BMW Concept 6 previews six-cylinder production model

As the name suggests, the BMW Concept 6 makes use of a six-cylinder engine based around BMW's K architecture. But where the futuristic cafe racer looks are merely tacked on to a BMW K1300R chassis, the engine is ready for production.




BMW's only hinting at details right now saying only that the new motor develops 96lb/ft of torque at 2,000rpm (presumably it develops more than the K1300R's 103lb/ft as revs rise towards the 9,000rpm redline) and will be a full six-inches narrower than any previous inline-six before moving on to less concrete statements like, "Six-cylinder power units have always had particular appeal, offering not only supreme smoothness and refinement, but also superior power and performance as well as a truly emotional driving - or, in this case, riding - experience. A further point is that the typical sound of a straight-six almost like a turbine is absolutely incomparable, with straight-six power units at BMW having stood for fascinating engine technology in BMW cars for more than seven decades."



Despite the sport-focussed concept bike, we're going to see this engine first in a big, luxurious tourer, most likely in the replacement for the aging K1200LT. The newfound capacity and number of cylinders will give that model greater showroom parity with the Honda Goldwing, but expect a better handling, faster bike than the square-tired Honda.