Motorcycles Today

In fact, the company has been steadily gaining momentum since the launch of the magical R1200GS in '04, making Midas-touch improvements to its top sellers while successfully reeling in new, younger buyers with flashy lures like the sexy S1000RR superbike.



So when Director and CEO Hendrik von Kuenheim told the bleary-eyed, jet-lagged moto-journalists gathered outside of Cape Town, South Africa, that the company's latest achievement--"a dynamic super

touring bike" with "impressive thrust"--had exceeded every expectation the design and engineering teams had for it, we were inclined to believe him.



Remarkably, our lofty expectations were not nearly high enough. Once aboard the K1600GT and GTL, we were completely and collectively blown away!



Though we spent one full day riding each of the new touring bikes, we'll concentrate on the sportier K1600GT version (which is the platform for the GTL luxury-tourer) here. It's also the model I predict will have the most universal appeal, even in the U.S. where our vast, open highways create long-distancetouring opportunities that warrant moi comfort-oriented machines.



There's nothing diminutive about th K1600GT's physical proportions or its claimed 703-lb. curb weight, but once the bike off its sidestand and on the i feels hundreds of pounds lighter.



Except for the baboons loitering alongside the road and that pesky, left-side-of-the-road driving business, riding in South Africa isn't much different from the U.S. The pavement is generally smooth, corner camber and radius are usually predictable, and car drivers are occasionally skillful. Lucky for us, the k1200 backrest motorcycle never got in our way. Even at low speeds, the GT is effortless to control, an asset tested countless times during our photo sessions, which required multiple U-turns on loose, gravel shoulders.



The GT's extreme manageability at low speeds is a direct result of its low center of gravity. The compact r1200rt backrest six-cylinder engine uses a dry-sump lubrication system to allow it to sit very low in the chassis. But even more importantly, the engine's torquey nature and the silky E-gas throttle response make it almost impossible not to pilot in a way that Keith Code would be proud of. Give the throttle a hearty whack, however, and get ready for a thrill: The inline-six puts down a claimed 160 horsepower. Impressive thrust, indeed!