Yup, nowhere near enough to the original concept. Exhaust looks goofy, bags look goofy and the front end doesn't do it either.... Disappointing as the concept looked cool. A bagger has to be long and low. I would sure like 160 HP though.
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Yup, nowhere near enough to the original concept. Exhaust looks goofy, bags look goofy and the front end doesn't do it either.... Disappointing as the concept looked cool. A bagger has to be long and low. I would sure like 160 HP though.
I sat on the 1600 Bagger at the EICMA show in Milan. It definately has a quality finish and typically BMW styled. Seating position was OK but I would modify or change the stock seat, my knees were a bit cramped at 6.3". I liked the ergos and the instrument cluster. It has a couple of features which I miss on the F6B and it's lighter with more power. It's a more modern bike with way more electronics and gadgets.
But I am really happy with my F6B and will keep it, I see no need to change. I love the relaxed riding and cruising on the F6B. If i want more power and much less weight I take my 150hp KTM 1190R for hard ride. My wife also loves to ride with me on the F6 and we'll do a 2 week trip next summer. She told me: never sell that F6B! I guess that for once i'll listen to her. :icon_mrgreen:
Here are a few shots I took at the EICMA:
http://up.picr.de/27559688nk.jpg
http://up.picr.de/27559689yj.jpg
http://up.picr.de/27559690td.jpg
I really like this bike and will give it a hard look when it hits the showrooms next Spring. Besides the awesome power, I like the Bluetooth capability, electric reverse, electrically adjustable windshield, and some of the available accessories, such as the removable tour pack, Acrapovic exhaust, and the floorboards (as shown on the picture from the Milan show).
The tour pack may help, but it looks like it will only be a day tripper. The bags look so small and the passenger seat is feeble and small. From the butt of the pilot forward it is gorgeous and the electronics will be sweet. But I bought the B for long trips with more luggage. I did 2 weeeks away at school in OKC with the B loaded. I don't see how I could have gotten the same gear on this Beemer.
The pictures look nice of the bike and I hope to see it next Spring when it arrives here in the USA...Worth taking a "look-see" and hopefully a test ride..I will bet it is very fast, and should be, with more HP and lighter weight than the F6B..Wonder what the cost will be and other questions, ride, handling, etc. etc...Would not surprise me although if Honda does not do some nice up-grades to the F6B for future models as both MotoGuzzi and BMW now have competitive baggers!!!!....
I'd give the bike a go especially if Honda remove the F6B from their lineup
The only complaint I have about my k1600 GT is the wimpy speakers. The F6B speakers are far superior. However, the BMW has bluetooth, but I don't think it works very well. I prefer to listen through the bikes speakers.
If my 36" inseam (and my wallet) digs it, I may look to be trading. The B is a wickedly bad ass machine and both of my long distance trips this summer were exceptional....'however', the beamer does not have the gargantuan fairing of the B, which for long legged guys it can be troublesome.
I did a quick online search for bagger style bikes. Harley is the king of the market place followed by our F6B's. I own both of these brands. There are two new players in this market, BMW and Moto GUZZI along with the other large Japanese bike manufacturers. The UK has the Triumph Rocket Touring. The other North American bike manufacturer, Victory also has their Cross Country. By my count that is 9 motorcycle manufacturers building a bagger. The market cannot be large enough to support this style of bike from so many builders. A friend who works for Honda told me that they were considering dropping our bike from their line up in 2017 due to slow sales. This did not happen and the 2017 is now listed for sale in Canada. Lets face it you can still find the odd new 2013 F6B out there. Is there about to be a boom in bagger sales that we don't know about?
Great looking bike and assuming it had good ergos for store bought knees, I'd probably like it a lot. But the price tag is up there and I'd have to deal with the local Beemer dealer for service. And I'm having a love affair with the F6B. I'm pushing the age of 74 and I've sometimes wondered if the day would come when I'd have to downsize to something a bit lighter than my F6B. However, it's so well balanced and has such a low center of gravity that I think I have a bike I can ride until I can no longer remember where to put the key. The new Beemer is probably going to be a fine bike but the F6B keeps the smile on my face.
I agree, the bagger market seems kind of saturated. But so does the 'adventure bike' market, and manufacturers aren't abandoning that space. Some of those baggers, like the Guzzi and Rocket III Touring, are rare enough to make the F6B look like a hot seller!
It's great that we have such a wide selection to choose from. I keep worrying that with the advanced age of many buyers of these bikes, sales might start dropping and manufacturers will cut back on their product lines. Luckily that isn't happening.
I have had my share of Beemers and have had excellent results from performance, reliability and style. As long as I was living close to a BMW dealer or Beemer mechanic I had no problem with staying with the brand. Once those thing were no longer an option I immediately switched to the "6". Although I am a relative newcomer to the Honda brand and have been pleased so far. I like the idea of having a multitude of options for repair if necessary.
I've ridden a Harley for the past 20 years and have only just switched to a "Metric" bike, the F6B,which ironically I bought at a BMW dealership. I've put over a 100,000 miles on my Harley(s) in those years and never had difficulty finding a Harley dealer when needed. One of my riding mates has had both Hondas and BMW's. He carries a travel book of other BMW riders that have tools and some experience with repairs in case of trouble while on tour due to the dirth of Motorad stores across North America. We've been fortunate to not ever need a BMW repair while touring other than tires. Same goes for the Honda. I live in a large city with more than one BMW Motorad store so the B would be an option for me. However there are many Honda Powersports stores across all of North America. This helps with confidence when planning a trip, you're not too worried about needing service on the road as you're like to come across one within a hundred miles or so.Attachment 24800Attachment 24801