100,000 Miles in 5 years on BMW K1600GT

[amorley]

KBiK and I have shared 100,000 miles together in five years since we bonded in 2015.

I thought we would share this goal much earlier this year, but a pandemic through a spanner in the works so I have done little riding since returning from RanchSTOC in March. A few other family considerations also put dampers on my riding. But the fall weather in Texas has been wonderful so I have done two rides in the last week which total more than 1,000 miles. Today was a 700 mile ride out from Houston to do a couple of the 3 Sisters in the Hill Country west of Kerrville.

Coming home, KBiK passed 100,000 miles!


When I bought KBiK in 2015, the odometer showed 11 miles so we have now shared more than 100K miles together!


Looking forward to sharing many more miles together with KBiK in 2021 !

 

[STraymond]

Congrats from a guy who has shared a few of those 100K miles. Glad that you've been able to get out and ride recently.

Ray

 

[Booger Man]

Congrats Andy. The Big K is one heck of bike isn’t it.

 

[Darth rider]

Congratulations Andy! Hope you have many more smiles and miles on the the big K.

 

[Indian Express]

Congratualtions to you and KBik! Hope you enjoy her/him for another 100 K!

 

[jonjonboo]

Congratulations-going for another 100K on this one or different plan ?

 

[paulcb]

Good ridin' Andy, glad to have shared a few of those miles with you, and hope to share a few more.

 

[dduelin]

Congratulations Andy. Here's to many more sMiles for the two of you!

 

[wbgva_roadkill]

Congratulations Andy!!! I remember sharing a few of those miles while in Colorado in 2018! My 2013 K1600gtl just recently passed 50k so I've got a long way to catch up with you.

John Gregory

 

[STJohnS]

That is very cool! That's my aspiration bike!

 

[SupraSabre]

Congrats on the mileage!

 

[Shawn K]

@amorley - I would very much like to know what your experience was with reliability with that bike. Would you be willing to share any stories with us about maintenance or dealer issues?

 

[the Ferret]

That's awesome. Congrats of the first order.

 

[NuHondaGuy]

Congratulations Andy. I think most can relate to the reduced milage during this past year. Great accomplishment in any case.

 

[amorley]

Thanks for all the responses. Thanks to all of you who have ridden with me over the years. I have enjoyed all of those rides and look forward to riding with you again, and sitting around a campfire together. For those of you I have not met, I look forward to riding with you down the road.

My riding will remain curtailed by the social distance requirements to just day rides. If I stay overnight somewhere, my wife and I have to quarantine for ten days before we can re-enter the bubble we share with our family and grandkids. Those are our rules to stay safe and healthy.

I plan to keep KBiK and continue to ride as many miles as we can together. 150K miles is my next goal.

My rides on KBiK to date:

KBiK - All My Rides

All my rides on KBiK, my 2015 BMW K1600GTS motorcycle

spotwalla.com

 

[STJohnS]

@amorley - I would very much like to know what your experience was with reliability with that bike. Would you be willing to share any stories with us about maintenance or dealer issues?

I too am interested to hear this feedback. Look this BMW from afar and wonder what it is like to live with.

 

[STJohnS]

Thanks for all the responses. Thanks to all of you who have ridden with me over the years. I have enjoyed all of those rides and look forward to riding with you again, and sitting around a campfire together. For those of you I have not met, I look forward to riding with you down the road.

My riding will remain curtailed by the social distance requirements to just day rides. If I stay overnight somewhere, my wife and I have to quarantine for ten days before we can re-enter the bubble we share with our family and grandkids. Those are our rules to stay safe and healthy.

I plan to keep KBiK and continue to ride as many miles as we can together. 150K miles is my next goal.

My rides on KBiK to date:

KBiK - All My Rides

All my rides on KBiK, my 2015 BMW K1600GTS motorcycle

spotwalla.com

Well you never made it to Ohio - come to the ride we are having on Saturday!!

 

[Uncle Phil]

Congratulations, my friend! We missed you at the BRG but there's always next year.

 

[amorley]

For those of you that I have ridden with, you know how much I love riding the K1600GT. I had a great 6 years riding 85K miles on STA5, my 2005 ST1300A but was amazed when I made the switch in 2015 to the K1600GT.

If you are interested in the K1600, I strongly recommend taking one for a test ride. The first thing you'll notice is the engine, how smooth and powerful it is. All the power and torque you will ever need for touring. The K1600 is a big, heavy bike like the ST1300 but the weight is lower.

Electronic suspension adjustment for pre-load and damping, with anti-dive on hard braking. ABS and traction control with Dynamic, Road and Rain settings. Cruise control like in you car that locks the speed perfectly. Heated grips and seat for those cold days. Integrated Navigator GPS made by Garmin that can be controlled by the wonderwheel, the interface on the LHS grip used to control the bike settings and dash readings. 7 gallon tank that take me 300 miles, just a few miles less than I could go on STA5.

If you are interested in buying used, buy 2015 or 2016 as BMW had fixed the earlier problems with the water pump and switch gear. After 2017 the added hill climb and shift assist, and reverse none of which I am interested in. From 2017 the EU4 regulations limited the throttle performance and power. A $700 ECU flash from Brentune will fix that but you may have to have it re-flashed every time BMW updates the ECU.

BMW have continued to invest in the K1600 platform bring out new models.
- For solo touring, I recommend the K1600GT. I added the OEM top box as I enjoyed the Hondaline top box on my ST1300
- For two up touring, I recommend the K1600 GTL or GTLE
- If you like the cruiser look and riding position, the K1600 B (Bagger) or GA (Grand America). However the GA is speed limited to 100 mph which is killer for me.

I consider the K1600 as reliable as the ST1300 I owned and no more expensive to maintain. My dealer is also a Honda dealer and charges the same for mechanic hours. I bought a 4 year, unlimited mileage extended warranty to add to the 3 year 36K mile standard BMW warranty.

Two problems with the K1600 platform:

1. All that power eats rear tires. I only get about 7K miles from a rear tire
2. Over heating. This was never a problem initially but after going to Alaska and riding the dirt roads, and then more riding, the radiator gets clogged and the bike will overheat when going slowly in traffic, or under load when going slowly up hill. Keeping the radiator clean is an essential part of the maintenance after every ride.

I am a member of the K1600 forum which is a good resource on the K1600 bikes.

 

[TipSTer]

KBiK and I have shared 100,000 miles together in five years since we bonded in 2015.

I thought we would share this goal much earlier this year, but a pandemic through a spanner in the works so I have done little riding since returning from RanchSTOC in March. A few other family considerations also put dampers on my riding. But the fall weather in Texas has been wonderful so I have done two rides in the last week which total more than 1,000 miles. Today was a 700 mile ride out from Houston to do a couple of the 3 Sisters in the Hill Country west of Kerrville.

Coming home, KBiK passed 100,000 miles!


When I bought KBiK in 2015, the odometer showed 11 miles so we have now shared more than 100K miles together!


Looking forward to sharing many more miles together with KBiK in 2021 !

Congrats Andy,