BMW K 1600 Grand America 2020 — Specifications

Imagine leaving Chicago one September morning, Route 66 stretching before you like a promise of endless asphalt. That’s precisely the kind of moment for which BMW designed the K 1600 Grand America. Not for weaving between plane trees in the Drôme region, nor for tackling alpine hairpin turns. For devouring the miles with the serenity of a luxury liner, with full luggage and a straight back.

The inline six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1649 cc, already known on other members of the K 1600 family, forms the heart of this machine. Its 160 horsepower available at 7,750 rpm and its 175 Nm of torque at 5,520 rpm do not transform the Grand America into a track beast. BMW has also taken care to limit the maximum speed to 162 km/h. This restriction is an editorial choice, not a technical limitation. On a chassis of 364 kilograms in running order, sobriety is imposed as a virtue. And at 5.7 liters per hundred kilometers with a 26.5-liter tank, the range comfortably exceeds 450 km, which is not a detail when riding across the American continent.

Facing a Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra or an Indian Roadmaster, the BMW K 1600 Grand America plays a different part. Where the American bikes cultivate myth and sound, the Bavarian bike focuses on mechanical sophistication and onboard electronics. Semi-active ESA Dynamic suspension, riding modes, ABS Pro, traction control DTC, Hill Start Control Pro standard since 2019, electric reverse gear, heated grips and seat, integrated sound system, electrically adjustable windscreen. The list is dizzying, and it partially justifies the €29,930 requested in the catalog. It’s a high price for high-end comfort, and buyers looking for a used BMW K 1600 Grand America quickly realize it on the used market.

Since the 2019 version, the standardized seat height of 750 mm makes the machine accessible to a wider range of riders. The low seat option has disappeared from the BMW K 1600 Grand America accessories catalog, but this 750 mm setting suits the majority of drivers of average height. The cast aluminum bridge-type frame with engine as a stressed member, combined with the Duolever at the front and the Paralever at the rear, guarantees handling that is surprising on a motorcycle of this format. We are not talking about sportiness, but of a precision of guidance that American competitors do not reach.

The target audience is clearly defined. This is not the motorcyclist who chains tight turns on the weekend, nor the hurried urban rider who seeks to filter. The 2020 BMW K 1600 Grand America is aimed at the long-distance traveler who travels far, who sleeps in a hotel, who takes a passenger and who refuses to choose between comfort and reliability. For this profile, it is difficult to find better on the European market. For others, €29,930 represents a considerable sum to invest in a motorcycle whose full potential will never be exploited on our hexagonal roads.