BMW K1600 GRAND AMERICA (2018 - on) Review

MCN first rode the BMW K1600 B (for Bagger) in summer 2017, an overtly American offering that features the same super-smooth and powerful inline six-cylinder engine as the BMW K1600GT. The standard K1600 B has the ‘streamliner’ design with fixed side cases and integrated lights.

Now BMW have gone one step further with this, the K1600 Grand America. If you rarely ride with a pillion or don’t need litres of extra luggage capacity it’s hard to make a case for the Grand America over the standard K1600 B.

There’s no escaping the fact the additional luggage upsets the bike’s high-speed stability, reducing its appeal dramatically. If you like to take it easy and spend more time two-up than solo, the Grand America makes a bit more sense, but otherwise it’s not worth the extra outlay.

At low speed the ride is excellent but things start to go wrong at speed because the top case limits safe cruising speeds and affects stability. At 80mph you notice a slight weave and above that it becomes more apparent, as if there’s is a hinge in the middle of the bike.

Up at 90mph things become slightly alarming, never overly worrying but more than noticeable. The Grand America is limited to just over 100mph, but with the top case loaded the BMW handbook suggests a self-governed speed of 80mph.

I know the speed limit is 70mph, and you’re unlikely to buy the Grand America for high speed antics, but with so much power on tap from that inline six-cylinder engine, 80mph and above is easily achieved especially if you are venturing onto the autobahn.

The BMW K1600 Grand America uses the same 1649cc, liquid-cooled inline six-cylinder engine as the GT model. It produces 158 bhp and 129 ftlb of torque.

There’s no feeling like a mighty six-cylinder bike, it’s a stunning experience, it’s not a wave of torque, more of a tsunami. It’s backed up by a cacophony of spine tingling noise. Nail the throttle on the BMW and the rider aids jump into panic mode, limiting the power to prevent the rear wheel from spinning. Deactivating the TC on the BMW is ludicrous.

In the cold and wet without TC it’s almost un-rideable. The big BMW doesn’t mind revving all six-cylinders, hold onto the throttle, tap on the quick-shifter and you’ll soon effortlessly blast past 100mph, and before you know it you’re doubling the national speed limit. It’s one of the smoothest engines on the market it’s sublime.

There are very few bikes on the market which have the level of sophistication and quality of the Grand America. Re-sale prices should remain high, and reliability should be unquestionable.

Our test bike is priced at a wallet-emptying £22,150, which is £5,700 more than the standard £16,750 Bagger. If you spec the Bagger up to a similar level, it will still cost £580 less than than the Grand America.

This fully-dressed bagger is equipped with a large top case, complete with backrest, has integrated indicators and brake lights, while its electronic windscreen has also increased in size. The Grand America also now features footboards as standard.

The large top case looks classy (especially at night) and has remote central locking, but some feel it spoils the flowing lines of the stock Bagger.

From August 2020, all K1600 models (that’s GT, GTL and Bagger) come with reverse, cornering lights, tyre pressure monitors and DRLs as standard, which is a very healthy saving for your wallet. There’s new colours all over the shop but the GT is now only available with a black frame and engine, while the ‘Safety’ pack has been ditched for the entire range.