BMW unveil 1600cc Bagger concept
BMW has unveiled a radical new K1600-based bagger custom concept bike at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este today, called the Concept 101.
With its design and styling roots firmly in the USA, the bike is powered by the same torque-centric 6-cylinder, 1649cc engine, hence the name Concept 101 which is the equivalent American measurement of 101 cubic inches.
The engine is boldly displayed and surrounded by a carbon lower fairing, and it looks to be straight from the K1600 range with customised elements like the see through clutch and drive chain covers. The 6-cylinder motor in standard K1600 GT form makes a claimed 129 ft.lbs of torque and 158 bhp. Whether the production version of the Concept 101 will offer similar amounts of power remains to be seen.
The bagger-style cruiser is described by Head of BMW Motorrad Design, Edgar Heinrich, as: “the epitome of elegance, power and luxury on two wheels."
Bold styling characteristics include a rather elaborate addition of milled wood, treated only with oil. The tailpipes on both sides, each with three outlets, demonstrate the number of cylinders while the two integrated hard-cases also feature wood panels and are synonymous with BMW’s interpretation of a traditional ‘bagger’ – a type of custom bike especially popular in the USA.
Former motorcycle racer and custom bike guru Roland Sands has been involved with design and build of the Concept 101 project. He’s also been working with BMW Motorrad for several years on projects such as 2013’s Concept Ninety which later became the production RnineT, produced for BMW’s 90th anniversary.
Considering the Concept 90 and Concept Roadster (R1200R)were turned into production-ready models within 12 months of their conceptual debuts, we can fully expect this K1600 Bagger to make its way into UK dealerships in 2016. Watch this space for further updates.
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este takes place over this weekend and is traditionally an annual gathering of classic and vintage cars and motorcycles. It’s been hosted on the shores of Lake Como in Italy since 1929. For the last 10 years, the BMW Group has organised the event which was where last year BMW Motorrad unveiled the Concept Roadster which became the R1200R when it was put into production for 2015.
One for the collection? or !
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