When the BMW Concept 6 was first shown, it was a naked bake that made room for the first BMW six-cylinder motorcycle. On heading to production though, we got the sophisticated and powerful BMW K1600GT touring bikes. So what happened to that first naked sportsbike? According to internet rumours, we could see a new BMW K1600R six-cylinder naked developed.

VisorDown reports that a BMW K1600R could be in the works. Certainly a six-cylinder bike would suit both the design and riding style of a naked bike, but the six-cylinder that was developed by BMW is in fact, less powerful than the older four-cylinder “K” engine by about 13hp. To then tune-up the six-cylinder to make it more powerful makes us wonder if there’s any point to the exercise at all.

Not only is the K1300R a more powerful bike, it’s also a reasonably priced one, meaning that a new six-cylinder naked would have a tall order at coming close to that value for money. If the project does happen though, we could see the old 1300cc four-cylinder engine disappear altogether. With other projects keeping BMW busy at the moment, we might not see any BMW K1600R naked before 2013.

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The BMW Concept 6 which we saw at last year’s 2009 EICMA, went one step further in demonstrating that BMW Motorrad seriously considers itself at the cutting edge of new technology in the motorcycle sector. We’d like to see them play around more with electric bikes, but in the meantime our curiosity has been piqued with the announcement of BMW’s first inline six-cylinder production bikes.

While BMW itself admits that the bikes are born of its fascination with the six-cylinder engine in the world of automobiles, sometimes it’s this kind of approach that leads to innovation. The company says: “With BMW, six-cylinder in-line engines have stood for fascinating engine technology in automobiles for over seven decades, in a way which is unique among brands. In the near future, BMW motorcycles will also be available with an internally developed six-cylinder in-line engine.”

The BMW K 1600 GT and the BMW K 1600 GTL are the new six-cylinder motorcycles that BMW has developed, and both represent touring models. The former is slightly more sports-oriented, while the latter is designed for long range touring. BMW has so far only released sketches of the new models, with more pics and details to come at a later official launch date. Above is a video on new adaptive headlight technology which should also appear on these models. After the jump, you’ll find a short press release from BMW on the K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL.

Continue reading: BMW six-cylinder bikes: K 1600 GT and BMW K 1600 GTL

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The whole sleigh and Santa Claus thing is getting a bit jaded, and we think for 2009 the old man should consider a bike for his choice of transport. So move over, Rudolph, we’re finding Father Christmas something sexier to ride (so to speak). The photo above comes from the guys at Motoblog.it and shows the Christmas decorations from the Arezzo Ducati dealership.

Would Santa choose the new Ducati Multistrada? Or something else from the new bikes we’ve seen this year? There’s the new MV Agusta F4, or the Kawasaki Z1000, or could we see something responsible and ecological, like the Peugeot E-Vivacity electric scooter?

I kind of see Santa on the BMW Concept 6, or the KTM 125 prototype, but they don’t really count because they’re not production bikes (yet). If you were Santa Claus and had to swap your sleigh, what would you pick from this year’s bikes…?

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This video shows some of the highlights from the EICMA 2009 show, including the lovely KTM 125 prototype and some great close-ups of the BMW Concept 6. We also get a look at the Husqvarna stand and a brief glimpse of the Kawasaki Z1000. Check it all out in the video.

Source | Fastbikes.se

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The BMW Concept 6 presented at this year’s EICMA can be seen in this video, which shows the in-line six cylinder engine technology on the motorcycle. I’ll admit I wasn’t at first convinced by the “it’s only slightly wider than a classic four-cylinder”, but seeing the video, it isn’t, in fact an enormous monstrosity. The front of the bike is obviously bulky but a smooth fairing and some great colours make it look slimmer than what it actuall is, and if you like it then you’re probably into the futuristic look anyway.

BMW’s aim has not been to fit just any straight six onto a motorcycle, but to fit one that wouldn’t be too wide or too long, depending on which way you assembled it. BMW is so convinced that this will be a market winner, that it will go into production, first as a luxury touring model. For more details, see the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading: BMW Concept 6 to be produced: video close-up

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As we promised from the BMW stand at EICMA, here’s a look at the chunky BMW Concept 6, which has an inline six cylinder engine. Despite it being bulky, we’re surprised that it’s not actually wider that what it is, being only slightly larger than a classic four-cylinder.

We had first described it as a spaceship and it does look like something that could appear in a Transformers movie, like a kind of futuristic cafe racer. What’s impressive is the engine performance. The 1.6-litres gives 130 Nm of torque at only 2,000 rpm.

Continue reading: BMW Concept 6 EICMA

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Here’s a few pics of BMW live at the EICMA. We’ll be bringing you more details of the brand new Concept 6 from BMW, with its in-line six cylinder prototype engine. Stay tuned.

Stand BMW EICMA 2009

Continue reading: BMW live pics from EICMA

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