You don't have to Y even sit on the K1600GTL to appreciate that big-mile touring is what this bike was built to do.
Just looking at it, you can tell pretty much where it excels and struggles. But for most of this year I had been limited to fairly short runs on the bike, so when the opportunity presented itself I was delighted to put some serious miles on the bike, and test the theory: Is this THE bike for long-distance touring?
Screening the elements
Most long journeys start on motorways, and I have spent a lot of time on the A1 recently. It's great for me to dash north or south pretty rapidly, but exciting and entertaining it is not. But that's okay as it gives me time to home in on what the BMW is like to ride.
One of the bike's features that has taken a while for me to fully appreciate is the screen. It is which electronically adjustable, is hardly essential, and big, which isn't all that motorcycle-like. But the combination makes it a superb shield against wind and rain. I have found the perfect height for it now, where the top of the screen is just below the horizon in my vision.
That's high enough that all the buffeting and noise is killed, but not high enough that I'm looking through the screen (which doesn't really work at all in rain). Small adjustments for different wind directions are easy with the electronic control. It's a luxury, yes, but it's a very nice one.
Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
