Costa Mouzouris is in Los Angeles, where BMW is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The festivities included the introduction of a new model, as well as a few peeks at upcoming models.
The new bike, coming in 2017, is a variation on the BMW’s K1600GT touring bike, and it’s a bagger. Yes, BMW now has a bagger, called the K1600B. Not much info has been revealed yet, but it’s a K1600 with a cruiser penchant, featuring a streamlined fairing, saddlebags and tail section, and a tall, drag-style handlebar.
Also present at the Petersen Automotive Museum, where the K1600B was unveiled, was the R nineT Pure and the R nineT Racer. The Pure is a less expensive variation of the R nineT introduced two years ago, with a low, single muffler, conventional fork, and a steel fuel tank among other changes.
The Racer features a very attractive, classically styled fairing, low-mounted handlebar, and rear-set footpegs. Both machines utilize the air-cooled 1,170 cc boxer engine.
Bikes we saw but can’t show you because cameras were not allowed, were the mildly refreshed R1200GS, which will be available in more variations in 2017, including a Rally version with taller, self-levelling suspension.
We also saw yet another variation of the R nineT, called the Urban GS, paying homage to the R 80 G/S of more than three decades ago. It features a retro paint scheme, bright orange seat, and off-road bodywork.
Probably the most interesting bike we saw was the G310GS, a small-displacement adventure bike. Despite its 313 cc single-cylinder engine, this bike is a full-sized motorcycle featuring styling that ties it directly to its R1200GS sibling.
We’ll have much more info about these bikes after they are revealed at EICMA in early November.