on. You have to dive into the menus to eventually find the sat nav, and then the control wheel only works in one direction. Also the heated grips and seat can only be set through the menu. Very tiresome.